The San Francisco call., 1895-11-03
ARCTIC N'HALERS IN PERIL
They Are the Orca, Thrasher,
Narwhal, Horatio,
Baylies.
WINTER GAYETY IN THE NORTH
Baby Helen Hersche1 Sherman the
New Woman of the Arctic
Whaling Fleet.

Yesterday the whaling schooner Rosario,
Captain Coffin, arrived in port. twenty-five
days from Fox Island and twenty-nine
from the Arctic, with 5000 pounds OF whale
bone. She sailed from San Francisco
March q, 1894, and went into winter quar-
ters at Herschel Island September Is and
was frozen up in the ice till July s, 1895.
The catch OF the Rosario was three bow
heads during the season OF '94 and the same
number for '95. No oil was taken, that
part OF the whaling business being con-
sidered improbable.
The passage of the Rosario out of the
Arctic was attended with the utmost diff
Guilty. The coming winter has set in so
early that the ice is forming and closing in
everything that has not been fortunate to
escape while summer was in the northern
latitudes.
at was nip and tuck" said Captain
Coffin yesterday, "to get out OF the Arctic
this year. In coming out vessels generally
keep out in the open ocean, but l found
the new ice so thick that I was forced to
skirt Point Hope to take advantage of the
strong current that runs there, which
would be more clear Of ice. Even there I
found the ice-pack forming and had to
buck the pack or go ashore. It was tug
through. In all my experience in the
Arctic, new saw the ice form so early in
the season. It was bitterly cold, and
stormy weather prevailed during almost
all our way down TO Bering Straits. l am
afraid the Orca, Thrasher, Norwhal, Hora-
ito and William Baylies will get caught in
the fast-closing winter ice, and what they
VIII do if forced to remain in the Arctic till
next summer is very serious question.
They all expected to leave soon, but If they
are not out now I fear they are doomed"
This is indeed a serious question for the
absent whalers. They are not prepared
for another stay through long, frigid
may be deplorable.
The officers of the steamer Orca are:
Captain, A. II. McGregor; first mate, T.
L. Ellis; second mate, Frank A. Long;
third mate, Peter Groves; fourth mate, J.
Lewis; fifth mate, Albert Barron; chief
engineer, Benjamin Harrison, and assist
ant engineer, Dan Donahue. She has a
crew OF eleven men.
OF the steamer Narwhal are: Captain,
81. P. Smith; mates, P. D. Montgomery,
John s. Lucas, Andrew W. Look, James
Mahan and Victor Nickita engineers, W.
P. Lindley and William Godbeer.
Of the steamer Thrasher: Captain, E. H.
Bolles, in place of Captain C. E. Weeks,
| who died in the Arctic; mates, Manuel
Bertancourt; John Manitia, James C. Lum-
bert and Joe Vierra; engineers, ]. NJ. B.
Mitchell and ]. L. Cameron.
Of the bark Horatio: Captain, E. B.
Penniman; mates, George L. Donaldson,
Stephen F. Cottle, Phineas Lake and VIII
liam Seymour; engineer, George S. Jen-
nings.
| OF the steamer William Baylies: Cap
| tain, John McInnis; mates, E. G. Macom-
! Der, ". H Besse, Charles Coggershall and
obediah Clifford, engineers, John Sands
| Should these crews fail to escape from
/ the ice that is fast closing up the north
/ the question OF their rescue may assume
/ tremendous Importance to their friends
/ and the agents here of the imprisoned yes
/ sells. The whalers that are prepared to
/ Hicks, Alexander, Alice Knowles, Beluga,
| Balena, Belyedere, California, Cape Horn
! Pigeon, Fearless, Grampus, Gayhead, Hi
dalgo, Jessie II. Freeman, John and Win
throp, Jeanette, karluk, Lydia, Mary D.
Hume, Mermaid, Newport, Navarach,
Northern Light and Wanderer. They are
well provisioned and it is possible that
they may be able to assist the Others if in
their vicinity. However, the chances are
| that the two fleets will not meet.
In addition to the whale catch that has
been reported Captain Coffin OF the Rosario
states that the barks Mermaid and Alice
Knowls had each taken one whale.
IAC 4lOceiIAO HSaoSCO Lei LSl I1OQIQS
winter frozen up in the ice with fourteen
other vessels. There were five ladies in the
feet, the wives OF Captains A. G. Sherman
OF the steamer Beluga, f. NJ. Green OF the
steamer Alexander, w. P. S. Porter of the
steamer Jessie II. Freeman, J. A Cook of
the steamer Neverch and G. E. Weeks of the
steamer Thrasher. These five ladies' were
the leaders of the HerscheI Island four
hundred during that long, but not dreary
winter. Mrs. Sherman's baby girl, born
while in winter quarters, was the sixth and
the new woman of the feet.
The little one was the pride of the Arctic
and many "affairs" were held in her
honor in the land of the midnight sun.
Miss Helen Herschel Sherman viii spend
her second winter in the ice before she
learns that there is such a thing in the
world as summer of green fields and sun
tinted flowers. The time went merrily by
among the ships lifted high up on the ice
field. Private theatricals, concerts and
balls took place in the vessels, and games.
such as baseball and football, were played
on the ice when the weather would per-
nit. They even rigged up an old salmon
net and marked off tennis court on the
glistening surface, and skating and sleigh
ing were INDUCED in by all On SUNDAYS
divine services were held by a French
Catholic priest located on the island. No
casualties occurred, except the deaths of
two seamen, John Peters and Andrew
Cruise, with consumption during that long,
dark Arctic winter.