The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-03-27
POLAR BEARS THAT GREW.
Tho Nearer tho Hunters Got tho
Bigger Thoy Seemed.
Ht last They Reached tho Apparent size
OF tiepliants-Thcir Grcnt Foot
print3-Thc Polar Bear in
tho Smithsonian.

island, IL Echrng sea, the United
States revenue cutter Corwin lay 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, cddying down from the noun
tam SUBMITS shook her spars until
the hull quivcrcd. The dressed quar-
OF two polar bears hung on the
scat spans, and their beautiful skins,
loosely saltcd lay III the launch along
with the tuslls of walrus.
Assembled in the wardroom. cniov-
ing their aftcr-dinncr 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. it
being their third or fourth season in
these waters, while others were new
and tut OF delight ut their recent sue
cess. Licnt. Cantwcll, though in arc
II youngstcr, was in service a veteran.
having passed the two previous seasons
IN arctic voyages and explorations.
lie 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. Durin,r n
lull in the conversation he broke out
with:
Talk about bcsrs! Why, these we've
taken this cruise arc nothing. You
should have been up here with MS in
50 Bears We're thick then, and biz!
We got one that looked as big as an
elephant to INC when / suddenly found
myself close to him. lie weighed six
teen hundred pounds"
How did YOU get him? Tellus about
him." came in several voices.
well, you see, we came here on nur
pose, and, as Uncle Rcmus 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 invcsti-
gate these beasts. So we had OH board
as passenger Charles w. Townsend,
representing the Smithsonian, an OK
pert in birds, boasts and reptiles
we made Halls island in due time.
and ON nearing the land saw the ruined
barrabaras of the old Russian settle
1ncnt over yondcr which Douglass, the
pilot told us about While pointinn
out this place to Townsend, and laying
plans for a bear hunt, we saw two
small white objects on the beach, Il
mile or more away. They might have
been cakes of ice, but they were not
Tor they moved and were evidently
alive. They could be but one kind of
nd
man That could command II 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, and hardly worth
chasing. However, they were bears,
such 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 a large
party of us, as many as could we'll go,
with our rifles and ammunition, showed
Off and pulled for the shore
''On our 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
to get any larger they had seen or
heard the boat and disappeared up
ravine.
''Thc party landed. and divided SO as
to 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 party
hurried rapidly on, looking bravcly to
our arms, each telling where he meant
to place his shots, and only feeling
anxious lest the bears should get away.
over the rocks about quarter of a
mile off, and were surprised at the size
to which he had grown. He was now
ms 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 go 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 dctan him for moment,