Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-10-12
LUCK IN THE FAR NORTH.
All Hands on the Whaler Hume Will he
Capitalists for a While.

All Hands on the Whaler Hume Will BE
Capitalists for a While.
The chartered steamer Bertha, Capt. Ander-
son, Of the North American Commercial Com
pany, says the San Francisco Chronicle, has
arrived from the Pribylov seal islands, VIA
Ounalaska. The steamer brings quite batch
Of interesting 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 two and half years
cruise near the mouth Of the Mackenzie river,
and well within the arctic circle 1t is esti-
mated that the catch will amount to over $780,
900 when sold
The Mary D. Hume may be expected to ar
rive here at any time, as she left Ounalasks
three days ahead Of the Bertha. She has on
board 10000 pounds Of bone, which will be
shipped east on its arrival. An additional IL, 900
pounds OF this seasons catch has already been
shipped here by another vessel. When the news
there was Joy In the hearts Of many outside
OF the stockholders Of the Pacific Steam
Whaling Company. The boarding house
masters, from old Horseshoe Brown down, who
viii get the crew to honor their establishments
with their presence, were wild with delight
Inc lowest whaler on the lay scale on this lucky
vessel VIII not receive less than o., 900, while
the scale will rise until the captain will pull
down something like $40, 900. Every whaler on
the Hume will be little king while bis money
lasts. However, had these men had q disas-
trous season and come home empty handed 1t
would have made an awful difference with them:
Many OF the sailor boarding houses are well
filled 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 accompa-
,sAAN ~ Lilo - H.,
mouth Of the Macenzie river, returned q year
ago in command Of Capt Norwood. The men
on the Grampus told terrible tales at that time
Of cruelties practiced on the crews by the diff
ferent captains and how the men tried to de-
sert and were captured. These stories all dated
over the two winters 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 schooner Nicotine.
Capt. Louis H. Herendeen 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 800
miles to the eastward Of Point Barrow. No
whaling vessel had ever penetrated that far
before. Indeed such q voyage was equal
to trying to find a 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
q failure. Capt. Herendeen became discour-
aged, and after cruising around awhile made q
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
Grampus returned and tho Hume remained
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 she has taken would have made
lad they been tried out.