The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-04-11
TALES OF THE OCEAN.
RELICS OF ADVENTURE OVER A
HUNDRED YEARS OLD.
Daring Expeditions of Brave Sea-
men of the Last Century-Th~ Res
cue OF Five Feniaa Prf.ener.-
What Has Become of the Once
Famous Whaling Fleet

afNt&c expeditions have been able to pene-
tTsle only a few hundred miles. The
Iotio~Ing quaint entry. copied from the
original log OF the Penelope TIA
the WnS1eneu's museum At Nantucket
records this remarkable achievement:
Sunday. June e aay.-First. fresh
Winds, south. and a rugged sea. plenty %
snow Later part. saw tee 10 southwest
OF Us. shifted 10 the northwara huG stili
thtck weather. saw number OF ships. but
no whales. SO end this a hours. Lat
Sc"
Perhaps the most thrilling narrative OF
the perilS OF Arctic whaling has come
down 10 Us from the last century. and
while the facts Il gives seem beyond the
range OF the possible. II IS SO minute In
date and detail thar 90 reject IL altogether
hardly seems iustiftabis. In August l71s,
rms the story Capt. warrens. 81 the
whaler Greenland. while heealmed among
icebergs in the Arctic ocean. sighted a
vessel with rigging dismantled She had
the appearance Of having been long
time deserted. A boat was lowered and
pulled for her. and Cant. wsrrens with
part OF the crew boarded her. The deck
was deserted. bat when they descended
into the cabin A weird spectacle met their
eyes. Seated at the table was the CORPSE
Of a man covered with green. damp mold.
He held a pen. and before him lay log
book, this having been the last entry;
Nov. IL. I5e2-we have now been en-
closed in the ice seventeen days. The IRE
went out yesterday. and our master has
been trying ever since 10 kindle II again
without success His wife died this
morning. There is no relief"
On the floor las the corpse of n man
and n dead woman was found in one Of
the cabin berths. In the fort part or the
vessel dead sailors Were discovered. and at
the foot OF the gangway crouched hoy.
The vessel had been frozen in thirteen
years. To people not versed in the mys-
teries OF the frozen North, II must seem
difficult 10 give credence TO this tale. But
IL is current I'm whaling circles. and old
whalemen say they heard II seventy years
ago from the veteran whalemen Of those
days.
To record all the disasters that have
occurred in the history of the Arctic whal-
ing industry would ill large sized vol
ume. ] will briefly refer. however. 10 the
tragic episode OF the loss OF the bark
James Allen. which sailed from San Fran
cisco in the spring OF 1894 for cruise In
Northern waters. AS the occurrence Is
only of recent date. II Will doubtless be
SIN fresh in the minds OF many readers.
for Il was published in detail in the lead
ing papers on this coast.
The James Allen struck on rock during
the middle OF the night while of one OF
the Aleutian isles, and all hands had 10
take 10 the boats During a heavy gale
shortly after. one of the boats was swamp
"a and several Of the occupants were
drowned Two Of the boats affected a
landing on a barren. rocky island on the
coast OF Alaska, and the crew sustained
life BY living on seaweed and musssiS,
which they gathered from the rocks In
A short time several OF the men succumbcc
10 famine and the rigor OF the cold The
captain, In company with several oth'
ers made two unsuccessful attempts 70
reach unalaska, for the purpose OF bring
ing relief. but was forced TO return on
both occasions on account OF the severe
ity OF the weather. Finally. on his third
venture. with a crew OF the most robust
and able OF the men. he succeeded In safe
IL reaching Sltka IN his whale boat.
Luckily the United States steamer Pet
rel happened 10 be in port. and promptly
started back with the captain 10 rescue
the remainder of the shipwrecked crew
from the lonely Island. During the cap
tain's absence several more had died from
cold and starvation. and the miserable
emaciated survivors had sustained life
during his absence by living on the flesh
OF some OF their dead comrades,
Once comfortably installed aboard the
Petrol. the hapiess sufferers, by careful
treatment and kind nursing. soon regain
ed comparative strength. All were badly
frost -bitten. however. and had TO be tax
en- 10 the hospital in San Francisco upon
their arrival from Alaska. One OF the
boats OF the James Allen was picked up
bv the steamer Dora. belonging 10 the
Alaska Commercial Company, and the
crew were taken by an American bark
enftne 10 Port Townsend. whence they
were sent 20 San Francisco by the United
states shipping commissioner
A clever ruse was executed at consider
able peril In April. i7Ti. by two Nantucket
whaling captains Isaiah Chadwick and
Obed Bunker. whose sloops were lying
at anchor In the harbor OF Abaco. observ-
ing a ship OF the mouth OF the haroor sig
naflng for assistance one OF the captains
with a crew composed ~ men from the
sloop4. went 10 the strangers aid. on
boarding her tho commanding officer vel
coined him BY presenting a pistol 10 hts
head and ordering him 10 plot the ship
into the harbor The Nantucket skipper
naturally obeyed but took care 20 pilot
the vessel 10 an anchorage where point
~ land lay between her and the siooT@.
The whaieboat was then dismissed. The
skipper had noticed that ALI the men on
the deck 81 the ship were armed. while
one unarmed man paced the cabin. The
Nartucketer. concluding from these cir
rurTssfances that the ship was IN the
hands Of pirates or mutineers. the man IN
the bin be,nE the former captain.
straightway devised a plan for recaptur-
ing the vessel An invitation 20 dine on
one OF the Sloops was extended 20 the
usurplng captain. He accepted ard came
aboard with the b0atsw ain and tfle man
who had been seen pacing the cabin.
whom they introduced as a passenger.
AT a given signal tire usurper was seized
and bound and the actual captain then
explained that the crew had mutinisd with
the intention Of becoming pirates. The
~anfuekefers then promised immunity "a
the boatswaln IL he would return 70 the
snip. come back to the sloops with the
farmer mate. Who was ln irons ard aia
ia rsssspfuring the vessel. They EhrsW ny
iutEuated that a u&n-of-Sar was lying
within two hours sail from whom they
could secure the necessary aid 10 over
rover al resistance. ard agreed with him
that they would set certain signals when
Trey had obtained help from the war
weasel The boafsWatH. however. re-
rnafre-d away 20 I5ng that Il became evil
senf ne had played false. One % TIE
Shops then stood cut boldly as II 20 invoke
the ash q the fnau-of~war. A. ane ap-
preached the satp the mutineerH shifted
their guns 70 tne Sae a. whites thsy ex-
pectea her 20 Pass. and trained them 10
a. 20 SIX her. But tAe -eaESts- A@+*f "a
too clever fer them
The nso-op suGasniy changed her course
I'D swept - on the opposite side Sefars
tna ships crew could re-Hrift the guns
Then. standing on her course. she sailed
out % sight. she next tackled and hsrins
81 the signal agreed On witn tns boat
swain. stesred straight for 1ae coTsaiF
WheE the sioop VAS sighted from ths
ship the ere@ q me latter. seems ~
1870 $3.50 raj sAera ~aa IA &Fsgad
farce from ths naGn-9f war aboard tAs
Manchester aid Erectgltafsly taking q
sbssr soats. they ed % The shore. wners
tresr we're Afterwards captured. Tns