The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-18
RESCUING THE ICE
IMPRISONED WHALERS
BY LIEUTENANT BERTHoLF. U. S. R. S.
Continued from Page II.

The next day after Jarvis reached
Point Barrow he investigated the state
or affairs there and found that though
In some things the men were pretty
badly off, yet in the matter of food
things were In much better shape than
could have been hoped for last fall
Charles d. Brewer, manager of 1iebes
d co. S whaling station at Cape Smyth
(Which is about ten miles south from
Point Barrow, having quite a large
supply OF flour and other provisions,
took matters in charge last fall when
1t was seen that the vessels could not
get out, and he certainly proved the
man in the emergency, and but for his
care and management there is no doubt
that many would have starved before
the relief expedition reached them.
AS 1t was, things looked rather blue,
but Brewer at once gave up all his
stores and made all his natives go out
into the mountains to- kill and bring
in wild deer, and it seemed as If more
than the usual number Of deer wan
dered to the coast last winter, for over
1000 were killed by the natives, and this,
together with the seals and whitefish
and ducks killed in the spring, eked
out the food supply so that when Jar
Wis reached there there was enough to
last all hands until the latter part of
August, at which time the ships could
reasonably be expected. True, the
daily amount was not bountiful, but
1t was sufficient, and when the deer
herd arrived Jarvis was enabled to in
crease the daily ration so that to
shipwrecked man it seemed a luxury
In the matter Of quarters, however, the
men were in bad shape. Brewer took
all he could into his own houses, and
as his storehouse was full Of provisions
he could not put that into requisition
So he took Kelly's old station, house
hnrf k0xyOE fe@f md trat, hte, x@la
seventy-eight men were obliged to be
packed.
The missionary, DR.. r. Marsh, had
schoolhouse in which he taught the ma
tives, but he did not offer the use Of
1t to the wrecked men. The old Gov
eminent refuge house, which had been
built to house 100 men in an emergency
had been sold to the Pacific Steam
Whaling Company, and by them leased
to f. A. Mc1lhenny, who occupied 1t
last winter, but he declined to take in
any but the officers of the wrecked ves-
sells. So that, as l have said, seventy
eight men were crowded into the 50x25
feet building, and in such cramped
quarters it was very difficult matter
to get sufficient ventilation and still
keep the building warm, besides, the
great difficulty Of keeping the house
and the men clean. Mr.. Brewer used
air his spare lumber In building hunks,
and put two stoves in the house and
arranged for daily ration Of coal and
provisions, and had the men been pro-
vided with decent quarters all would
have been well.
When Jarvis arrived there, having
authority from the department to
take charge Of affairs, he at once
made such arrangements that TWEEN
ty-f1ve Of the men were Quartered
In DIR. Marsh's schoolhouse, about
twenty-five others in the old Govern
ment house leased by Mr.. McIlhenny,
and as by this time Brewers store
house had been pretty we'll emptied, the
rest Of the stores were taken out and
the remainder of the seventy-eight
were Quartered there. Kelly's old house,
being in 8 deplorable condition, was
then torn down and used for frewood.
Scurvy had just begun to make its ap-
pearance, two men being down with
1t and two more threatened. but DR..
Call soon got the upper hand of the dis
ease and after that such sanitary rules
were established as would prevent q
return of any such trouble. The men
were obliged to take regular exercise,
and when there was no work to be
play ball. and game when the ground
was covered with snow and the Their
mometer below zero was certainly a
novelty.
The situation Of the vessels at this
time was as follows: The Belvedere
in behind the Sea Horse Islands about
As miles south from Point Barrow; the
Rosario close to the point. the Newport
and Fearless about mile off Shore
fifty miles to the eastward; and the
Jeanne about thirty miles further east
and about four miles off shore, and all,
of course, frozen in.
The Wauderer had made her way to
Herschel Island after she found she
could not get out, and was known to
he all right as she could draw ON rha