San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-12-02
AN EXCHANGE OF SHIPS.

We were whaling in the Arctic ocean, to
the north of Point Barrow, Alaska. in the
old Scotch bark Emma Davis. That was
my fifth whaling voyage, and no ship could
have had worse luck. When we had been
out fourteen months we had to buy bar
rel of oil to keep our lamps going. We had
sighted whale now and tnen, but they
were as wild as deer, and twice when We
had made fast we had our boats stove and
lost two or three men. We had lost top
masts, been alcak, had several sails de-
stroyed, been on fire, and it seemed as IL
the very devil was to pay with the voyage,
and yet no one could blame any one else.
1t was simply ships luck" and we had
to make the best of it. Finally, late in the
season, when we ought to have been head
ing for the south, we got among the
whales. That is, they suddenly appeared
all around us, and on the very first day we
killed four without accident. We cut them
in without trying out, as this was tho
quicker way to dispose Of them, and the
last of the blubber was no sooner over the
rail than down went the boats and two
more whales were secured.
The winter gales were at hand and ice
was making fast, but it was our golden OPP
portunity. We drifted slowly to the south,
killing and cutting in as we went, and If
we could have had two more weeks of it we
could have filled the ship. One afternoon.
as we had half cut whale on each side
of us, n gale spTang up. heavy snow
storm came on and i'll less than an
hour we had to let go of our prizes and
look sharply after the bark. 1t was the
beginning of the arctic winter, and while
the captain was satisfied of it he decided to
take one more chance. There might come
a few days of fine weather after the gale,
and so we drifted away to the north to
wear out the gale. For thirty hours there
was no let up, and every half hour we had
TO turn ont and shovel snow over the rails.
Just as the gale broke we got among the
field ice, and the temperature went down
in four hours from degs below zero to
Is degs below. From gale blowing
at the rate of forty miles an hour the
wind died ont until it hadn't motion
enough to flare a candle. On that first
night, when we were surrounded by field
ice and drifting with it, many of the men
were badly frostbitten, and the frost
cracked through the old ship like muskets.
Morning came without breath of wind,
with the temperature down to % degs. be-
low, and now every man knew it was one
chance in ten for us. We We're drifting
very slowly to the south, and while we
made everything as snug as possible the
captain hoped for Il break before winter
actually shut down. Before noon the sea,
as far rs could be discovered from the
crows nest with glass, was covered with
field ice, and by night the temperature was
81 dogs. below. We kept up our fires and
gotout all the spare clothing and bedding,
but many Of the men suffered with the
cold, and no one slept more than ten min
uteS at a time on account of the noises
When morning came again 1t brought IN
wind, white the cold was just as intense,
and we could now discover great change
in the ice around us. 1t was rugged and
broken, the heave of the sea having piled
cakes on ton Of each other, and the field
was four or i've feet thick. The old man
himself went 60 the crows nest and took
Iong look, AMI wlya he came Gown he said
70 the men. xho were waiting TO hear his
words:
well, boys, it looks very serious 10 me-
and expect you had better prepare TO win
ter this side of Dundee"
That settled .itwith Us. We turned to
Continued on third page.