The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-11-10
RELIEF TO BE SENT
GOVERNMENT MOVES IN THE ZOE
BOUND WHALERS NATTER.

Revenue Cutter Bear to BE Dispatched to
the Arctic-Captain futile. Command.
Ing That Vessel, Reports Progress
DiscouraKing View Taken Of the Prsbs-
biiity Of RsachinG the Imprisoned MARI
Karluck, Takes . More Hopeful View
Matter Diseased at Cabinet Meeting
Washington, Nov, 9.-Secretary Gage
received the following telegram from
Captain Tuttle, in command Of the Bear.
now at Seattle. Wash:
Repairs to boiler, air pump, bridge
walls, new sails and docking vessel, cost
fifteen hundred dollars. Before Bear
can reach ST. MichaeIs the bay will be
| frozen over. Vessel cannot winter at
| st. Mic:1ae,s. as the ice would carry it
away. There i. no harbor north Of Un-
| alaska that does not remain frozen un-
| til late in June. Bering strait is closed
| by ice in November and remains sound
until June. The wi1alers atPoint Bar
| row are within six miles Of the Point
and eighteen miles of the former refuge
station. I understand from Captain
McGregor Of the steam whaler that lies
at the refuge station has about 800 bar
rels Of -four. With and the provisions
of the vessels there should be no starva-
ton. Those frozen at Demarkation
Point have the supply station at Her
schel Island to fan back upon. While it
will probably be necessary to abandon
the vessels, do not apprehend that the
crews will meet with anything worse
than privations and hardships. The
Bear can be ready to start in two weeks.
There is plenty Of coal at Unalaska. 1
can see no way of rendering assistance
until the ice opens in July. No vessel
can do anything on the Arctic ocean un-
til July"
Notwithstanding the almost hopeless
ness Of the task, as indicated by Captain
Tuttle, Captain Shoemaker, chief of the
revenue cutter service, gave instructions
for the immediate repair of the Bear,
with view Of being ready for sea at the
earlist possible moment. Point Barrow,
near where the icebound whalers are
supposed TO be, is about 5000 miles north
OF Seattle and Is at the northern extrem-
ity of Alaska.
THE GOVERNMENTS PLANS.
Washington, Nov. 9.-The cabinet at
today's meeting gave considerable atten-
ton to the icebound Bering sea whale
fleet. Two plans have been decided up
on, one to send the Bear from Seattle,
which cannot be got ready for two weeks
and another to send the Thrasher, a
whaling vessel now at San Francisco.
This latter determination was reached
after the receipt Of a telegram by Sec
retary Long from the commandant of
the Mare Island navy yard. The
Thra.t1er can be provisioned at once and
sent Immediately on her mission. 1t is
stated that there is very good supply
of provisions at Point Barrow and an
other supply at Herschel Island, also |
that at least three vessels well supplied |
with provisions will winter in the Arctic |
The location Of the reindeer in Alaska |
which are wanted for transportation is |
not known, but it is believed a supply |
can be obtained.
CASE NOT HOPELESS.
San Francisco, Nov. 9.-Referring tc
the plans for the rescue Of the Arctic !
whaling feet, Captain McGregor, the |
master OF the steam wllaler Karluck,
which recently returned from a cruise in
the Arctic, said:
Even IL a start was made within a
week there would be little difficulty in
Fort Clarence. The ice hardly
make it impossible for stout steamer
to reach that lIarbor before January. II
the relief party does not reach Point
Barrow before June or July next # will
save many lives. It will not be before
August next that a vessel can reach the
spot where the frozen-in whalers are"
KLONDIKE ADvICES.
Manaimo, B. c., Nov. 9.-The steamer
George Welder has arrived here. Among
1er passengers was Donald Nicholson,
Who left Dawson September %. Mr.
Nicholson says the food problem was a
most perplexing question when he left
Dawson. Seven steamers were then
overdue. Nicholson says that Skookum
Iuch proved an absolute failure outside
" one claim. He believes the country to
De rich but 1t can never be properly de-
Teloped until provisions are cheaper.
Work is plentiful al sl50 per hours.
The gold commissioner and mounted
,oiice do not consider it advisable, un-
Ter existing circumstances, TO collect
he 20 per cent royalty and to reserve al
ornate claims for the government, The
miners are not required to take out
licenses but have TO pay SIS for stalking
lainns, which pays for surveying and
ecording. and 500 for the claim the SEQ
nd year.
UNION PACIFIC AFFAIRS