Arizona republican., 1908-07-06

Practically speaking. all of the last catch Of whalebone came from the Arc tic. and iI is on the luck of the Arctic whalemen that the price of the com mOdity depends While the whaling in- dustry has fallen into decay as com pared with the time when over 700 vessels were engaged In it. 1t remains the most romantic and the most per ilOus calling which men now pursue.
 That a business so dangerous should have produced heroes whose names would be famous the world over had they been Arctic explorers Is but nat ural. Perhaps the most conspicuous ex- ample Is George Fred Hilton, captain of steam whaler Belyedere. It was in 1Sg1 that Hilton performed a feat which the more famous explorers would not have dreamed of attempting under similar cir cumstnnces. The whaling fleet of eight vessels became caught in the Ice of Point Barrow, which is about as far east as the whalers ever go. Various plans were tried for getting the ships to open water. but they all failed. Two of the ships were crushed to pulp In the night, tEcir crews having barely time to es- cape 10 the remaining vessels. COmmunl- cation with Point Barrow established the fact that there were practically no SUD-
 
 had scanty provisions for their aug mented crews. Starvation and death stared the whalemen in the face unless word could be sent to civilization for re- lief y%
 Then George Fred Hilton volunteered to make the attempt to summon aid. The fleet captains fiouted the idea as being impossible. ''Very likely It ls.'' said Triton. but we have n chance if I md I nd body can get through I can" This was conceded. and the whalemen gave their reluctant consent to the trip.
 With his pockets full of biscuit. with two Indian runners and sled drawn by eight young dogs. and with the Arctic night closing in around him. Hilton started on his 3.OOO-mile walk 10 civiliza- tiOn. The crews of the fleet eheered him as he departed. and watched him until his outfit faded away in the distance. Not one of them expected to see him alive again. Space does not permit tell Ing the awful story of that trip-how storms and blizzards and bitter cold weather were endured, how Tiltons feet were frozen, how the shelter tent which saaorded their only protection from the storm was lost; how. on the fifteenth day, the provisions gave out and it be- came necessary to kill the dogs one by
 
 of starvation, a village GOO miles from the starting point was reached and a small quantity of food discovered; how for many days a single frozen fish was all there was to eat, and how, at last. at St Michaels, Triton encountered the government expedition under Jarvis. headed north, and furnished 1t with in- formation as to how to reach the lmpris- oned whalemen. Then more days of suf- fering and hunger until. on March 9. the Kodiak Islands were reached. i've months from the time that he left Point Barrow. A month later Hilton arrived at San Francisco. Ebert Hubbard has immOr- talked the man who carried ''The Mes sage to Garcia;" the story Is yet tO be written of the infinitely greater bravery of George Fred Triton. Intrepid hunter Of Vhalebone. finest type of the race of men whose slogan was "A dead whale or stove boat.