The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-11-18

If to the present time whale fishing in the
Arctic Ocean has been Unsuccessful. Fifty
one whales have been taken by the fleet,
against thirty-two at the snIsc time ms,
year, and the whales have run large, avcrag-
ing about one hundred barrels of oil, and,
say, eighty thousand pounds of whalcbonc
in all also about eleven thousand walruscs,
against twelve thousand last year the wal
.ruscs making less oil than usual, as fewer fc-
males arc killed, and larger proportion Of
male walrlscs than in years past. Not a
whale has been taken in the strait or the
Arctic ocean, and only one wh.. has been
seen, and that by the Helen Mar -Four
ships and several brigs and schooncrs got to
the eastward and missed the chance A
great many whales were seen, and more
than usual were struck and lost. The Helen
Mar struck fifteen and saved seven; the Pro-
gross five, and saved two. Not whale has
been taken by the natives OF the whole
coast, and the whaling party, with their
rocket guns, which wintcred at Plovcr bay
got nothing. The natives OH Diomcte is
lands report seeing large numbers of whales
going north in May and early June last, east
of tha islands, and they struck over to Cape
Thompson and Point Hope, where the ma
tivcs took five Conc onc-hundred- d-barrcl
whalc--one of about forty barrels, and three
small ones, without whalebonc). There is
more ice, and further south this year, than
usual. Ships havcsbccn in G9.4O, and re-
Gently four or five ships were thirty-fve
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; hc will trace the shore
around his steamer draws only three and Il
half feet Of water, and can steam one hun
bred miles a day. The trading vessels have
about six thousand pounds Of whalcbonc
and small quantity Of ivory compared with
former years. About half the fleet are in
the West; the other half arc all over to
Cape Seege and West walrusing, 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 be one left, and
advise all natural history societies and mu-
scums to get a specimen while they can.
Fully one-third of the population south of
St. Lawrence bay perish the past winter for
want of food, and half the natives of st.
Lawrence island died; one village of two
hundred inhabitants all died excepting one
man. Mothers took their starving children
to the burying- grounds, stripped tho cloth
ing from their little emaciatcd bodies, and
then stranglcd them or let tho intense cold
end their misery. 1t is hcartrcndoring to
hear them tell how they suffered. Capt.
Cogan has taken very fcw walruscs, ho says
that for every one hundred walruses taken
a family is starved, and / concur in his
opinion. The season, or rather tho ico,
does not look favorable to tho success Of tho
Bennett expedition, for thoy can not pcnc-
trato the pack with that or any other steam
or, as 1t Is now packed by tho constant
strong south winds; but before long the
whole icc-pack may be pushed north or
cast.