The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1895-02-18
AN OPEN POLAR SEA.
A STEAMSHIP CAPTAIN WHO SAID HE
COULD HAVE CROSSED IT.

The Voyages OF Captain CoIiinson and Sir
John Franklin ilcd-ExperIences -
Whalcrs-An Opinion Is to the Results 81
unort, TO Ci,Illze the EskImos.
That steamers can pgs. through the Arctic
ocean IN certain ycars is the opinion Of
Captain a II McGrngor, based upon his
experience in the polar region. Captain
McGregor has seen % years service in the
Arctic, and commands the steamer Orra
owned by the Pacific Whaling company OF
san francisco He was at the Hotel Per.
kius and talked ot his experience.
LAST year be said. nine Of the Pacif
Whaling Cumpauy's steamers Rnd ship
reached Cape Bar hhurst the furthest poin,
North and east ever reached by a YES. Of
any Kind. We lad been whaling In BehI
ing sea, aud having finished what &, tprmel
the outside catch In July we started fos
be Arctic 10 finish the season.
I'VE passed along the east shore. round
I'd Point Barrow, and then made the jour
.iey to the Cupc, which is near the NcIen-
lie river. We cast anchor and whaled there
the rest OF the season. The natives wers
soniewbat surprised At our appearance. but
as they had seen white men before thev
soon ovcrCamc whatever fear they mght
have felt and became y,ry friendly. They
did not differ in the least from other Es'.i-
mos. We souude! the ocean near the Nc.
keuzie aud found that boat drawing
more than four feet ~ water could not ap-
pruach within 80 miles OF the river Tho
land on both sides was mountainous and
covered with snow. Tie oldest native told
us tnat il was many winters since white
men came by boat, which led me to believe
that no boat had reached the cape since
Captain tOllinNou was there IN ls,sj Can
tain ColliusUn aud bis party visited tho
place in small boats when they were max
ing n survey Of the British possessions. but
they were compelled to remain there three
wears before they could return.
Sir John Franklin lasscd the cape ia
small boats on his famous expedition auu
came ~ far west ~ Franklin, or Return
reef There he evideutly became discuur.
aged and dishcartenei and started on his
,rturn trip. Had be known that lac had
clear sea before him he doubtless would
have continued on his way aud lived to tell
future generations of the hurlslips CON
uected with arctic explorations. lie could
have made what is called the northeast
passage and come out on the Pacific ocean
aud forever settled the question whethera a
vessel could reach Alaska from Greenland
through the Arctic. Eut he saw nothing
but u monotouuus stretch Of land and what
appeared to be closed sea ahead of him
He had Kept in sight Of shore during his
entire expedition, aud seeing nothing ahead
but laud probably thought it was endless
When Return Io,f wns roaCled, he turned
back, and that is the last known of him.
I'VE could have made the trip from the
Pacific to the Atlantic last year if we had
so desired, but oar business was whal-
.x,lAriptr \nf Mt bs
whom questioned, told me that the ocean
was fairly open three years out of four, aud
that there was great big sea one year in
live. Last year was what they termed
great big sea- and they said that the same
condit ious prevailed in lSSy. a large ves-
lei could not pass through u fairly open
sea, e the chances of reaching Greenland
through the Arctic sea are one in five.
From thus am inclined to the belief that
both Franklin and Collinson entered the
ocean when it was 'Open.'"
When Captain MEG regor was asked about
his experience rs Al whaler. be said: Once
in awhile we encounter some dangers. such
being caught In the ice, but such acci.
dents ARE not frequent. \ vessel will some
times he stuck for three or four weeks be-
fore 1t can be freed from the ice, aud occa-
sionally II Il damaged by collision with vi
gantic foes or 10y being caught between
them. Planks ure sometimes stove in, but
a. there Is no danger of sinking on account
f he vessels being thoroughly saturated
with oil very little attention is paid To such
accidents.
after working through the ice, which is
generally ABOUT June |, the vessels try TO
get into BehTing strait ahead of the whales
The strait is the narrowest point, and the
object of the whalers is to get there firs;
uEa 4 L., L. 81,
Oh their way to the Arctic The vessels cruise
there until July /, when the tender arrives
from Sau Francisco with coal potatoes and
other supple, and takes the oil and whale
bone. This IL termed the outside catch.
Then the whalers strike for the Arctic and
finish the season there. They have com
muuicatiOu with the natives oil the time
nud exchange some of their supplies for
reindeer meat fish, ducks and ptarmigan.
When the season Is ended. some Of the ves-
sells put in at Port Cllreuce, the rendezvous
for the feet"
Captain McGregor said the Eskimos have
nade no advances To civilization. AN aged
native told me that there is a tradition
handed down from father to son that the
boat aud weapons OF the hunt and chase are
/ the same today as they Were 800 years ago.
7 he firearms and traps. tobacco aud calico
were all introduced by white men. The Is
| kimu IL satisfied with everything as he finds
/ II and makes no effort to effect any i'm
/ pruNements. The native population is rap
/ idly diminishing. They cannot withstand
| the march Of civi iZatiou. unused a. they
| are to its luNurics and vices.
-Four schools have been established for
1 them in Alaska, and they are being taught
To read and write, but IL would be better
| for them il they were left alone In their
I original state they got along well, but edu-
| cation II their moral ruin. When he learns
to read and write, the native thinks he il
! he superior of his fellows and the equal OF
the white man, and lie affects the white
! mans habits, whether moral or immoral.
lie gOts Ia school simply for amusement.
| lie wants To learn To r. adj, write and talk
! that lac may tritde with the whites and he
Regarded as one OF them. lt caEaut be said
that the money expended on the schools has
been III speut or misappI oprated. only that
the ESAinio is unlike the Indian and the
same method of training cannot he applied
To both.
THE arctic is cold region, but the frig
! idity Of the atmosphere cannot be !elt
through the iurs that serve us ~ clothes
The mean temperature is ~ degrees below
zero, but during the 81 days that the sun is
Ia sight the mercury riscs To % degrees or
81 degrees. Portland Oregonian.
Distinction with a Difference.
"See those young ouesr exclaimed a
little G-year-old. looking out of the win
dow t0where some little girls were play.
ing in the soft mud of the nutter