90 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 



vessel, and sailed oil her for Hull, England, leaving the inlet October 1, and arriving at Hull 

 November 7, when we sold our oil, whalebone, and seal skins. I started for the United States 

 on an English vessel, but she was disabled and returned to port, when I shipped on another 

 vessel, and arrived in New London about the middle of January, 1853. 



"On July 13, 1853, I sailed again for Davis Strait on the brig Georgiana. We did not stop 

 for seal on the Newfoundland coast, but hastened to Cumberland Inlet, where we spent the winter 

 with the vessel frozen in the ice. This was the first whaling vessel to winter in the ice in the 

 vicinity of Davis Strait. We had quite a successful time in catching seals and whales at the 

 opening of spring, taking advantage of the first movement of the ice when whale* were abundant, 

 and we secured twelve in two days. During the entire voyage we caught twenty-four whales that 

 yielded 890 barrels of oil and 16,000 pounds of bone. By trade and capture we got about 1,000 

 seal-skins, worth at that time about 75 cents apiece at New London. Arrived home October 8, 

 1854. 



" In the year 1855 I sailed again in the same vessel, leaving New London April 11. Some of 

 the crew were disabled by scurvy while on our way north. This delayed us, so that when we reached 

 Frobisher Bay we were too late in the season for whaling. We wintered in the bay and had a 

 terrible hard time of it, losing fourteen men by scurvy. As soon as the ice opened in the spring we 

 started for home, but our men were weak and it took us several weeks to make a few miles. After 

 many difficulties we finally reached New London September 27, 1856, with no cargo except about 

 200 seal-skins obtained during the winter. 



" In 1857 I sailed on the Georgiana again, and had a very good voyage, leaving New Londoi. 

 April 11, and arriving home December 20, with 600 barrels of oil, 12,000 pounds of bone, and 

 about 200 seal skins. I tried it again in the same vessel in 1858. We sailed June 1, the vessel 

 and outfit being valued at $9,000; went to Cumberland Inlet and wintered there, and returned 

 home December 9, 1859, with a cargo valued at $21,000. This was an excellent voyage and quite 

 a contrast to the terrible hardships of" our trip two years before. 



"On May 29, I860, I went north in the bark George Henry. Capt. C. F. Hall went with us. 

 This was his first trip to the Arctic. He has written an account of it in a book entitled Arctic 

 Researches, published in 1805. Our whaling-ground on this voyage was in Frobisher Bay, where 

 we wintered two seasons returning home September 13, 1862, with 564 barrels of oil, 10,100 pounds 

 of bone, 450 seal-skins, and 250 walrus-skins. As these were the first quantity of walrus skins 

 brought home by any whaling vessel, we did not know whether they were of any merchantable 

 value. We had prepared them by salting a little and then dryiug on the rocks. They sold at 50 

 cents each in New London and were used for belting. During the winter months we lived with 

 the natives in their lints. We got short of provisions and moved from place to place, so that we 

 were sometimes a long distance from our vessel. Wherever we went we took a whale-boat and 

 gear along with us, rigging the boat on a sled tor this purpose. Occasionally we would pull the 

 boat to the edge of the ice and go in search of whales, capturing several in this manner. 



" I sailed in 1863 on a voyage to Cumberland Inlet in the schooner Franklin. We wintered 

 there and arrived home in 1864. I made two voyages after this, each tolerably successful." 



From 1846 to 1852 the McClenuan was the, only American vessel fishing in the vicinity of 

 Davis Strait. In the latter year this vessel was lost, and in 1853 the Ainaret and Georgiana 

 were fitted for those waters. In 1855 the George Henry was added to the fleet, and these three 

 comprised the entire Davis Strait fleet until 1860, when ten vessels were sent out to those waters 

 The vessels that had been sent north prior to liS(K) were? generally of the older class, and not 

 thoroughly equipped for severe battling with the ice, but that year two laige ships were included 



