Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-05-25
TO EUROPE VIA HUDsoN's BAY.
The Mission OF Capt. adams. who Sails
In the Alert-The Whale Fishery.


Froys no Boston Adrerttger.
HALIFAX, n. S., May 2O.-Capt. Will
liam Adams, the famous Dundee whaler
and Arctic navigator, is in the city. The
Arctic ship Alert leaves for Hudson Bay
next week 10 bring home the men who
spent last year at the stations along the
shores OF HudsOn's Strait and Bay, estsb-
lished by the Dominion Government for
the purpose of taking meteorological and
other scientific observations, and replace
them with men who will remain there an
other year. The whole American and
Canadian Northwest is vitality interested
in the opening up of the long talked of
route to Europe via Hudson Bay. The
Winnipeg aud Hudson Bay Railway and
Navigation Company has been organized,
chartered and subsidized by the Dominion
Government, and taken hold Ofby English
and American capitalists. Capt. Adams
has bad a third Of a century's experience
in Arctic waters, is the most successful
and best known whaIer in the world The
will be remembered as having brought
some Polar crews), and probably is the
greatest living authority on the naviga-
tion Of northern waters. He goes out on
the Alert as the representative Of this
company, to report upon the feasibility
and practicability Of the route. In his
opinion, based upon experience and pres
ent Information, Hudson Bay and Straits
are more feasible and practicable for naVi-
cation from the middle of June TO the
end of October to ships properly equipped
with two and one half inch iron bark for
an outside she'll with IA suitable ice stem
inside the Qualifications, and with an eX-
ira beam. These ships should be limited
to 1900 tons in size. They need not be
wooden ships, as after making two trips
to Hudson Bay during the season, they
should he employed in the Atlantic or
any other trade. Men ofenergy and spirit
will make the route a success. If the
railway route is practicable, the opening
up of ocean navigation from Hudson Bay
to Europe is only question of time and
money. He thinks there is as much Ian
ger in the navigatiOnof the coasts Of New
toundland and Nova Scotia during the
breaking up of the ice in spring as in the
navigation of Hudson Bay during the
four months indicated. The safety Of the
ship there, as here, depends largely on
common sense, experience, watchfulness
and the caution of the Captain. The open
ing up of this route will bring the heart
of the great Northwest as near to New
York as Liverpool is to-day, and will en-
tirely reVOlutiOnize the channel of trade.
Capt. Adams told an interesting story
OF the whale fishery, its profits and It's
future. Many Dundee vessels paw 60 per
cent. His vessel, the Arctic, paid AZ per
cent for IS years cOnsecutively. In one
year her cargo Melted 1882 600 above all
expenses. The black whale fishery shows
signs Of exhaustion as now prosecuted,
but the waters between Sptzbergen and
Franz Josef land viii be the great
black whale fishing grounds of the future.
The bottle nose whale fishery is still very
successful. Many of our vessels are fish
ing for them in Davis Straits and on the
coast of Greenland and Labrador. Only
Dundee men and HOrwegiaus are follow
ing this bottle nose fishery, because
Americans have not yet found it out.
This will be the great whale fishing feature
Of the future, because it Is ineXhaustiole.
Capt. Adams went INTO many details of
fact ana figures to show the enormous
profits of the whaling business. Speaking
of the North Pole, he has no faith in ever
reaching it, and says all attempt to do so
is only useless waste of life, time and
money.