The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-11-16
ONE LADY WHALER
Mrs. Green's Experience in
the Arctic.
HOW CAPTAIN THAXTER DIED.
The Sea Breeze and Helen rlar-The
Captain and Boat Steerer Escape i'm
the Latter's Dingey.

HAt is MY OPINION OIL WnallDg lite from
alady's point of view?" laughed Mrs. +. N.
Greene, wife of the gallant captain of the
whaling bark Sea Breeze, in answer to a
CALL reporters query.
We'll, every time L am on voyage i de-
clare will never go again, but somehow l
always manage TO take part In another
Il have made four separate cruises, count
ing this last, and now hold the belt for the
furthest distances travelled north, east and
west by woman" she added with merry
laugh, while Captain Greene nodded his
aequlescence to the correctness OF the claim .
MY first voyage was in 1882 We sailed
in the John Rowland. which my husband
had commanded for over twelve years. and
we caught twenty-sx whales - eighteen
Arctic and the rest sperm. She was lost on
the ice in the following season.
''In 1854 l made another trip IN the Young
Phoenix. That was poor trip. We only
got eight whales.
''In 1856 l voyaged once more ia the
ocean. We oaly got two whales that time.
1t was a poor year all round for all ships.
This last cruise was a sad one. We went
down TO Honolulu, where we joined the
Sea Breeze, which lett San Francisco No
vember 20. 1892.
I'VE had a pleasant trip to the north till
we sighted ice in latitude G. deg. north. The
ice opened up and we saw plenty of whales.
Then the wind set in from the south, and
we were crushed into the ice, which banked
on a north shore. There we were locked
up for six weeks
"The bark California was packed in the
ice ten miles away from US. She was flying
signals. which we could not make out dis
tinctly, so my husband sent two men off to
Ter.
They found her ribs were cracked and
she was leaking badly. with ten feet of water
In the hold. AT one time they made up their
minds to abandon her, but. curious to say,
when the wind changed round to the north
and the icefelds opened out again, she
opened out, too. and tioated without leak
I'VE didn't suffer al all, only our ship was
lifted up three feet In the water with the
tremendous pressure OF the ice all round
when the ice opened up we sent out our
five boats after whales. Three boats 30 the
windward got whale, and we signaled the
two to leeward to come up and help. AS
they beat up. one of them struck whale
and made fast TO Ii,
Suddenly heavy fog rose ana we lost
our boat. The fog lasted from IL in the
morning till next day.
1--WE were very anxious for the roor fell
lows in the lost boat, and next day when
we sighted the bark California and found
they had rescued our boat and men my huS-
band was so delighted that he gave I'D his
half share of the whale TO the California.
value OF the giftP Well, it was worth
$500 for that one-qnarter.
Then we worked up north to IS deg.
80 mln., which We put on record as the far
thest travelled by lady wbaer in the Arctic.
Our return vas the saddest part of the
voyage.
I'VE were alongside of the Helen Mar
that terrible night when she was lost.
"Tbe wind had changed to the south agai
and the ice was threatening US on the north
| shore.
''My husband devoted all his energies to
getting out of danger.
'The Helen Mar. however. had got two
whales and was cutting them mp, and that
| tempted her to stay on till it was too late.
| I'VE passed her three miles off.
ut was terrible night. and | vowed |
would never 60 whaling again. The wind
| was blowing gale; the water was heavng
and tossing the great ice heaps about with
| a grinding and smashing noise which made
| one shudder with apprehension. My hus-
| band claims 1t to have been the most ter
| rIble night he has experienced in the north.
1T was on the night of October that we
parted with the Helen Mar On the Sth we
got out of danger aud ran across the steamer
Belvidere. Captain Whtesides in command.
| That was the first we heard OF the loss OF
| the Helen Mar.
''He told my husband that he had been
| on board the steamer Jessie Freeman, Cap
tain Cook, and talked with a boat-steerer
named Nelson who had managed to get
away from the Helen Mar with Captain
| Thaxter in the ships dingey.
HE and the captain had managed to
| push the dingey off the Helen Mars stern
| just before she sank. crushed to pieces in
| the ice.
They sculled along for eight hours that
terrible night amid the awful grinding Ice
| packs. Next morning they saw the Belvi-
| dere and jessie Freeman and shouted with
all their might and main. Both captains OF
those steamers heard them. but mistook tie
1 sounds for the barking Qf WARNS
Then Captain Tnaxter stood up in the
| little boat and waved his coat as a signal.
In doing so he overbalanced and fell over
| board.
both men were frozen almost stiff and
helpless. The captain could not pull him.
self into the boat again. and Nelson was
| too numbed TO be of much service. So the
moor ola man sank and was drowned, while
the Jessie Freeman picked up the dingy
| and saved Nelson.
| This does NOT seem to agree with the
story of the men who got away on the ice,
| but 1t is q fact, nevertheless.
Those poor fellows must have been toe
| excited and ratified to have noticed the
Launching of the dinGey. Nelson will give
you the story when the Jessie Freeman
| comes into port.
We came on to San Francisco after that
having made catch of six and a quarter
| whales.
II don't know about going to sea again.
|
dreadful gales we encountered and thos,
awful days from October to s | hav,
had enough Tor while. When next season
comes l daresay l may change my MIND
| again.
Captain Green corroborated the story o
| Captain Thaxter's escape in the dingey
Il got II direct from Captain Whitesides,
he said. He heard the men shouting in tn
| dingey next morning and saw Nelson on tn
Jessie Freeman next day. There is no rea
son whatever to doubt the story.