Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1895-08-15
POLAR BEARS THAT GREW.
Tho Nearer the Hunters Got the
Bigger They Seemed.
AZ Last They Reached tho Apparent Size
of Elsphants-Their Great Foot
prints-Ths Polar Bear In
the Smithsonian.

the Smithsonian.
Under the lee Of the cliffs Of Hall
island, in Behring sea, the Unite,
States revenue cutter Corwin lay q
anchor waiting for better weather
She was rolling heavily in the unde
tow sent round the point by the stron,
southwest gale, while fierce will
wsughs, eddying down from the noun
tain SUBMITS, shook her spars unit
the hull quivered The dressed quar-
ters Of two polar bears hung on ths
boat spans, and their beautiful skins
loosely sailed, lay In the launch along
with the tusks Of 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.
centbear 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 Lient. Cantwell, though in age
syoungster, was in service a 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
lull in the conversation he broke out
with.
Talk about bears! Why, these we've
taken this cruise are nothing. You
should have been up here with us in
49, Bears were thick then, and bigl
We got one that looked as big as an
elephant to me when l suddenly found
myself close to him. He weighed six
teen hundred pounds"
How did you get him? Tell us about
him, came In several voices.
We'll, you see, we came here on pur-
pose, and, as Uncle Remus says: We
hat ter git i'm cause we were ordered
TO- Some of our officers, on the return
from the voyage OF the year before.
had reported huge 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 investi-
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 land saw the ruined
oanabaras Of the old Russian settle
nent over yonder which Douglass, the
pilot told us about. While pointing
out this place to Townsend, and laying
plans for a bear hunt, we saw two
small white objects on the beach,
mile or more away. They might have
oeen cakes Of ice, but they were not,
lor they moved and were evidently
alive They could be but one kind Of
'nlng, and that was bears. Soon every
man that could command a glass was
looklng at them. We youngsters, who
l a come primed for big game, were
disappointed at their small size.
We thought them not bigger than New
loundland dogs, and hardly worth
claslng However, they were bears,
such as they were, and, Of course, were
70 Be hunted, SO we went boldly to
work to compass their slaughter. The
aunch was cleared away, and large
hrty OF us, as many as could well 60,
with our rifles and ammunition, showed
on and pulled for the shore.
On our nearing the beach these
small objects showed somewhat larger
'aan when seen from the ship, and
seemed now as big as half-grown
alVes, Before there was time for them
= get any larger they had seen or
heard the boat and disappeared up a
favine.
The party landed, and divided SO as
70 surround and head them off. Cook,
brown, and myself with four or five
4en went to the right, while Towns
saa with the surgeon, pilot and tour
u hve sailors took the left. Our party |
uurrled rapidly on, looking bravely to
'uf arms, each telling where he meant
place his shots, and only feeling
! suSious lest the bears should get away.
sOon we saw one of them scrambling
s'e WEI the rocks about a quarter OF
4'ie OFT, and were surprised at the size
(which he had grown. He was now
y large as COW, some said an OK,
"aiie others declared that he could
y be one of those we had seen from
The ship.
Every man thought that the bear
VAS VA now quite large enough for our
purpose, and privately wished he would
.Op growing. What we said. how
,'ef, was: The bigger the better; we
u h, big one, and kept on after him.
@uether from fatigue or some other
,sason, we certainly did not go SO fast
s s.S as before. We began to find the
liking bad and to complain OF being
,0..rtuily tired and blown. Every one
!, we party from time to time found
suething to detain him for moment,