WRECK OF WHALESHIPS.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 321, 1 December 1888, Page 3

WRECK OF WHALESHIPS.

American papers gne full details of the 10-s of tive whaleshipb in the Arctic Ocean. The disaster occur ied near Point Barrow, t\hich is the most noitherly point of Alaska on its northern boundary. It is about 71.30 noith latitude, aud several degrees west of the Mackenzie ilner. It appeals that the deet was detained by a northerly wind for neatly u month before it could lound Cape Barrow. All July it lny almost in sight of the sienal station which was established aoirre yearc- ai>o for the guidance of whalers. At last a f-tiong rf^uth-weat wind arose and dro\ c the ice-pack to sea. The whalers immediately took advantage of it to round the Ja c ami creep into the bay, where they cast anchor, hugging the shoie a& clos'ly tis they '.'tired, and anchored within -.i cabk s , length of each other. If the win'l hud continued south easterly all would have been well, bub in the night it shifted Lo tS'ie we?twatd, and even northwestnait], and then the little licet, huddled alose to, a lee shote, found it.-elf exposed to all its fur} . Yc^f-el after vu&sel parted its cable, one or fwo "lipped anchor, and made for the open sea in the teeth of the &iorm ; one atier another they ran into each oth' j r. Although it was in August the cold was bevere, the heavy seas drove masses of ico before them ; sailors whose vessels were wreckeu and »vhomade their escape in open boats were nearly tro/en to death before they could reach shelter on board more fottunate craft. Luckily for the shipwrecked there was a staunch little vessel there in the shape of tlit? levenue cutter Bear, which outxode the gale with ease, and was able to save everybody.