The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-12-19

miles the field to the bark. Once board, the
rescuers found her TO be the whaer Young Phoenix of
San Francisco. A hurried search made but
nothing CHASTITY ghostly was MISUNDERSTANDING
but deep and wrenched furnishings showed
the terrible storms and voyaging the vessel had
through.
The mizzenmast and jibboom gone. To the
fore and aft yards small tatters and shreds of sail
were still hanging. Her hold half filled with
frozen water. No doubt this solid cargo of ice all
that carried her hull safely through the jams and
grindings of the battling ice packs
The searchers looked up her story and found that
her last trip this tattered and battered derect had
been pursuing her lonesome patrol of the Arctic
Ocean. 1t is considered entirely likely by exper-
fenced whalers that she may have foated across
very the pole in her circuit from the American
to the Asatic coast.
Could she have spoken what narrative of the
polar mysteries she might have told
But her eccentric journeyings not at end.
While the curious visitors from Cape Smythe were
sci was locked swung away from the coast and the
lonely derect took up her travels again toward the
distant pole
The visitors took away such instruments and port
able things still servceable. and left her amid
the drifting ice field thirty miles at They had
drfted twenty miles while they board of her.
The last of the Young Phoenix that
when she disappeared at nghtfall into the dim and
distant north
The following year Captain Warren of the Triton.
since crushed to death against the Bevedere logger
head by whale, overhauled the Young Phoenix in
ice foe her last reported trip from the north. He
took from her some chain and other materials.
been spoken. Is she at the bottom of the Arctic
harbored permanently in the farthest northern ice
lodged the crystalized paradise of Eskimo? In
her unknown voyages does she ever that bit Of
land spot which polar explorers have struggled
so long to reach? Had hansen and Andree been pas
sengers on her would their hearts have been glad
with sight of the most northernmost point of
the globe?
How the Young Phoenix became derect per-
odically reappearing ghost ship amid foes of
the distant waters Of the north of its stories of
wild storms and terrible wrecks She abandoned
by her crew helpless wreck given for dead;
that's why some seamen give her the name ghost
ship
Years ago she of fleet of twelve whalers
lying shore Of Point Barrow the northern
most point of the American continent. Au-
gust and a terrific storm up from the south
west, something most unusual for that season Of
the year.
Imagine huge mushroom-shaped projection of
land with the cap facing the north and you have
perfect idea of Point Barrow. On both sides of tile
stem, and between the crown Of the point and the
outlying sand shoals is excellent harborage though
the safest Of the three places is under that
part of the crown which happens to leeward CT
storm. What is known as the lagoon or anchorage
against southwest storms is the east side of the
stem of land
When this memorable August hurricane swept out
of a clear southern sky the whaling fleet promptly
scampered around to leeward, between the crown of
the point and the shoals and cast anchor. The fury
of the storm increased that the Young Phoenix
the May and Susan the Fleetwing and the Jane Gray
dragged their anchors. The Jane Gray. fine
schooner picked up bodily by the giant waves
and SMASHED completely to pieces Her crew
saved by great good luck and heroism. The May and
Susan and the Fleetwing stranded the shoals
The rest of the fleet slipped cables and put sea-
The Young Phoenix in striking the shoal, stern on
lost her rudder. She preached TO, coded with the
Bounding Billow and carried away the foreyard and
boats of the latter The Young Phoenix lost flying
jibboom in the crash.
The ships then separated, the Young Phoenix
without her rudder scurlying northward the port
tack Every effort was made by the to
round The mizzen mast was cut away, and all sail
made forward. but without effect. BY this time she