The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-04-04

three men ware Eafg wiki ia thirteen yex-
ssaS~
Fer Two days rsse refugees eosi~. c~er -ss
uneven Zee launching ~Aszr beats when
necessary. making slow progress. bur a.
HzSs getting nearer ard nearer 70 tre apen
water On the ta.rd day TWO % sns cap
ta.-s ce1hcGgE sAsn % valaanss furs sers
o-atrad o. snaar vessels. and knowing IA.
they could -etos-s tAesr friends again -Aey
cscs<ssd 20 return - -As1r xhs.s and re-
cover them So they srEt the resi- az ire
party and In q single Gay passed over
what -as toS1sses had needed TWO days 20
cover
As r1sv crew near the vessels a feeling
o. ave came over tnezn: the shsps were
50 STU. 50 lonely rherc. IN TIE great ice
fssd. thai I, seemed aaros- wicked 70
board than. 70 disturb their aaass n any
way.
TIE captains descended TITO ire cabin
cf ore o. rhe vessels. Worn or ~ -hstr
Gay s long march. excited By tie strange
ness or the surroundings ne sEas that
met them WAS q shock In re cabin
stove burned a bright are: over II missed a
ksssle. and oafore IL. BOOK in hand and
booking I'D over his specraeies a. the in
a-zz1efs. sat comfortably ne steward OF
ne sessei, wazAs ne ether two Esan sat
by smoking
TIE steward dti ths nonors % Ass haiti
tat1oas tae captains took suppa- with him
ana slept In warm bets: In the morning
1e urged them 20 stay. they In turn beg
gsd the men 70 return with them and soin
their sa-p7nates- Neither was convinced.
afa1 At last me captains departed with
their fIa-s, leaving the stewart ana his
companions IN their comfortable quarters
and started back after the weary train IN
tie middle OF the great los field. Often
wnfls In sight Of the feet they turned and
looked at IL. and thought of the lonely oc-
cupants OF the lonely vessels. hch tiue
tasy4 looked the vessels were visible less
distinctly, and 1T last they could see moth
ing but the stiil. cold nelis OF white ice.
From that day to this no human being
has seen aughr OF those thirteen vessels
or their cre~A In the heart of the great
ice fieId--tha Ice that never meats-iie thu
g-srs.ls. and In one Of thsrn sit thu stew
ard and ais companions. waiting for the
coming of captain greater than he who
interrupted them twenty years ago.
In 1873 the banks yfgilant and Mount
Wollaston. o. New Bedford. were caught
In the ice-pack in the Arctic, and nothing
reliable WAS ever ascertatned concerning
the fate Of the crews. From the EsQui-
maGx II was learned afterwards by some
OF the whaling feet that they had az one
time boarded dismantled hulk, on the
deck CT which were strswn q number Of
human remains. some frozen solid. others
mere skeletons with part OF the flesh still
adhering, which advanced the theory that
polar bears. foxes and other yoracfous ami
mails of the north had strayed aboard the
wreck and Toasted on the remains. The
vessel was undoubtedly the yigilant. for
the natives gave the information that they
had observed a pair OF deer's horns fast
ened 10 the end OF the jibboom. by which
distinctive feature the XigilaGf was known
to the whalemen. Nothing was ever heard
of the Mount Woilas;on- Capt. Nye her
former master. was a resident OF New Bed
ford. lie left widow and several children
10 mourn his loss. Both vessels had been
duly warned by the revenue cutters
against the dangers and risk OF entering
the ice, 1t being late In the season. but
neither had needed the warning.
JOHN T. MICIIA Ellis.