American Citizen

The Arctic Whaling Fleet Surrounded by Icebergs and Twelve Vessels Abandoned-Particulars of the Disaster.

San Francisco, Oct. 21.-The whaling bark Florence arrived this afternoon from the Arctic Ocean with 190 men on board, being part of the crews of the Arctic whaling fleet, twelve of which she reports lost in the ice with a portion of their crews. The remaining survivors have gone to Honolulu on the bark "Three Brothers." The following is a synopsis of the WRITTEN REPORTS of the master of the fleet. On arrival in Behring's Sea found plenty of ice and extreme weather, and but few whales were taken in the first part of the season. Commenced taking walruses on June 1; the ships engaged soon got all they had casks for. Between the 20th of July and the 1st of August the ships worked over to the east shore, and so north toward Point Barrow as fast as the ice opened. The bark Arctic was crushed by the ice July 7th, off the Sea Horse Islands, eighteen miles from land. The crew escaped to shore, and finally were taken on board by the bark Onward, and subsequently distributed among the fleet, Capt. Whitney going on board the bark Rainbow.

About the 1st of August the fleet, fourteen in number, reached Point Barrow. The Northern Light and Norman staid at the South, walrusing, and ESCAPED THE DISASTER. Those that followed had to stand from Point Barrow several times, owing to the ice standing on shore. On August 14 a breeze from the north and northwest broke up the ice. Whales made their appearance, and soon all the ships were actively engaged northeast of Point Barrow; wind half from west to northeast, until the night of August 18, when it began blowing fresh from the east-northeast. All the ships stood in shore and anchored to avoid drifting ice. On the afternoon of the 19th the wind increased and hauled to the north, bringing the ice on shore, and we all run under the south side of Point Barrow, where we found a lee for four hours, but the next morning were obliged to run South as far as Cape Smith. The "Rainbow" and "Three Brothers" remained at Point Barrow for the next three days. Whales were numerous off Cape Smith, and the ships were busy taking some. Meantime the wind set from the west, causing an UNEASY FEELING. The space occupied by the ships extended seven or eight miles off shore, running along by land south. This kept steadily closing.

On the 23d, the wind freshened from west-northwest, and all the ships except the Rainbow and the Three Brothers, which were still anchored at Point Barrow, surrounded by drift ice, beat to the southwest. In the afternoon the wind began hauling south of west, but still we hoped before the ice closed on us to reach the open sea, or at least the Sea Horse Islands, where we could find shelter. At sunset the ice stopped our progress. On the morning of the 24th thick fog set in. At this time the heavy ice packed and reached along the whole coast about two miles to leeward. The ships were all lying with open strips of water between that and shore. The Clara Bell lost her rudder, ran near shore and anchored. The ice closed around her, and a large berg grounded south of her and formed a breakwater, behind which she lay. The bark Florence drifted up to Cape Smith and got under the lee of a grounded iceberg, which protected her safely. The ships Josephine, St. George, Cornelius Howland, and barks Camille, James Allen and Onward were inclosed by pack-ice, during the afternoon, and drifted rapidly to the northeast between Woody and Refuge Inlets. The ship Marengo, under all sail, got within three or four ship-lengths of open water, and then the ice closed on her. As we neared Point Barrow the current slackened, and for two days we drifted slowly. The Rainbow and Three Brothers, under Point Barrow, lay in comparative safety, witnesses of our distress, but unable to render assistance. The Marengo, St. George, and bark Acers Barnes, each sent a boat ashore, intending to follow with others containing provisions and supplies in case of disaster, but owing to the ice starting afresh, were unable to do so.

On the 26th the first officer of the Three Brothers, with a boat's crew, took the wife of Capt. Hackmott off the bark Acers Barnes to his ship for safety. The next day the St. George men attempted to haul the boat ashore over the ice, but they were caught in a fog. Thirteen of them got on board the Rainbow and Three Brothers. The others gained the ship, except one, who perished on the ice. Next day the thirteen tried to get back to the St. George, but never reached her. Eleven were rescued by Capt. Owen, of the Three Brothers. The other two were frozen to death on the ice. The prospect is now very gloomy. The ships were held helplessly in the ice and drifting rapidly northeast. On August 28 we reached the end of the Bank, and the current changed to east. The ships at Point Barrow were no longer visible. The situation was worse than ever, our only hope being an easterly gale. On August 29 we were off Point Targent. The crew of the "Marengo" ATTEMPTED TO GET ASHORE, but returned unsuccessful. The next day the Masters held a council on the "Java," and concluded there was no further hope of saving the ships, some of which were already badly nipped by the ice. This was only a touch of what might be expected. The ships altogether had about three months' provisions; not enough to last through the winter. After a full discussion, seeing no way out of the difficulty, it was decided the only way to save the lives of all was to reach land before escape became impossible. September 5 was chosen as the day of starting. The ships were twenty or thirty miles from land abreast of the west head of Smith's Bay.

On September 5, all being ready on board the "C. Howland," "St. George," "Marengo," "Desmond," "Jas. Allen," "Acers Barnes," and "Onward," the SIGNAL FOR DEPARTURE was given. The boats had been put in the best possible condition. The baggage consisted of about twenty-five days' rations, bread and meat, change of clothing and a blanket for each man. Every thing else but guns and ammunition was left on board. The main hope was to find open water enough inside the ground ice to navigate the boats southward, and so reach the two ships which are supposed to be outside the pack. We left at 3 p. m. We would first carry the baggage half a mile or so ahead, and then turn and drag the boats along the ice, which was very rough in places, and many of the holes would not bear the weight of a man. Many of the men fell through and suffered much from cold. The first night we camped on the ice about four miles from the ships, and the next morning resumed the march in A BLINDING SNOW-STORM from the northeast. The prospect was most discouraging. Several men deserted and returned toward the ships, where a number of crews remained who refused to face the hardship and journey toward land; of their fate we know nothing.

On September 6 we reached a strip of open water, launched the boats and pulled toward land. All that day and the next we kept working through and over the ice, and at 8 p. m. made land two miles west of Point Targent. We continued working along, and at noon on the 9th we sighted the Three Brothers and Rainbow at Point Barrow, and reached them before night. We found all solid beyond, and the only chance of escape was to drag the boats over the land to the open sea-a distance, as afterward proved, of 130 miles. We made sleds and attempted the journey; but, on reaching Cape Smith, we found the bark Florence there. After consultation it was decided that any effort to proceed WOULD BE MADNESS, and preparations were commenced for wintering as best we could at Point Barrow. Boats were prepared for whaling, as that was the only resource for our food, and work was commenced on a house.

On the night of September 13 the ice began to break up before a strong east wind. The next day the Florence was able to get under way. All hands and the baggage were put on board, and we ran down the coast and found the Clara Bell frozen fast in the ice. Her Captain said he would stay by her till the 17th, when, if there was no prospect of getting out, he would leave in boats for clear water. The Florence was to wait for him. We made Sea Horse Island that night, and the next night made Wainwright's Inlet. We waited there for the crew of the Clara Bell and to get water. On the afternoon of the 18th the Three Brothers and the Rainbow, which had ESCAPED FROM POINT BARROW, joined the former, bringing the crew of the Clara Bell, which remained fast in the ice, with no hopes of getting out. Part of the people on the Florence were then put on board the Three Brothers and a rendezvous appointed at St. Lawrence Bay, where they would stop for water. Both arrived there on the 23d, and left the next day for San Francisco -the Three Brothers for Honolulu.

The following is a list of the abandoned vessels: Barks Onward and Clara Bell, San Francisco; ships St. George and Marengo, and barks Cornelius Howland, James Allen and Java, of New Bedford; ships Camilla and barkentine Josephine, of Boston; bark Acers Barnes, New London, and Hawaiian barks Desmond and Arctic. The vessels had on altogether 1,000 barrels of oil, besides a large amount of whalebone and ivory. It is the undivided opinion of every master that NO HOPE can be entertained of the rescue of the ships or those who remained on board of them. All are undoubtedly lost- carried away to the northeast in the immense ice-pack which closed them in for miles around. [Signed] W. H. Kelly, Master Marengo, B. F. Homan of C. Howland, F. S. Hickworth of Acers Barnes, J. Keenan of Jas. Allen, James H. Knowles of St. George, E. A. Ludlow of Camilla, T. W. Williams of Clara Bell, Geo. Lary of Josephine, Ezra B. Lapham of Onward.