The record-union., 1897-09-14
LOSS OF THE NEVARCH.
Captain Whitesides and His Wife
Arrive at Seattle.

SEATTLE, Sept. 13.-Captain White
sides and wife of the whaler Nevarch,
which vessel was lost in the Arctic, to-
gether with thirty-five of her crew,
came down on the steamer Humboldt,
which arrived from St Michaels to-
day
The Nevarch left San Francisco on
March I'd last and entered the Arctic
Ocean in July. She soon got caught
in the let at a point 120 miles north
east of Point Barrow. At first the
Captain thought the ship could be eX
tricated from its position but on July
29th they realized there was no hope
of such an event They hoisted sig
nails of distress, trusting that the rev.
enue cutter Bear or some of the other
whalers of the fleet would see them
and come to their assistance. But the
fog came and obscured them for days
They drifted rapidly northward with
the icebergs. Finally they decided to
leave the ship.
On August 18th the whole crew took
the three small boats and started
across the ice. After dragging them
for five miles they came to open water
and embarked. The current caught
them at once, and before they had
gone ten miles they were in another
ice pack. Then they discovered that
they only had five days provisions and
they abandoned the boats and started
across the ice on foot. They all got
back safely, and then commenced prep
arations for a second attempt to save
themselves. All but eight men decid-
a1 IN mich ooy-occ tho loo folds on foot
The weather was not bitterly cold,
but it was foggy and disagreeable, and
necessitated more clothing than was
conducive to rapid travel. For this
reason a limited amount of food was
carried, for they thought they would
surely reach the Bear or one of the
whalers within two or three days. The
eight men left on the boat thought
they were better off than on the ice,
and We're left to their fate.
Away across the treacherous ice went
the thjrty-seven men and the gritty
woman. But one day out the Captain
and his wife and seven others changed
their minds about the likelihood of
saving themselves by the method they
had undertaken. They would come
to open water now and then, which
impeded their escape while often they
would find it necessary to go far around
massive icebergs, rearing their percip
itous sides directly in their path. Nine
of the party went back to the ship,
leaving twentynine on the ice. Moth
ing has been heard or seen of these
tWenLy-nine men since that day, Au-
gust 18th.
The party got back to the ship safe
ly, and on August 14th made another
start with eight in the party, Captain
Whteside, his wife, first mate Blaine,
fourth mate Read and seamen Scott,
LechOw, Mclean and Peters. They
took a small canvas boat, into which
they put a weeks provisions. 1t was
a heavy load for the little craft, but
this was the last hope they had, and
they had to take desperate chances.
Only the fact that the sea was compar-
atively quiet accounts for the miracu-
lous escape for any rough weather
would have instantly swamped them.
They got into clear water in a few
hours and padding through the fog
and darkness, avoided, as best they
could, the drifting ice They pushed
on for hours. Finally they could go
no farther and they got out and walk
ed over the ice For sixty hours they
kept on, first walking and now and
then taking to the small boat At last
land was seen. The land proved to
be Copper Island, a barren, dASolate
spOt, from which position they were
rescued on the following day by the
Bear.
Captain Whitesides thinks the twen-
ty-nine men left on the ice are surely
lost.