West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1879-11-01
Starvation In the Arctic sons.

III TO the present time whale fishing i'm the
Arctic Ocean has been Unsuccessful. Fifty
one whales have been taken by the fleet.
against thirty-two at the same time last
year, and the whales have run large, avcrng
ing about one hundred barrels of oil. and.
""3, "isl''s' 'h"''a-.l r....-,i, vr vi'"I,t,,,.y
in 0ll also about eleven thousand walrlIscs
against twelve thousand last year the wal
rIIscs making less oil than usual, as fewer fe-
males are killed, and larger proportion of
male walrusCs than i'm years past. Not
whale has been taken in the strait or the
Arctic ocean, and only one whale has been
seen. and that by the Helen Mar. -Four
ships and several brgs and schooncrs got TO
the eastward and missed the chance
great many whales were seen, and more
than usual were struck and lost. The Helen
Mar struck fifteen and saved seven; the Pro
grcss five, and saved two. Not a whale has
been taken by the natives OF the whole
coast and the whaling party, with their
rocket guns, which wintercd at Plover bay
got nothing. The natives on Diomcde ia
lands report seeing large numbers of whales
going north in May and early June last, east
of tina islands, and they struck over to Cape
Thompson and Point Hope, where the ma
tivcs took five Zone Onc-hundTcd- barrel
whale-One OF about forty barrels, and three
small ones without whalcbonc). There is
more ice, and further south this year, than
usual. Ships havesbecn in 60. 40, and re-
Gently four or five ships were thirty five
miles east Of Cape Lisburnc stopped by ice
Capt. Tom Williams started some DAYS ago
with his little steamer, the Bouquet, torcach
Wainwright inlet, Point Bclchcr or Point
Barrow, If possible; he will trace the shore
around his steamer draws only three and q
half feet OF water, and can steam one hun
bred miles day. The trading vessels have
about six thousand pounds OF whalcbone
and a small quantity Of ivory compared with
former years. About half the feet are in
the West the other half arc all over 90
Cape Sccgc and West walrising, de
| strOying them by the thousand about eleven
thousand have been taken, and thirty or
| forty thousand destroyed this year. An
other year, or perhaps two years, will finish
/ them; there will hardly bc one left, and /
advise all natural history societies and mu-
scums 10 get n specimen while they can.
| Fully Onc-third Of the population south Of
~. Lawrence bay perish the past winter for
want Of food, and half the natives Of st.
! Lawrence island died; ono village Of two
/ hundred inhabitants all died excepting one
man. Mothers took their starving children
% the burying grounds, stripped the cloth
| ing from their little emaciatcd bodies, and
/ then stranglcd them or let the intense cold
end their misery. II il heartrcndering to
/ hear them tell how they suffered. Capt.
| COgan has taken very few walruscs, he SAYS
that for every one hundred walnises taken
n family is starved, and I concur in his
/ opinion. The season, or rather tho ice.
/ does not look favorable 10 the success Of the
/ Bennett expedition, for they can not ppnc-
/ trate the pack With that or any other steam
I cf, NJ IL is now packed by tho constant
strong south winds; but before long fhc
/ whole ice-pack may be pushed north or
/ east