New-York tribune., 1890-01-03
WHALES AND ICE.
WITH THE FLEET OF THE NORTHERN SEAS

l.. AiQrlCn. liuStldtSu. 1~uVs, PP' ~"@'
McNally & Co.
It was a happy thought of Mr.. Aldrich that the
American public might like TO know something ABOUT
their whaling industry, and still happier one wiuch
moved him to spend a season with the whaling feet
In the Northern seas Drawing all the dangers and ds-
comforts of sach expedition for the sake OF exact
and fun information and local color The result IS
one Of those books which only Disappointing IN
that there is not Of them honest simple accounts
of facts and deeds. free from all afectauoh anu
theatrical accessories. presenting in the plalnest way
pictures of life of peril and hardship faced con-
tnuously and coclly matter of business III was
at New-R Bedford that the interest OF the whaling IN
dustry grew upon Mr.. Aldrich. and after he RAD
gathered all the material accessible there he made ar
rangements to sail with the fleet from san Francisco
and 10 make with them the season Of 1887 HIS
plans appcar to have been eminently well judged
throughout for instead OF spending all his time on
board one vessel he shifted his quarters at almost
every opportunity, now going on steamer then on
sailing vessel, and obtaining an alaround view OF
the work and of the various methods by which II IS
carried on. He doubt also secured more varenes
of weather by this method than nc could have done
otherwise. for the steam whalers could go when the
sailing vessels could not and he practically succeeded
In surveying the entire field under peculiarly favorable
conditions.
The season was so exceptionally good that the
author did not have opportunity OF describing any
OF the severe vcssitudes 10 which the whaemen are
AAo'S'Nt
which can avert the dangers arising from pack ice,
and Mr.. AIdrich saw enough of these. On leaving
San Francisco his first ship spent several weeks III
fitting up for work. repairing rigging, sails, whahhs
apparatus, getting ready for the various operations
which have TO be performed after whales have been
KILLED and brought alongside and other matters Whch
merchant ships as rule attend TO While IN pof1'
This work finished. the Young Phoenix started lor
Behring Sea- and there met several other VeSses VI
the fleet. while all of them were soon en'ahseu III
the pack ice, which gave them constant occupston'
To get caught between the shore ice and that whch
is drifting in from the ocean is certain destruction "
the stoutest vessel. To make headway wlhle sleer-
ing in and ont between the packs, following IeauerS
of clear water, avoiding cnls dc sac Keeping 0i0I
of the big cakes contact with when might sVdNo .0
how fn-is task TO test the very best seamahship'
Practice in this most difficult navigation has MADE Ie
whaling captains the smartest seamen anoat' anu
their resource and courage are wonderful buC III
those stormy, ice-nfeSted northern SEAS IL oU'
happens That brilliant seamanshp Is quite po"eioS
to nrevent disaster. A ship may get caught III d
mack and be drifted helpessy; or the weather may
he at once thick and windy, and then the avodahce
of collisions with ice cakes is almost impoSsoe vi
the pack may drive the ship close on TO lee-sho.o
and heavy gale come at the crtcal nionlen' ~
prevent her escape. .4 l.,
sometimes as in 1897 whole whaling meet Is
.aoht at the close of the season in the ice and then
there is nothing for it but for the crews TO Try 10 e
hway with the boats which have to be haueu lor ons
distances over the ice. on the occasion referred 10
1000 men were thus situated and when the uecision
was reached 10 abandon the imprisoned smps' lou
nf the hands refused to face the sufernss OF the re-
treat and STAYED on board. No news was ever re-
ceived either of those $50 OF the SHIPS they
clung TO- Not scrap OF timber even mas 0'0i
turned up, not frozen corpse, not an arucle Vi
clothing Men and ships passed away INTO 'he III
penetrabe mystery of the Arctic seas ana that Is lhe
last of them. The working of whaling snip Is oien
ANYTHING hut easy During "cod spells" everything on
deck and above deck becomes so coated win Ice thd'
the running gear is fixed, and going aloft Is ihaue
very dangerous and work in the boats is by no means
In the nature of amusement Frequently the men,
starting out after whale in their deerahn coaus' re-
turn SO encrusted with frozen spray and sea water
that their clothes when removed will stand alone ike
suts of platearmor. OF course frostbte is common,
and many a tough sailor is ultimately crippled oy
longer freezing than usual AS to the whaling ltse'
IL has become mere slaughter since the use OF inc
bomb-gnn has been generally adopted There Is no
longer the excitement of long struggle, though a
race for the whale may be necessary. once near
nnonch the great beast to plant couple of the muir
derons bombs i'm his vitals, and his death is swift,
though even then the men have to keep out OIL the
way of his tail during the furry. Hauled alongside
the huge mammal demands a series OF manlpulatlons
involving the saturaton Of ship and crew in grease
and other nastiness. The deck and blubberroom OF
prospering whaler in the height Of the season are
as disagreeable places any one not used to the
business could well find himself in. Mr. Aldrich
gives full description Of cutting out and trying down.
which interesting to read Of than 10 ptclpae
in In 1857 the catch of whales was unusually good
and apparently the whole feet able to fill up"
while to complete the prosperity of the year every
ship and every man got home safely
Mr. Aldrich gathered great deal of interesting mat
fer concerning the TehOnbtchis NakoOruks as the
whaIers call Them the natives OF Siberia and part oi
Alaska who NAV be said to depend for their sub
trodo do wit 10 whaling
These Esknos are little if at all further civilized than
In the time of Davis and Behring. They disposed
10 be friendly for the most part, if whiskey is kept
from them but there are always some shippers mean
and greedy enough to supply them with bad liquor for
the sake of securing little trade
1t is rather curious that these untutOred savages
have adopted in the rearing Of their children prin-
ciples which great many civilized parents sup
pose to be peculiar to the evolutionary philosophy.
They treat their children very tenderly, and yield to
them in everything. But since they possess little con-
ventionaty they free from the vice OF hypocrisy
and Mr. Alarich saws that NakOOruk children never
learn to lie or steal Perhaps such statement IS
too sweeping. but he illustrates 1t by adding that
though seds full of tempting things were often left all
night in the street of Nakoouk village where s"arHs
Of children were playing about. he remembers no IN
stance of theft This is remarkable If true ana there
would seem TO be a moral concealed somewhere abont
the fact. The account Of the natives OF Alaska ana
Siberia is even fuller than might have been expected
from the authors obviously limited opportunities anu
shows that he employed his time to the best purpose
He concludes an meommonly fresh and interesting
book with grisly chapter Of whaling experiences taken
down from the lips of captains whose various ms
fortunes are graphically narrated. The illustrations
are all from photographs taken by the author himself,
and are appropriate and well selected.
COBB OR sHAMBO; a Story OF Three songs by
q. G. A. Murray 12mo PIP. 316 Lohgmahs'
Green d Co.
eGob or shambo" is curious tale following
the line Of the many modern whose authors to
escape the eternal round of the conventional project
II Iauo q