Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-11-06
LUCK IN THe. FAR NORTH.
All Hands on the Whaler Hume Will Be
Capitalists for Awhile.

All Hands on the Whaler Hume Will Be
Capitalists for Awhile.
The chartered steamer Bertha, Cap
tain Anderson, of the North American
Commercial company, arrived from the
Pribylov seal islands, via Oonalaska.
The steamer brings quite batch Of in
teresting news, the most important item
of which is the phenomenal catch of
thirty-eight right whales credited to
the steam whaler Mary d. Hume during
her 215 years cruise near the mouth Of
the Mackenzie river, and well within
the arctic circle. 1t is estimated that
the catch will amount to over $iC0 900
when sold.
The Mary D. Hume may be expected
TO arrive here at any time, as she left
Oonalaska three days ahead Of the
Bertha. She has on board 40, 900 pounds
of bone, which will be shipped east on
its arrival. An additional $4,000 pounds
of this seasons catch has already been
shipped here by another vessel. When
the news of the immense catch reached
here there was JOY in the hearts OF many
outside of the stockholders of the Pa
cific Steam Whaling company. The
boarding house masters, from old Horse
shoe Brown down, who will get the
crew to honor their Establishments with
their presence, were wild with delight.
The lowest whaler on the lay scale on
this lucky vessel will not receive less
than 81 900, while the scale will rise I'M
til the captain will pull down something
like $40, 900. Every whaler on the Hume
will be little king while his money
lasts. However, had these men had
disastrous season and come home empty
handed it would have made an awful
difference with them. Many of the
sailor boarding houses are well filed
with boarders who have disposed of
their "pile," and the Hume's crew would
hardly have found place to stop at, let
alone be welcome, but for their present
prospective wealth.
The steam whaler Grampus, which
accompanied the Hume two years and
half ago to the mouth Of the Mackenzie
river, returned year ago in command
of Captain Norwood. The men on the
Grampus told terrible tales at that time
of cruelties practiced on the crews by
the different captains, and how the men
tried to desert and were captured.
These stories all dated over the two win
tiers that had been spent in the ice and
before any whales were taken.
There wintered with the two steam
whalers at Herschel's island the schoon-
er Nicotine. Captain Louis H. Heren-
deem, of the latter vessel, who is one Of
the oldest whalers known here, was the
instigator of the whaling expedition to
the mouth of the Mackenzie river, some
300 miles to the eastward of Point Bar
row. No whaling vessel had ever pene-
trated that far before.
Indeed such a voyage was equal to try
ing to find northwest passage. Two
weary winters were passed by the three
crews. Up to the time the ice broke up
last summer the expedition had been a
failure. Captain Herendeen became
discouraged, and after cruising around
awhile made start TO get out of the
Arctic ocean. The Grampus and Hume,
however, worked TO the eastward, and
were rewarded with sixteen and twelve
immense whales, respectively. The
Granpus returned and the Hume re-
manned over another winter.
Only the whalebone in the head Of
whale is taken, the blubber being thrown
away, as the Hume is only lightweight
tons net, and has no place to store the
hundreds of barrels Of oil that the whales
ebe has takan vyould have made n All thav
been tried out.-San Francisco Chron-
icle.
VISIT Morse's cloak department for
genuine bargains.