Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-06-28

Practically speaking, all of the last
catch of whalebone came from the Arc
tic, and it Is on the luck of the Arctic
whalemen that the price Of the COM
modify depends. While the whaling In
dustry has fallen into decay as COM
pared with the time when over TOO
vessels were engaged In 1t. It 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 Tilton, captain OF
steam whaler- Belvedere. 1t was In 1905
that Tllton performed a feat which the
more famous explorers would not have
dreamed of attempting under similar cir.
cumstances. 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
their crews having barely time TO es-
cape to the remaining vessels Communi
cation with Point Barrow established the
fact that there were practically no sup
plies there. while the vessels themselves
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.
Then George Fred Tilton volunteered
to make the attempt to summon aid
The feet captains fouted the idea as
being impossible Very likely 1t Is"
said Triton, but we have chance II
go. and none If l remain. and II any.
body can get through l 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, Tilton
started on his 3,000-mile walk to civiliza.
ton. The crews of the feet cheered 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 Ttlton's feet
were frozen, how the shelter tent which
afforded their only protection from the
storm was lost; how, on the fifteenth
day, the provisions gave out. and 1t be-
came necessary to kill the dogs one by
one In order to subsist; how, after days
of starvation, a village 900 miles from
the starting point was reached and
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, Tilton encountered the
government expedition under Jarvis.
headed north, and furnished 1t with In
formation as to how to reach the impris-
oned whalemen. Then more days of suf-
fering and hunger Until. on March %. the
Kodiak Islands were reached, five months
from the time that he left Point Barrow.
month later Tilton arrived at San
Francisco. Ebert Hubbard has immor-
talized the man who carried '"The Mes
sage to Carcia;" the story Is yet to be
written of the Infinitely greater bravery
of George Fred TlIton. intrepid hunter
of whalebone, finest type of the race OF
men whose slogan was "a dead whale
or stove boat"