Evening journal., 1897-09-23
NAVARCH RESCUERS.
Official Report of Captain Cutie,
Commander Of the Bear.
TIE WHlLER FIRST SIGHTED AUG. g.
Adventures of the Vessel. Her Captain
and Those of Her Crew Who Were
Finally Found by the Bering
Sea Patrol Boat.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2S.-Captain
Cutie, in command of the revenue cut
ter Bear, one Of the Bering sea patrol
fleet, in a report to the secretary Of the
treasury gives an official account Of the
rescue of Captain Whitesides, his wife
and a number of the crew of the whal-
ing steamer Navarch, which was caught
In the ice pack off Icy capes on July
30. Captain Cutie says that the Ma
varch was first seen on Aug. 9, seven
or eight miles in the pack. Owing to
the dense fog which then came on she
was lost sight OF and was not again
seen until the 10th, when she was again
sighted about Is miles in the pack and
rapidly drifting north. Every effort was
made to get assistance to her, but
without success.
The next day. while steaming along
the edge of the ice pack, signal was
seen flying from an Eskimo camp near
Christie point A boat came alongside,
when it was found that the captain,
his wife and three others of the crew
were at the Eskimo camp. The cap
tain reported they had left the Navarch
on the 14th, dragging a small canvas
boat They had been 60 hours without
rest or sleep when they landed on ley
point.
On the 18th inst 20 Of the crew and
Mr.. c. d. Bower of Cape Smythe left
the vessel to walk across the pack, eX-
pecting to find the natives with their
boats hunting walrus along the edge
of the pack. When the captain left the
vessel, they had been gone As hours.
All Of this time the current was carry
ing the ice rapidly to the northward.
When the captain and wife left the ves-
sell there were still II people remain
ing on board, nine of them declining to
leave the ship.
After picking up Captain Whitesides
and party the Bear steamed to the
eastward as far as Smiths bay. where
the whaling schooner Rosaris was met.
The captain of this vessel said he would
remain in that vicinity for couple Of
weeks and would keep a lookout for the
lost whaler. The Bear reached st. Mi
chaels on Aug. 2S, where about 300 min
ers were found camping on the beach.
On arrival Captain Cutie received re-
quests from the Alaska Commercial
company and the North American
Trading and transportation company
to remain with his command at st. Mi
chaels until some means could be de-
vised to maintain law and order. He
WIS lllAbAllAtQ lildl dliOlk AiAt HuuutA
influx Of people were many bad char
acters, and previous to the arrival OF
the Bear open threats had been made as
70 what they would do if the Transpor-
tation company failed to get them VI
the Yukon. This was impossible with
the means at hand.
Captain Cutie says that transporta-
ton would close in a few days and thai
p vessels We're then on their way to st
Michaels, most of them with passen.
gers, and 1t was his opinion that Il
they did not return on the vessels which
brought them much suffering must re
suit. The captain decided to comply
with the requests which had been made
until Captain Hooper, in command oi
the Bering sea fleet. could be commu.
nicated with and another vessel detail
ed for the duty until Sept. 80, when, h'
says, a military force will arrive.
In concluding his report Captain Cut
tie says that in his opinion the situa
ton on the Yukon river this winter vii
be a very serious matter, and in his
judgment the limited supply of foot
will result in much suffering and star
walton.