River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-12-18
ARCTIC PERILS.
Miraculous Escape from a Polar lee
mack.
San Francisco Chronicle.

hAoN@Pc ttttH - ta"- NN~7
pack.
San Francisco Chronicle.
A thrilling tale Of privation and hard
ship is told by the crews of the Helen
Mar and Mercury the former of which
reached this port on Wednesday last
with the crew of the later on board.
They were two whaling barks which
have Leen bunting in company in the
Arctic ocean. The whaling fleet has
been extremely fortunate thus far this
season, the only loss up to this date
having been that Of the Newton Booth.
On Oct. 8, these vessels together with
the Mt. allas,on and the vigilant,
were ancMred Of Herald island, small
lslet hardly larger than Goat island
The: day following the Vigilant and
Mt. Walaston parted company with
them and beat their way north. On the
10th they spoke to the Thomas Pope
which was then steering for the straits.
On the following day they encountered
| q school of whales, and both vessels at
tempted To capture some of them with
out success, however, Cold weather
had been coming on gradually since the
10Th. and new ice had been forming.
The vessels were then, on the 18th, in
longitude "a degrees west, about eighty
miles from Herald island, and as far as
the sight could stretch to the westward
the ocean presented one glittering mass
of ice to the view ofthe hardy mariner
Occasionally the ships would find small
stretches OF clear water and then again
they would encounter large blocks of
old ice; The weather continued TO
grow coldeS hour by hour, the young
ice grew faster and faster, and the yes.
sells seeing their danger, were swung
off SO as towork through the ice.
On the morning of the 22nd the ice
had formed so heavy as to stop the
ship4 and the anchors were dropped.
All sround them there was nothing but
ice, and the Arctic seas were covered
with.winter's cloak, through which no
vessel could ever hope TO break her
way. On the morning of the Esd the
ice had become SO solid that it would
beaE a ton weight. 1t was then decided
to abandon the Mercury, the Helen Ma
being the stronger vessel and more cap
able of resisting the death grip of the
conG ealing masses. The provisions and
bluhber of the abandoned vessel were
placsd on board the Helen Mar, and ON
the evening of Oct. "a Capt. Hickmott
for Ehe last time looked upon his gallant
vess+l and heard the ominous crack of
her 3imbers, as the surrounding masses
slowly drove their hardened edges into
her planks. The night was n bitterly
colta one, and as the hardy seamen
heasd the chilly sough OF the gathering
gale glide through the rigging then
heats lost hope. Many, many miles
milns from shore, wholly unpl epared
for she dismal Arctic winter, locked iii
betSeen the ever-grinding, saving
masses, which eventually would rip up
the 3eams of the ship and drive them
to take refuge upon the vast fields of
ice, to perish slowly of cold and starva-
ton, the hope for life was slight indeed.
But the wind grew stronger, and soon
blew perfect hurricane from the north.
The surrounding ice-feld began to
crack ominously, and finally began TO
break. Hope revived. Gables and an
ohors were run out, sails were set, and
the imprisoned vessel commenced TO
move toward liberty and the open
ocean. The force of the hurricane
packed up the surging, grinding masses
of ice about the vessel, threatening to en-
gulf the fragile vessel and draw il TO
destruction, The crews worked desper-
ately, as it was their only chance for
life and liberty. For six days and nights
they broke their passage, momentarily
expecting a hull in the breeze, when ma
ture again despite all human labor, in
the short space of ten minutes would
have fixed her icy fangs about the Hell
oY, Nav nd hold hos. n ostra Il oct
At last after four days IF agony, despair
and hope the open sea was reached,
and with all sails flung to the breeze,
her battered sides ripped and splintered
by the sharp edges OF the ice, the liber-
ated vessel made her way to port. The
fate of the Vigilant and the Mt. Wollas-
ton can only be coniectured. If they
persisted III making their way further
north as Capts. Smithers and Nye in
tended, they must have caught on the
ice; and in that case there hardly re-
mains any hope that even any OF the
crews will he seen again. However
the vessels are fitted to winter in the
Arctic, and there is q slight chance that
their masters may have altered their
minds and gone southwark. The old
whaling captains give them ten days
in which TO make their appearance.
They have however but slight hopes of
ever seeing crews or vessel again, as no
vessel could withstand the immense
pressure of the shifting icy masses, UNI
less within the shelter of some port. If
the vessels are ice-bound, they are SO
fat from shore that it would be sure
death to the crews to abandon them
and make toward shore, as the ice in
that region does not become solid
enough to afford passage, and no YES
sci that has become ice-bound in the
Arctic sea has ever come back to tell
the tale, while her crew has most always
persisted miserably of cold and hunger.
There are some eighty souls on board
these vessels, mostly eastern people.
Beside these two there are but one 9th
er vessel of the whaling fleet in the Arc
tic and irons last accounts she was fish
ing in Plovel bay, which is free from
ice. This vessel is expected to arrive
daily. From the Jeanette there is no
news none Of the whaling fleet having
heard of her, but those who are more
competent to judge are confident that
she has sought some sheltered nook in
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