404 The Story of the New England Whalers 



At a consultation of all the shipmasters it 

 was decided to send Captain R. D. Frazer, of 

 the Florida, to explore such open water as was 

 to be found alongshore to the south and west, 

 the narrow lead between the beach and the ice- 

 field. He returned on the I2th and reported 

 the ice blockade solid, save for a lead just wide 

 enough for small boats, to a distance of eighty 

 miles from the fleet. Beyond the ice he had 

 found seven whalers that were safe enough, and 

 they, he said, would stand by until the crews of 

 the beleaguered ships could reach them. 



To cover eighty miles, even in the teeth of an 

 Arctic gale, if that had been all, was no great 

 hardship to old whalemen. But here were cap- 

 tains who had the savings of a lifetime invested 

 in the ships they must leave, and every one in 

 leaving his ship left the job by which he was 

 supporting his family. Worse yet, some of the 

 captains had their families with them. The 

 women and children must be taken from the 

 comfort afforded by stanch ships into the open 

 boats where, drenched with the freezing spray 

 which the gale would throw over them at every 



