The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1909-05-18
STEAM WHALING FLEET
SAILORS THE PLAYERS
TempsrstuTeWaS Forty Degrees
Below and Some Spectators
FTOR 10 Death

Baseball al forty degrees and NOR
below zero impossible! BY no
means. Here are the facts. In the
winter months Of 1884, while tha
sporting columns OF the newspapers
We're filled with boxing basket oall
pcio and other indoor sports while
league diamonds were covered wl,aI
ice and snow. and the stars we're
hibernatlng or llmberlng up In snug
gymnasiums with medicine ball and
punching bag, IN preparation for thair
spring trip south, most people wound
have been greatly surprised to lqarn
that a thousand leagues northwest Of
New York, at little island 500 miles
inside the Arctic circle, a baseball
ieague was flourlshlng, and six or
seven clubs were playing nln-lnnIng
Games on ice seven feet thick over
four fathoms Of salt water.
Yet this was actually the case.
On Sept. "a 1898. O steam whaling
fleet, consisting Of seventeen ships
each carrying between forty and fifty
men, or almost ZOO IN all, was frozen
IN for the winter al HtTschel Island
IN the Arctic ocean. no. far from ihe
mouth OF the Mackenzie river. The
vessels were owned by Two San Fran
cisco concerns the Pacific Steam
Whaling company and Roth q Blum
company. and b. two New bedford
firms, William Lewis & Co.. ans J. r.
Wing. among them were the HO.
ratio. tha John and Winthrop the
Karluk, the Jeanette and the urnm-
pus. B&i \
From November 2s to January ~
was mhroken night, whiled away by
the customary Arctic diversions. But
when the low sun began 70 peep
above the southern horizon, the minds
Of the Imprisoned men turned to out
ofdoor sports. and naturally 10 thF
one great game with which alm0sl
all were familiar baseball
They had played it little IN tho
lall giter the ships were frozen IN.
Now with the returning sun they be
gan again with fresh zest By the
first OF March with a ten.hour day
before them toe sport was IN full
blast
Diamond on a Frozen Ocean.
On the white frozen surface Of the
ocean stretching north to the horizon
ball field was laid out with bases
made of canvas bags filled with saw.
dust. home plate pitchers box foul
flags and all the accessories OF the
game The field was laid out on tho
island. The snow was hard and dry
ana smooth as floor
Several teams were formed among
the officers and crews of the differ
ent ships, There were the lnylncl'
bles. the IIoodlums, the Fat Mems
club. the Roaring GlLHets aud a mum
her OF others. The captains had all
nine OF Of their own. And now the
game was on IN good earnest. The
crack OF the bat. the decisions OF the
umpire the exhnrtatlons OF the coach.
ers from the side lines. and the root.
Ing of the crowd seemed as natural
as In New York or Philadelphia In
stead Of at 70 degrees north latitude
Seven hundred men always furnish
ed good material for an audience,
which often contained five ladies'
wives Of the captains Esqulmaux
eneamned In the vicinity Of the ships
swelled the crowd, and later on took
part IN some Of the scrub games, The
women IS well as the men, Joining
In.
Uniforms of sealskin.
The players were clothed Ia deer
skin aud sealskIn, which was warm
and light. They had deergkln mlttens
and boots. and could run. catch and
throw an we'll as PLAYERS In more
TEMPERATE climate. The only man So.
rlously bothered was the pitcher
whose fingers we're Of course hamp
cred by his mItiens and who had toI
depend mostly an a straight ball, One
man wore gloves under The deerkkin.
and used to take OFF the miitens AZ
critical moments. but after he had
pitched two or three balls the cold
compelled him ID put them on agaln.
The catohers did very well, one In
particular being celebrated for his
speed and accuracy in lining the bah
down 10 second base When the
players came to bat they generally
lonk of their coasaT fer rpQrs freedom
The diamond was qllclEF and Sfhe-
hall travelled fast and far. when II
was hit The Holding was sharp.
some games being played through
without runs on either side Three Of
the teams. two belng the fnvlncihlee
and the Roaring Gimlets. we're very
evenly matched. nlId soon formed a.
regular league with games twice a
week nut almost every day there
were scruh games between different
nlnek, nnd challenges vefe freely
given and accepted The wrnhgles
| were lusf Al Intense. and the umpire
came IN for hIs shaF= or blame Just
as often a. N 4 warmer cline
1 Spectators FfsAxf 10 Death.