The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-10-15

The ice blocked our way then Had Il M,
been for this fact i think we would havs
gone right straight 70 the north pole"
Whaling IN the Arctic ocean as far a..
Cape Bathurst TO the eastward OF Poinf
Barrow, was unknown five years ago
Such a thing as whaler gong in thai
direction to FOLLOW has calling was looks~s
upon as the height OF foolhardiness. Ths
first man TO draw attention TO the posi-
bility OF securing whales In that direction
was Capt. Lewis ID Herendeen, an cid
New Bedford whaler, who had spent most
Of his life in the Arctic regions. When
whales began TO get very scarce he SET
his wits TO work. Then he remembered
hearing the story from Indians on the
Arctic shore about the tremendous big
whales that had been seen near the mouth
OF the Mackenzie river. Other whalers
laughed at the reports, considering them
fairy tales, but herendeen, the more he
thought of them the more he became in-
pressed with the idea In 1877 he secured
sufficient backing TO hit out the schooner
Nicotine for a TWO years cruise in the
Arctic, and decided TO winter at Herschel
island.
Bad luck attended the enterprise from
the start. He had got no further than
Point Barrow when the ice closed in on
him and he had TO winter there. The next
spring the steam whalers Grampus and
Mary ID. Hume, which had been sent out
on a similar experiment 10 the Nicotine,
passed the schooner. Captain Herendeen
had talked so much OF mis- plans and re-
searches that others took up the idea OF
exploring the Arctic for whales in un-
When the winter of 1889 closed in the
Grampus, Hume and Nicotine were in the
lagoon in Herschel island. Not whale
had been seen, and disappointment ruled.
The crews became dissatisfied, and num-
Der OF sailors tried TO run away. They
were captured by parties sent out, and on
being returned to the vessels were dashed
and beaten. In July, 1880, the three vessels
left the winter quarters. Herendeen was
ill-fitted TO remain north another winter,
having already spent two within the Arc
tic circle. He cruised around for several
weeks, and then started for home a dis
couraged man.
The Grampus and Hume, having steam
power could risk remaining In the Arctic
longer, and ii was decided TO cruise 10
the eastward OF Herschel island, which is
aska boundary line. Three days after part
ing with the Nicotine the two steam
whalers sighted eight bull whales, the larg-
est, the sailors claimed that they ever saw
in their lives In less than three weeks
time the Grampus had eighteen whales and
the Hume eleven. The former brought the
catch of both here while the hume re-
manned north securing twenty-seven whales
the next year. The Humes catch OF two
years of thiFty-eight has been thrown into
the shade by the Narwhars high hook OF
fifty for similar period.
Captain Herendeen, the originator Of the
whaling expedition, returned broken in
spirit and ruined financially. His dreams
of wealth had vanished like thin air. and
the poor old man went TO his Eastern home
never TO go to sea again. IL is safe TO say
that those who followed UP his ideas on
Arctic whaling are to-day $2,0O0,O00 richer
than five years ago.
CAPTAIN Mason OF the steamer Jeanne.
which brings the news of the phenomenal
catch and Captain Porter's penetration OF
the previously untraveled Arctic ATTITUDES.
told him that everything was going along
so smoothly that he would be just as well
pleased to winter north as in this city.