The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-11-23
AN OPEN POLAR SEA.
A Steamship Captain Who Said He
He Could Have Crossed IT.
The Voyages of Captain ColIinson and Sir
John Franklin Acknowledgements
ences of WhaIers

That steamers can pass through the
Arctic ocean in certain years is the
opinion of Captain A H McGregor,
based upon his experience in the polar
region. Captain McGregor has seen
twenty-three years service in the Arc
tic, and commands the steamer Orea,
owned by the Pacific Whaling COM
pany, of San Francisco. He was at
the hotel Perkins and talked of his eH-
| perience.
Last year" he said, "nine of the
Pacific Whaling company's steamers
and ships reached Cape Bathurst, the
furthest point north and east ever
reached by vessel of any kind. We
| had been whaling in Behring sea, and
having f1nishd what is termed the out
side catch in July we started for the
Arctic to finish the season.
I'VE passed along the east shore,
rounded Point Barrow, and then made
| the journey to the cape, which is near
and whaled there the rest of the sea-
son. The natives were somewhat sur
lprised at our appearance, but as they
had seen white men before they soon
overcame what fear they might have
felt and became very friendly. They
did not differ IN the least from other
eskimos. We sounded the ocean near
the Mckenzie and found that a boat
drawing more than four feet of water
could not approach within fifty miles
of the river. The land ON both sides
was mountainous and covered with
snow. The Oldest native told us that
1t wa Smany winters since white men
came by boat, which led me to believe
that no boat had reached the cape
since Captain Collinson was there in
1855. Captain Collinson and his party
visited the place in small boats when
they were making a survey of the Brit
lsh possessions, but they were COM
PEELED to remain there three years be-
fore they could return.
Sir John Franklin passed the cape
in small boats on his famous expedi-
ton and came as far west as Frank
lin, or Return reef. There he evidently
became discouraged and disheartened
and started on his return trip. Had
he known that he had a clear sea be-
fore him he doubtless would have con-
tinued on his way and lived to tell
future generations of the hardships
connected with Arctic explorations.
He could have made what is called the
northeast passage and come out on the
Pacific ocean and forever settled the
question whether a vessel could reach
Alaska from Greenland through the
Arctic. But he saw nothing but a mo-
notonous stretch of land and what ap-
peared to be closed sea ahead of
him. He had kept in sight of shore
during his entire expedition, and see
ing nothing ahead but land probabl
thought 1t was endless. When Return
| reef was reached, he turned back and
that is the last known of him.
We could have made the trip from
| the Pacific to the Atlantic last year
If we had SO desired, but our business
| was whaling, not exploring. Natives
at the cape. whom 1 questioned, told
me that the ocean was fairly open
three years out of four, and that there
was a great big sea one year in five
Last year was what they termed
| great big sea-, and they said that the
same conditions prevailed in 1889. A
| large vessel could not pass through a
fairly open sea, so the chances of
reaching Greenland through the Arctic
sea are one in five. From this [ am
| inclined to believe that both Franklin
and Collinson entered the ocean when
it was open
When Captain McGregor was asked
about his experience as a whaler he
| said: "Once in awhile we encounter
some dangers, such as being caught in
| the ice, but such accidents are not
| frequent. A vessel will sometimes be
stuck for three or four weeks before
| it can be freed from the ice. and occa-
! sionally it is damaged by collision
with gigantic foes or by being caught
between them. Planks are sometimes
stove in, but as there is no danger of
| sinking on account of the vessels be-
| ing thoroughly saturated with oil,
very little attention is paid to such ac-
cidents.
after working through the ice,
which is generally about June 1. the
vessels try to get into Behring strait
ahead of the whales. The strait is the
narrowest point and the object of the
whalerS is to get there first and take
! the whales as they come through on
their way to the Arctic. The vessels
cruise there until July l. when the ten
der arrives from San Francisco with
coal, potatoes and other supplies and
takes the oil and whalebone This is
| termed the outside catch. Then the
whalers strike for the Arctic and fin
| ich the season there. They have COM
munication with the natives all the
time and exchange some of their sup
plies for reindeer meat, fish. ducks and
ptarn1igan When the season is ended
some of the vessels put in at Port
| Crarence the rendezvous for the
| fleet"
j fJShlI1lOS
| have made no advances to civilization.
"An aged native told me that there is
a tradition handed down from father
| to son that the boats and weapons of
the hunt and chase are the same today
as they We're 500 years ago. The fire.
arms and trans, tobacco and calico
we're all introduced by white men. The
Eskimo is satisfied with everything as
he finds it and makes no effort to effect
< MI
llation is rapidly diminishing. They
cannot withstand tie march of civil
ization, unused as they are to its lux
uries and vices.
| -Four schools have been established
for them in Alaska, and they are being
taught to read and write. but it would
be better for them if they were left
alone. In their original state they got
along we'll, but education is their moral
ruin When he learns to read and
write, the native thinks he is the supe-
rior Of his fellows and the equal of the
white man, and he affects the white
mans habits, whether moral or i'm
moral. He goes to school simply for
amusement He wants to learn to
read, write and talk that he may trade
with the whites and be regarded as
one of them. 1t cannot be said that
the money expended on the schools
mas Deen Ill spent or Incorporated,
only that the Eskimo is unlike the In
dian, and the same method of training
cannot be applied to both
1.-The Arctic is cold region, but the
| frigidity of the atmosphere cannot be
| felt through the furs that serve us as
clothes. The mean temperature is "A
degrees below Zero but during the
ifty-seyen days that the sun is in
sight the mercury rises to so degrees or
80 degrees. "-Portland Oregonian.
After a night with the boys yours
For a clear head--Bromo-Selt 1