Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-09-25

Persons in distress cared for 702
Vessels boarded for examination of papers, 21,-
$685.
Vessels seized for law violation, 596.
Fines incurred by vessels $135,990.
Derelicts destroyed, 49, Instances Of lives
saved and vessels assisted, 2.224
Instances of miscellaneous assistance, 1885.
Value of vessels assisted, including cargo, $780,
346,765
Net expenditure for maintenance Sc, 422, Psi.
OF all this fleet Of weather-beaten cutters of the
coast guard the Bear is the Oldest and the most
famous. Fifty round trips has she made into the
Arctic ice. Last fall when she came down from
her forty-nnth battle with the ice, it was planned
to take her out of the service. But Captain Coch-
ran commended that the gum whaler built in
Greenock was good enough for one more voyage,
to round out her fifty. So Commander Billiard
sent her off May from the Golden Gate on her
last voyage
The Bears fftieth voyage came mighty near
being her last. 1t looked for time as if the ice
had finally got her, after half century of battling
Half dozen times in June the Bear was shut in
by foes and the Fourth Of July found her thou
sand miles north of Unalaska and barred from
further progress in any direction. And SO the
radio told her to get out when she could and come
home. But would she get home? That was the
question. Her propellers were in danger of being
stripped and even the Australian gum of her
planks had been badly squeezed. Nevertheless,
the Bear limped home to Nome the other day,
much the worse for her battle with the fce but
with her flag flying and under her own power
Without the Bear the Alaskan coast from S1tka
on the Pacific to Point Barrow the Arctic will
be much like "Hamlet" with Hamlet out. Take
a look at the map and note the length of the Alas
kan coast. Incidentally, do you realize that
Alaska and the Aleutfan islands, If superimposed
on the United States in true northsouth position
so as to cut the Canadian boundary line near the
head of Lake Superior, would reach the Atlantic
near the Georga-South Carolina line cross the
Mexican line in New Mexico and touch the Pa
ciic in southern California?
Well, along this great stretch of Alaskan coast
for forty years the Bear has been guide, phil
osopher and friend. Each spring she has gone
forth ITO aid all peoples, to assist commerce, TO
open lines of communication'-an to carry the
mails to every settlement not reached by the Ber-
ing sea patrol Often the Bear has been the law
of the Frozen North, carrying an officer empowered
to act as United States commissioner.
During these forty years nearly every veteran
of the coast guard service has seen service on
the Bear and many are the yarns they tell-from
the sublime to the ridiculous
In November Of 1897 President Mckinley was
notified that eight whaling vessels were fast IN
the ice near Point Barrow and that their crews
were near starvation. The Bear had just returned
to winter quarters. But she headed north again
with volunteers for officers and crew-in COM
mand of Capt Francis futile At Nelson lsland
she landed three officers: Lieut.. d. H. jarvis,
Lieut. e. D. Bertholf and DR.. S. J. Call. These
three officers travelled by dog sled 1,5OO miles 10
Point Barrow, arriving with herd of 4OO rein
deer There they remained until the following
June when the Bear damned it's way In through
the ice with stores.
That rescue approaches the sublime. Here is
one that is not far from the ridiculous capt.