Perils of Whaling. The Corwin Among the Whaling Fleet Off Point Barrow. Destruction of Whaling Ships by Ice-Esquimaux Wreckers. (Special Correspondence of the Bulletin.) Steamer Corwin, off Point Barrow, August 18, 1881.

• Main Author: Muir, John
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Scholarly Commons 1881
• Subjects: Environmentalist; naturalist; travel; conservation; national parks; John Muir; history; pamphlets; journal articles; speeches; writing; annotation; Belvedere; esquimaux; Point Barrow
• Online Access: https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/jmb/180; https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/context/jmb/article/1179/viewcontent/129.pdf

PEBILS OF WHAIglft, Written, Aug. 18, 1881 Tke Coi-wia Among the WiaUag Fleet QS Poiat Barrow. "Corwin- )2* Beetraction. of Whaling Shies by Sss— j EEqiiiiaaux WreC&ess. VvwC [SPECIAL COBBESPONDENCE OF THE BULLETIN.] - - :-. . s .' Steamsh Cotswin, off Point Barrow,) August 18,1861. ) Finding it impossible to get northward tferougb the iee anywhere near the east side of Wrangel Land, it was decided that we should cross to the American coast to make another effort to reach Point Barrow-to. learn the lite of the whaleship Daniel Webster, which, as 1 have stated in a former letter, was be33t in the iee tiiere, and to offer assistance in case it should be required. On the 15th.we spoke one of the whalers aear Icy. Cape,,from whom we learned that the Daniel Webster was crushed and sunk, that about half of the crew had made their way down the coast to, near Icy Cape, where they found the Oorrali and were taken on board, and that the others were still at Point Barrow or scattered along the shore, unless picked up by some of the fleet that were going north in search of them as fast as the state of the ice would allow. •Captain Owen of the bark Belvedere had sent a letter to them by one of the natives, directing them to build large driftwood fires on the beach to indicate their positions, and assuring them that relief was near. We had hoped that j though beset in tie heavy drifting pack and carried northward helpless and rigid as a fly in amber, some change in the wind and current might set them free. But in discussing the question with an experienced whaler who had lost the first ship that he was master of at the same place and in the same way, he said that he had given her up as lost as soon as she was known to be embayed. OFF FOB POINT BABEOW. On receiving this news we started for Point Barrow aEd found the way clear, the sack having been blown off shore a few miles, and-a heavy current was sweeping to the northward. Tuesday, the 16th, was calm and foggy at I times, large masses of beautiful ice, blue and i. green ...