The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-10-05


assistance The Secretary OF the Treas
NY gave his cordial endorsement and APP
DrONgl 90 tn" suggestion 10 have the rev
uUr boats enter The Arctic Ocean. for tho
sol" purpose, II necessary, NJ StcaWilE To-
The Sc Hoes ana landing the casks The
q Ii.t OF the Revenue Gutter Service
capt. c. F. Shoemaker also enthusiastic
ally gave cUcCuTag cement and support.
IiEtstu casks were placed two years ago
Hy order Of the Treasury Department uu
hoard tho Bear. and hDT commanding Off
cor Was directed to r, gard Tho work as OF
utmost Importance. since tine information
TO b, gathered was OF such scientific
Ealu, That risks 10 the vessel might even
be incurred In the attempt To- land tES
casks on solid ice. For TWO successive
years the revenue cutter Bear made AN
attempt a. do this work
In many respects IL Is the strongest and
best conducted vessel that entered tie
Teuc O-.an. ana the facJ that she did
LpJ care 10 butt into the loose ice and
land her cargo shows the difficulty and
danger attending the duty. For twenty
successive summers tho Boar had been
visiting Arctic waters. and il was with
great regret and reluctance that her Off
clTS twice turned away from the ice pack.
II was the only duty assigned the Bear
that she ever failed 70 perform.
As the history OF the Revenue Cutter
Service Is reviewed one is impressed with
tn" fact that no work is too difficult nor
any duty too hazardous that this service
viii not attempt to execute one can.
therefore. realize tho sorrow and regret
with which the hDmewaTd voyage 10 San
francisco was commenced by the Bear
when she had 10 return. through no fault
~ htI own. with the drift casks in her
freight holds. This failure TO render as
SiStanCy 10 the Philadelphia Geographical
society aroused tho personnel Of the Rev
1nue Gutter Service 10 the fact that Il had
now part To do IN the matter. and that
independent Of all scientific and geograph-
lCal reasons for landing the casks a re-
Sp'ASioility and duty had been thrust up
on the service whose successful accom-
pllSnmeIt was Imperative 10 the honor
and prestige OF the 0TEa UiZatiDu-
The Bear. therefore. left this year for
polar waters with the determination to
;an1 tbs Sc casks on separate and large
foes or else have the vessels timhers con-
sttute the drift pieces that would show
lne direction and strength Of Arctic cur
rents II must De remembered that to
distribute the casks along the shore OF
Just north OF BehTing Strait. would not
only have failed to secure desired results.
hut might have led 20 misleading conclu-
SlolS- his fact was well known TO both
the officers Of the whaling fleet and the
Revenue s. rvicc and 10 the credit Of both
the casks were brought home rather than
thrown overheard in waters removed
from the drift pack
Captain TuttIe's HeroEsm.
Through unavoidable causes the Bear
was month late this year in starting
tor tha Behring Sea. With the utmost de-
Alaska station. and then made for the ice
pack L. the uoTlhward and westward Of
Point Barrow It Is q common saving
among the WhaleTs that If a ship gets too
close t. the ice pack her crew will reach
I.l EtJni} 10 they do NOT get 10 the Pole.
J his fact was known 70 Ca~tain TutrlC.
OF the Bear for he has hal very many
narrow escapes from being crushed by the
ieeberSs. He pushed onward. however.
ana about forty miles 20 the lorthward Of
. the point where the Jeanette was en-
closed i'm tho ice pack ne landed five casks
on "A very large foe of solid Ice. Five
I four casks on a third foe
As suUJLeTiy winds had driven the loose
zee against the main pack. the placing Of
the casks WAS "a very peTilOUs feat. and
I reflects the highest honor upon The COur-
I age ana efficiency of Captain futile and
his crow For nearly three days the Bear
, the ice pack. Fc-S and SuOWSrOrruS pre-
vailed much OF the time For hours the
vessel as I'm q blind lead. and frequently
T. Captain Tuttle was compelled 10 retrace
his course 10 find a favorable place TO
push through the drift ice. The most
northern Ice foe upon which casks were
placed was i'm latitude - degrees Is min
/ utfS ana longitude llr degrees 10 minutes
west At this point the ice tended TO the
southwark and eastward. making Il ab-p-
luIely impossible Tor the Bear 20 push
any farther The strength and direction
of the Arctic current At this point and
/ time auEurs well for the success Of the
experiment, and those who are interested
IN Arctic research are even hopeful that
some Of the casks placed by the Bear viii
De found within the period anticipated.
tt not only required courage. bUt IL de
maudrd skill. endurance and quick judE-
. ment To hang on TO the ice pack as the
Bear did in the accomplishment Of this
successful work Between the solid ice
foe and the deep water there must at
. times have peen mics Of loose ice, and
this had 10 be- crossed 20 reach the solid
pack The sailors who carried the casks
across this dangerous and icy lgtsam pos
sibly constituted a more forl0rn hope than
many soldiers who have been given
medals of honor for performing p-TIoUs
missions in the face of the enemy.
% has been recorded that within am
hour ia. ice foes IN the Arctic have
shifted their positions ike the hriUiauts
( I'm Kaleidoscope. and that vessels which
appeared t0 be- distant from the pack
. have been Eripped and caught 10y the foe
suddenly rising from some distant point
II rs within the possibility. and even the
probability. of such "a disaster happening
TO his ship that commander must rN-
erCiSe care and prudence In pushing on
To tho pack and Vet this duty was per
formed by tho whaIcTs Alexander and the
IhrushyT and The revenue cutter Rear
There was neither financial nor official
reward il case Of success but there was
loss Of position and possibly life in case
81 failure During tho past year AT least
nifty naval officers have been sigually
houor-d and advanced FOR either distiu-
EulSh'I OF mCTIrDTiOu- seTyic during the
spanish var. A board Of army officers is
now ia session considering the claims Of
those officers for advancement who per
formed distinguished service I'm the Phil
iDuiErs and in China Is 10 not incumbent
upon this Government 20 silyualIv reward
Captain futile and his crew OF the Bear
IT ls possible that some Of the thirty
drift casks are somewhere near the shores
OF Nova ZembIa Franz Josef Land or
SVitZheTE'u. and that the accumulated
data which they viii furnish when picked
uU VIII De the means of solving tn. gues-
sion n Arctic currents. aud thus save the
lives of many future exploring parties
Great Britain gives the Victoria Cross 20
every soldier and sailor who displays con
spi-uOuS bravery and galiantrv IN the
face Of The enemy Every nation has
who performs a heroic deed in the pres
eure or others. although the presence Of
his comrades might have been the iuspiT-
ing cause of such gallautry and courage
Docs IL not require moral n not physl-
cal courage Of even higher order Go face
death. not Tor q limited but "a continuous
period q enter upon q peril0us mission
amidst fox and suOwstOrmS. and not iu
sight OF the flag or ones country To per
form Hu humble yet dangerous service in
reward and emolumcnts. and 20 realize
that iu case Of failure 10 achieve success
death may come tD IN, volunteer. without
even pension or ETatuity being given
IBIS wife and children Is 30 not fact
that our theory as 2" the best means Of
rsWa riding public officials is based upon
. the principle that the man Of war is a
hero iu owing for his country. while the
civil .mDlUEs must rest content with the
consciousness Df duty Wei done IN the
performance of - deed that would send
The soldiers or sailors name down as AN
,rHwri. of courage Co succeeding ages
The work of Captain Tuttls Is worthy OF
eu,ciHI recognition. and IL is go Ir hoped
d.. la . H|.H H#H