Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-09-26
sufsrlngs of whaling Crew.

Advices Just received from Point Hope
Alaska, give thrilling details Of the loss OF
the whaling bark Little Ohio, which sailed
from san Francisco on Dec. ;, 1887, and
was wrecked on Point Hope on oct. 3, 1883.
There is revealed q story OF atrocity, self
ishness and abandonment OF comrades by
some of the survivors which Is almost
without parallel in Arctic annals.
The vessel drove on the shore in blind
ing snow storm at / o clock AZ night. She
was within 40 feet OF the beach wnen great
waves began pounding her TO pieces. Her
timbers were rotten ana she soon began TO
crumble. Thirteen men reached the shore
while three, who wero on the mainmast,
came down on land without wetting their
feet The Captain and two officers were
drowned.
The other officers knew that they were
upon Point Hope and that "a native village
was near, while the trading station was
only eight miles away, but they seemed TO
forget every thing in their blind desire 10
tee before the storm. Pc Sc, the mate,
was hurt and begged for assist nee. They
helped him along for few rods and then
left him 10 perish from the cold. Soon aft
erward the Portuguese boatswain succumb-
ed 10 cold. lie was almost naked and
would have survived with clothing, but al
though some OF his messmates had double
pea jackets none offered 70 give him one.
I'D. Mason, who ran the steam weinch, was
lclJ cllDRlnR 10 Il spar III Tie WaJcT, 81 uSu-
~ hurt that he could not drag himself upon
the beach. lie implored the men not TO
abandon him, but they paid no heed to his
cries. Fortunately the water was wsrner
than the air, and kept him alive until he
was rescued the next morning.
The fugltives from the wreck, instead OF
keeping along the beach, struck across a
high exposed divide where the bitter wind
cut them 10 the bone. Finally they reached
shelter, but not until they had left three
men behind to perish.
At the station food was scarce, but these
men squandered on the native women -four
and other articles that they sorely needed.
II was found that Is were alive and Is had
persisted. Two flags were sent down TO
attract passing steamers, but none respond
cd 10 the distress signal. Finally on Oct.
Il, nine days after the wreck, a steamer
passed. There was heavy sea, but the
third mate, Manual Lopez, and five men,
ali prominent in the desertion of their
comrades, put out in a whale boat to inter
cept her. The boat was evidently swamp
ed as they were never heard OF again.
A few hours later the steam whaler Mar
whal slowed up, but finally resumed her
course. This disappointment caused the
second officer Niles, TO break down. From
O strong man he became puny invalid and
died in few days. BY good luck, the sur
vivors at the station found food 10 last
through the winter. An unusual supply of
fish was thrown up on the beach, while
reindeer came within 60 miles OF the sta.
ton for the first time in the memory OF
the natives. Seals and whales in the
spring eked out the supply, and eight sur
vivors were taken up by the Thetls TO
Port Clarence. There they made com
plant against Cap. McGregcr OF the Mar
whal, for passing Point Hope and disre-
guarding the signal of distress, but Nc.
Gregor claimed that no boat put out, and
he simply thought that it was device OF
| the natives TO secure food.