The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-03-21
POLAR BEARS THAT GREW.
The Nearer the Hunters Got the
Bigger They Seemod.
At Last They Reached the Apparent Size
OF EIephants-TheirG Great Foot
prints-The Polar Bear in
the Smithsonian.

Under the lee of the cliffs of Halls
island, in Behring sea, the United
States revenue cutter Corwin Law at
anchor waiting for better weather.
She was rolling heavily in the under
tow sent round the point by the strong
southwest gale. while fierce Wilt
waughs, eddying down from the noun
tain SUBMITS, shook her spars until
the hull quivercd. The dressed quar-
tcrs of two polar bears hung on the
boat spans, and their beautiful skins.
loosely salted, lay III the launch along
with the tusks of a walrus.
Assembled in the wardroom, enjoy
ing their after-dinner pipes that even
ing, those officers whose duties did not
call them to the deck discussed the
events of the cruise, especially the re-
cent bear hunts. Some were old hands. il
being their third or fourth season in
these waters, while others were new
and full of delight at their recent sue
cess Licnt. Cantwell, though in age
youngster, was in service veteran,
having passed the two previous seasons
in arctic voyages and explorations.
He had distinguished himself by cour-
age and readiness in various WAYS that
try mems nerve and pluck, and bear
hunts were not new to him. During a
hull in the conversation he broke ont
with:
Talk about bears! Why. these we've
taken this cruise are nothing. You
Ehnt1ln lDun hnot, ..l.
80. Bears were thick then, and big!
We got one that looked as big as an
elephant to me when suddenly found
myself close to him. He weighed six
teen hundred pounds"
How did you get him? Tell ms about
him. came in several voices
well. you see, we came here on pur-
pose, and, as Uncle Remus saws: We
hat ter git i'm cause we were ordered
to- Some of our officers. on the return
from the voyage OF the wear before.
had reported hinge bears on St. Mat
thew's and Halls islands. Prof. Baird
got hold of the story and applied to
the secretary for permission to send
one of his staff in the ship and invcsti-
gate these beasts SO we had on board
as passenger Charles w. Townsend.
representing the Smithsonian. an ex-
pert in birds. beasts and reptiles.
I'VE made Halls island in due time.
and on nearing the laud saw the ruined
barrabaras of the old Russian settle
ment over yondcr which Douglass, the
pilot told MS about. While pointing
out this place to Townsend, and LAYING
plans for bear hunt, we saw two
small white objects on the beach. n
mile or more away. They might have
been cakes of ice, but they were not.
for they moved and were evidently
alive. They could be but one kind Of
thing. aud that was bears. Soon every
man that could command glass was
looking at them. We youngsters, who
had come primed for big game, were
disappointed at their small size.
We thought them not bigger than New
foundland dogs, aud hardly worth
chasing However, they were bears,
Suc-i as they were, and, of course, were
to be hunted, so we went boldly to
work to compass their slaughter. The
launch was cleared away, and large
party OF us. as many as could well go,
with our rifles and ammunition, showed
OFF and pulled for the shore.
ION onr nearing the beach these
small objects showed somewhat larger
than when seen from the ship, and
seemed now as big as half-grown
calves. Before there was time for them
"a get any larger they had seen or
heard the boat and disappeared up
ravinc.
The party landed. and divided so as
% surround and head them off Cook,
Brown, and myself with four or five
men went To the right. while Towns
end with the surgeon, pilot and four
Or five sailors took the left Our partv
hurried rapidly on. looking bravely to
our arms, each telling where he meant
to place his shots, and only feeling
anxious lest the bears should get away.
soon we saw one of them scrambling
over the rocks about a quarter of
mile of and were surprised at the size
To which he had grown. He was now
as large as cow, some said an OK,
while others declared that he could
not be one of those we had seen from
the ship.
Every man thought that the bear
was now quite large enough for our
purpose, and privately wished he would
stop growing, What we said, how
ever, was: The bigger the better; we
want a big one, and kept on after him.
Whether from fatigue or some other
reason, we certainly did not so so fast
now as before. We began to find the
walking bad and to complain of being
awfully tired and blown. Every one
Of the party from time to time found
something to. detain him for rnomhnt,