The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1885-01-21
Written for THE RECORD
"REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO
THE NORTHERN SEAS.
BY GEO. @. WESTON, N. Y.
No. H..

In few minutes the small boat came
alongside, and the one-armed man came
climbing over the rail on deck, followed
by his boats crew. He greeted our Cap
tain warmly, and his greeting was hearth
ly returned. The boats crew came for
ward and commenced making acquaint-
ances among our crew, and from them we
learned that the one-armed man was
French Canadian, by the name of Roche,
who had came north as Commander of
the schooner Florence, vessel owned by
the same company as ours, and which had
sailed two days in advance of us, from the
same port.
Captain Roche, however, had the mis-
fortune to lose his second mate overheard,
on his voyage up, and also to lose his ves-
sci soon after arriving at his destination.
He had been cruising for whales and see
ing a storm arising had put in toward
land, but finding no good harbor in which
TO anchor, had been compelled to drop
his 'mud hook under the lee side of a
rocky point, which afforded him but little
shelter. Here he might have erode it
out, had his anchors held firmly, but
they began to drag, as soon as the storm
commenced to rage. The Captain and
crew seeing no way of saving the vessel,
lowered the boats, and putting into them
their personal effects, together with the
vessels compass, cbronometer and other
nautical instruments, bid adieu to the
vessel and headed their boats for the
shore. About the time the boats reached
land, the vessel was on the rocks and fast
going to pieces. They instantly set to
work to save what they could from the
wreck, and were fortunate enough to save
all the provisions, and some of the whal-
ing gear. Tho balance of the cargo and
the hull of the vessel, floated out to sea
with the tide, and to use the time-worn
phrase, "were never heard of more"
All hands were compelled to winter at
the station, and to do their fall whaling
from the shore.
In the spring, Scotch steamer came to
take the oil and bone from tho Scotch sta
ton home, and the Captain of the steam
er offered to take the crew of the Inflated
Florence to Scotland with him, and put
them under the care of the United States
Consul there, who would provide for their
return to their native country. All, ex-
cepting the first-mate, and four of the
crew, availed themselves of the Scotch
mans kind offer, and, as we afterward
heard, succeeded in reaching the port
from whence they had sailed. The four
men who remained, had done SO of their
own free will, as their Captain had told
them that they were free to do as they
pleased about accepting the Scotchman's
offer. They had become quite attached
to their Captain, however, aud resolved
10 stand by him.
We anchored our vessel few hundred
yards from shore, near the stations, and
after the sails were furled and the run
ming rigging neatly coiled up, our visitor,
Captain Roche, invited our Captain, of
ficers and crew, to come ashore and dine
with him. Tho invitation was accepted
at once, and we were soon on shore, leav-
ing the vessel in charge of the third mate
and shipkeepers, who were to come ashore
after we had returned. We spent a
pleasant evening ashore, and found oui
host to be an old veteran, having spent
his life from his youth upon The sea, and
had lost his arm in the whaling service.
He assured us that he had put an end to
many monster Of the deep, with his re-
naming arm, since the loss of the other
Although having but one arm, he was
| considered by the different whale ship
owners, in New Bedford, to DO an excel
lent wbaleman; the latter statement be-
ing made by our Captain.
After dinner we began to look around
us, having some curiosity to know how
the men in the stations lived. We found
both houses to be about the same style oil
architecture and of the same size, viz
About twenty feet wide, by forty in
length, built entirely of boards and lined
with felt The men told us that they
were comfortable in the coolest weather.
Try works were built near by, where the
oil was rendered from the captured whales
We found the rocks in the vicinity, strewn
with bones of numbeiless "bowheads, u
as the place had long been the headquar,
tiers of both Scotch and American whal
ers. The most cfthe men at the stations
had come to stay for two years, and the
officers, who had them in charge, from
four to five years. After having satisfied
our curiosity, we returned to our vessel,
and taking charge, our shipmatus who
had remained, went ashore.
The next day we began overhauling the
rigging, which had became slack from
tho strain put upon it, when running
through the ice, and making other re-
pairs, before putting to sea again.
The main object our Captain had for
coming to this place, was to hear from
the lost Florence, and having gained all
the information possible, we, as soon as
our repairs were finished, weighed an
Choir and set sail for Ok-et-le-ab, a place
| on the northern shore of Hudson's Strait,
some three or four hundred miles from
where we had wintered. We had hired
4
some natives at this place the previous
fall, to whale for us, and had lett them a
boat fully equipped for whaling, some
wooden clothing, a cask of "hard-tack, u
which they were very fond of, and severa
empty casks, in which they were to put
the whale blubber, if they succeeded il
capturing an "og-big," as they call &
whale.
After an uneventful voyage, we arrived
at Ok-ot- leah, but were greatly surprised
to find no natives there, and on goina
ashore, we also found that all, excepting
one of our casks, had disappeared.
(To BE coNTNUED)