Northwest History. Aviation 8. Bureau Of Indian Affairs, United States.

• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1935
• Subjects: arctic ship; Alaska Coast; fur traders; Seattle ships; motor vessels; Boxer; North Star; United States Bureau of Indian Affairs; E. L . Bush; Bristol Bay; Nelson Island; Nunivak Island; Hopper Bay; Bering Sea; S. T. L. Whitlam; Point Barrow; Seward; coal; reindeer carcasses; Alaska natives; Matanuska colonist; C. S. Holmes; Eskimos; polar bears; lagoons; J. R. Ummel; Department of the Interior; Northwest; Pacific > History > 20th century; Aviation; Anchorage; Arctic; Indian; Pacific; Barrow; eskimo*; Iceberg*; Nunivak; Alaska
• Online Access: http://content.libraries.wsu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/clipping/id/86242

2 Arctic Ships On Way Home. 2 Arctic Ships On Way Home. After cruises to the far-flung Alaska Coast where they visited isolated little villages inhabited by white and native fur traders and trappers, two famous Seattle ships, the motor vessels Boxer and North Star of the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs, are homeward bound. The Boxer, Capt. E. L. Bush, is due Friday after a voyage to Bristol Bay, Nelson Island, Nunivak Island and Hooper Bay, Bering Sea. The North Star. Capt. S. T. L. Whitlam, is posted to arrive December 3, after her annual cruise to Point Barrow, northernmost settlement under the American flag. Sell Deer For Indians On her homeward voyage, the North Star called at Seward to load coal for distribution at stations of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and to sell reindeer carcasses for the account of Alaska natives. J. R. Ummel, office manager for the Department of the Interior, has been advised that 300 reindeer were taken by the Matanuska colonists and 500 tons of coal will be distributed in Southeastern Alaska by the North Star. The vessel had a total of 1,300 reindeer, of which nearly 1,000 carcases will be sold in Southeastern Alaska. The rest will be brought to Seattle. Captain Whitlam has had some thrilling experiences while master of the North Star. During the summer of 1933. the vessel fought her way through the ice floes of the Arctic to the rescue of the Seattle sailing schooner C. S. Holmes and towed the windjammer seventy-five miles to an anchorage off Point Barrow. During the voyage the North Star was imprisoned on the ice three days, but by skillful maneuvering, Captain Whitlam was able to work her free and deliver much-needed supplies to Point Barrow. Big Bear Killed Captain Bush of the Boxer had an interesting experience during one of his cruises in the little vessel. His officers and crew members, assisted by Eskimos, killed one of the largest polar bears ever seen on the Arctic Coast of Alaska. The big fellow was on an iceberg, twenty-five miles off Wain- wright. Half a dozen Eskimos went over the bow of the Boxer armed with rifles. There was a volley of shots and in less than an hour, the natives, using ropes dragged the bear over the iceberg, and using the ship's gear, lifted bruin aboard. He weighed 1,900 pounds and measured eleven feet from tip to tip. At every village visited in the Par North, the Boxer and the North Star are given a warm welcome. Natives in kyaks and oomiaks swarm out to meet the vessels as they enter the little bays and lagoons as friendly envoys of civilization. Upon arrival, the Boxer and North Star, their cruises ended for 1935, will tie up in Seattle until next spring.