Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1911-04-12

Brewer that he was south and west
of Point Barrow and went on board
the Navarth, which the next day was
caught in the ice and carried north.
Captain Whiteside Of the ship asked
Brewer to stay with them for few
days, and then as the ice showed no
signs of breaking they decided to take
the boats and get to the edge of the
pack
1t was thirty miles and when about
twenty-five had been covered the
skipper changed his mind about
abandoning the ship and decided to
go back.
so the whaleboats were left on the
ice and the whole crew went back to
the whaler.
For three days they remained on
board, Brewer in the meantime maxi
ing canvas boat, and then 1t was
decided to start for Point Barrow,
which was then away south, for they
had been carried long distance by
the ice.
Packing provisions in the boat they
started again, Brewer in the lead and
he with a few men reached the edge
of the ice. A few hours later the
ing the whole company sixteen.
Back TO Ship.
When asked about the skipper, boat
and provisions which II contained.
the mate said that after going about
three miles the captain had decided
to return to the ship and had done so
with the other men.
Nothing to Eat.
These fellows who had come on had
nothing to eat, Brewer had an extra
pair of long-legged boots and these
legs he had stuffed with bareback be-
fore leaving the ship.
Lost.
The fog came down and they could
see neither ship nor shore and with
no compass or food they were in hard
| shape.
| Brewer had watch which he used
for a compass and when the fog lift
ed they struck out southeast for Bar
row.
Eight days and nights they tray
eled; they could not stop to sleep
and they kept doggedly on reaching
the edge Of the pack, and after wait
ing there three days were picked up
by a steam whaler and taken to Point
Barrow, ninety miles away.
| THE sailors did not think of taxi
ing any food unless 1t was can of
something" said Mr. Brewer, and
all we had to live on was the hard
| tack | had taken along in my extra
boots. There were just six of us who
reached the edge of the ice and one
of those was crazy.
Suffering Was Terrible.
On the trip they had worn their
shoes through on the rough ice and
then the soles of their feet were worn
down to the bone. The suffering of
these fellows was something terrible.
Some lay down exhausted and died
without moving, others went insane
and wandered away, one shot him
self, and in all these ways ten drop
ped out before we got through.
Captain Rescued.
THE captain of the ship started off
again with a few of the men, but there
were some who would not trust him
and stayed behind. He was picked
up finally by steam whaler and sew
eral months later the Bear picked up
the niue men who had remained with
the ship.
There were seven ships caught in
the Ice that winter and wrecked and
the men were taken care of by me
until spring, when they were taken
south by the revenue cutter"
Went North Young.
Mr.. Brewer went to the north when
he was twenty-five years of age and
he has been there ever since, coming
out once In four or five years for u
trip of several months to the States
He went first to the north for a San
Francisco firm operating steam whal-
ers to prospect for coal and then left
them to go into trading.
| In the early nineties he and anoth-
err went to San Francisco and inter-
ested capital in their venture and Il.
Liebes & Company backed them in the
Capt. Smythe Whaling and Trading
Company
Now Owner.
Several years later he and his part
ner bought out the interest of the
San Francisco firm, and four years
ago the other member came out for
good and Brewer bought his interest,
the San Francisco company still be-
ing the agents for him.
He does considerable whaling from
shore and trades in furs with the Els
quimauX, of whom there are 700 In
Point Barrow.
Two White Women.
Schools were established there
twenty years ago and there Is an
American government teacher and his
wife stationed there now There Is
also an American missionary and his
wife in the place and the other whites
number just three.
Main Reindeer.
Reindeer which were brought from
Siberia many years ago have thriyed
In northern Alaska and now there are
herds of several thousand there. At
first they We're given to the school
teachers and these in turn had as
sistants among the Esquimaux. These
assistants were given 50 many rein
deer to care for and they were given
the increase on the herd so that in
time they had little herds of their
own, and now some have assistants
of their own caring for the deer.
Four Years More.
when are you going to leave the
! 20, - n