ICE NAVIGATION 429 



been sailing vessels built in Scotland, Norway, Canada, and the 

 United States, whilst many more had been merchant ships, bomb 

 vessels, and warships. As a rule they were strongly built but were 

 awkward to handle in ice, where the success of getting a vessel along 

 depends a good deal on her sailing and quick maneuvering qualities. 



For the seal and whale-fishing industry some of these ships were 

 equipped with steam power. I think the Victory of Sir John Ross 

 in 1829 was the first; and, until 1870, steam power was used only in 

 calms. In loose, open ice whalers particularly could not use their 

 propellers when in the neighborhood of whales, for, as we know, a 

 whale can hear the slightest sound under water. Even when whale- 

 boats are used amongst the very thinnest of ice, the sound made by 

 a moving boat drives away the whales. From thence to about 1880 

 many fine steamships for the seal and whaling industry were built 

 in Scotland and installed with reciprocating engines and Scotch boilers 

 which would drive many of the ships 9 to 10 knots. They of course 

 had sail as an auxiliary as well. All or nearly all were barque rigged. 

 Many of the fastest and largest of these ships were used in March and 

 April off the Newfoundland and Labrador coasts, and later some of 

 them were used by Peary, Greely, Scott, Shackleton, and Mawson in 

 the Arctic and Antarctic. Several of them I have been master of on 

 sealing cruises. In fact, my first ship, the Panther, owned by my 

 grandfather, was built in New Brunswick and engined in Scotland. 

 My uncle, then a very young man, sailed her across to Greenock, 

 Scotland, to be engined. 



Building polar ships today is a very expensive undertaking. 

 Wooden material is harder to get and more costly than formerly. 

 Laborers are also hard to get and very highly paid. When the Dis- 

 covery was built she cost $250,000, that is including engine and boilers, 

 mast sails, and equipment for sea service. Then it took one year to 

 build her, and only two tenders were submitted to the committee on 

 building. Today it is a question if she could be duplicated. This is 

 the day of steel, of the puncher and riveter. The adze, saw, and plane 

 are passing away. Seasoned wood and skilled workmen are hard to 

 find. It would cost a fortune to build another Discovery. The Roose- 

 velt cost $107,000 ready for sea. She was built in Bucksport, Maine. 

 Fortunately in the yard where she was built there was on hand just 

 about enough seasoned timber to build her. Today it would cost a 

 lot of money and time to duplicate her. The Pacific Coast of the 

 United States is in my opinion the only place where it could be done 

 today. And that would entail a large sum of money. At least eighteen 

 months to two years would elapse before the ship could be launched. 



Instead of a coal burner an oil engine should be used, which of 

 course is more economical in space and fuel when the ship is not 

 operated in ice. It would save engineers' and firemen's pay and would 



