THE WHALER ALASKA. A LENGTHY CRUISE.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 343, 16 February 1889, Page 3

THE WHALER ALASKA. A LENGTHY CRUISE.

This morning fche American whaling barque Alaska was towed moo the Calliope Graving Dock, out of which the gunboat Dai b had been iloafced a short time previously ana moored to a buoy outside. The object in docking the whaleship is to stop a leak which has boen sprung just at the ioot of the foremast, **md which, although of smail sizo : has caused considerable inconvenience and delay to the vessel. Tho work of repairing will occupy not move than a day, and the Alaska, after being floated out and allowin ie the Dart to leenter bho Dock, will romain in port pro\ isioning and refitting, etc., for about a week, when she continues on her whuhng cruise. The Alaska is the firstwhalingvesselthathasbeenin Auckland waters for several years. She is an Ameri-can-built vessel, having been constructed at an Eastern seaport several years ago, and is a tine-looking wooden white-painted barque of 323 tons measurement. Her masts are taut, and a striking featuio in her rig, peculiar to vessels of American construction, is the uncommon length of her mizentopmast as compared with those of other craft. She has a complement of 33 officers and men on board, all told, comprising 25 able seamen. Captain C. W. Fisher, who has sailed the seas from the Arctic to the Antarctic Ocean a3 a whaler for the last '33 years, is in command, and has four officers, Mr Montgomery being chief. The Alaska carries four fine whale--boats, and is supplied with all the latest appliances for the purpose of killing the giant mammals of the deep, " cuttingin' and " trying-down " the blubber. The Alaska sailed from New Bed ford (JMass., U.S.), on June 23rd, I 1885, with everything necessary favour- | able for a successful cruise, and has since been cruising about in these Southern in search of whales. Her cruise cannot be said to have been a very successful one, for her whole "take" during her absence from port ot 42 months has only amounted in quantity to that ordinarily obtained in a simple year — about 1,000 barrels or 100 tons. In addition to her oil she has obtained some 2,1001b, of whalebone, in value about -C 1,400. On leaving New Bedford the Alaska shaped a couibO S. E. through the Atlantic, and passing the ('ape of Uood Hope, cruised along in high latitudes through the Indian Ocean. Soon passing to the south of Tasmania, the entered the Pacific, and has since been cruising about in the southern poition of Lhit> ocean, visiting all the most likely localities for the black (or "right") and sperm whale?, a number of both of which species have been captured. Amongst other cruising-grounds visited by her were the vicinities ot Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands, Keimadec Islands (particularly French Rock, L'Espeiance), Chatham Islands, Auckland Islands, Campbells, Antipodes, Bounty Island?, Stewart Island, Solander Island, the Snares, the whole of the New Zealand coast and to the south waid of it. Aftei a lengthy ciuise, attended by less success than usual, "right " whales being very scarce, the Alaska about the middle of last year left the Campbell Islands, where she was then cruising, for Sydney in order to have a leak (the one to repair which she was docked today) stopped. On arm al at the New South \\ ales poit she was docked and a search made for the leak, which, however, all the diligence of the sutveyois. could not dUcove . Its pteci«o location h>is since, howe\ei, been definitely ascer tamed. Leaving Sydney on the 10th ot August last, the barque left on a further cruise on the No A" Zealand coast. Bounding the North Cape she proceeded down tiie East Coast of both islands, going south as far as lat. 45". During this ciuise off the coas,t the cry, "There she blows!" was raised from the masthead on three occasions, and three fair specimens of the " right " whale were captured by the whaleboat crews. Finding before long that the leak for which unsuccessful search was made in Sydney harbour was again sprung, Captain Fisher decided to put into port to have it stopped. Russell was reached on February Ist, and the Alaska left the Bay on Tuesday last for Auckland, arriving in tho Waitemata after a protracted passage of five days, which was owing to the absence of a breeze to carry her along the coast. After leaving here repaired, the Alaska will cruise up North through the Pacific to the coast of Kam&chatka (Northern Asia), where Captain Fisher expects to meet with better luck in his pursuit of the "right" whale. After a few months spent off that coast and the neighbouring whaling grounds, the barque will leave in October for San Francisco, and so end her cruise of 4;years, the usual duration of a whaling* expedition from American ports. The Alaska has now on board as the result of her 42-months' cruise 200 barrels sperm oil, 212 do. ordinary whale oil, and 2,1001bs whalebone. Mrs Fisher is on board the barque as a passenger, accompanying her husband throughout his long.and, for the most part, monotonous cruise, which is enlivened only by the excitement, not unattended with a certain amount of danger, of the circumstances attendant upon the capture of the monsters of the deep. It would seem, however, that the danger to which whaleboat crews in pursuit of the whale are exposed is not so great as commonly thought, for Captain Fisher says that in the whole course of his 33 years' whaling experience he has seen only three men killed by whales. The capture of the sperm whaleis, however, somewhat risky, as that species of the family often shows desperate fight. All on board the Alaska are in the best of health, and the cruise hitherto, though ' uneventful and nob so prosperous as it might have been, has yet passed off without j accident of any kind. I