Whaling ships winter every year in Mackenzie Bay The importance of Mackenzie Bay as a whaling harbour. Mackenzie Bay clear of ice long before the seas along the coast are clear. The whalers visiting Mac. kenzie Bay trade goods with Eskimo and hunters in exchange for furs. Results from whaling in Mackenzie Bay enormous. ly lucrative. In immediate reference to the subject of my letter of the 3rd ult., he says that four whaling ships wintered last winter at Herchel Island harbour, seven ships the winter before, four ships on the previous winter, and four ships before that again, bearing out the accuracy of information supplied to me and by me transmitted to you for the past several years. Their principal reason for availing themselves of this most important Arctic Harbour is, as I before stated, because of its nearness to their principal whaling ground, whence they can proceed to their lucrative business a long time before these grounds can be reached from Behring Straits (in time to catch the opening of the season) and from the fact that the spring rush of water down the Mackenzie River clears a large area near its various mouths long after the shore ice is firm far to the East and West. They do not, therefore, go there specially to trade with the Eskimo, but this being their only profitable occupation in Winter and very early Spring, they get large numbers of common and valuable fox skins and supply the Eskimo with goods in trade, even up to the vicinity and at the Peel River Fort (MacPherson), take beaver and other furs from the legitimate traders of that region. Valuable Ivory Deposits. From the Hon. J. SCHULTZ, Winnepeg, 4th January, 1895. Since then (date of last letter) at least one of the ships, which, in the winter of 1893-94 wintered at Herchel Island had reached San Francisco and although I have no more definite account of the value of the cargo sold by her owners at that point than the west coast newspapers give, it would seem that the trade in which she was engaged has been enormously lucrative, and should the vague Eskimo reports of prehistoric ice and mud-embedded deposits of ivory similar to such on the Siberian coast, and that, I believe, of Alaska also, have any foundation other than Great stores of mere rumour, these profits might be, in the future, very ivory. much enhanced indeed, and add to the regret that foreign vessels should have so complete a monopoly over a Canadian trade apparently so profitable, which is carried on indeed in violation of several statutory enactments and departmental regulations. (See reports of ivory confirmed in accompanying evidence.) Whaling, &o., Statistics (Hon. J. SCHULTZ). 1887 Total catch by San Francisco whalers Rich returns amounted to 2,000,000 dollars. 1888-San Francisco fleet operating in the Behring Sea and Arctic Ocean:-25 vessels, including tenders, landed products to the value of 627,345 dollars; average value of each vessel, 25,094 dollars. Eight of these were steamers of a tonnage ranging from 250 to 860 tons for each vessel-average value landed from these steamers was 45,820 dollars (£9,441). Nearly the whole of the whaling at the mouth of the Mackenzie is done by the steamers. Six of these vessels also landed 90 fox, 48 lynx, 2 bear, and 10 other skins, 6,000 lbs. walrus hides, and 1,310 lbs. walrus ivory. 1889-Twenty-three vessels, including tender, landed products to the value of 358,935 dollars; average value to each vessel, 15,606 dollars there were seven steamers, average value of products landed, 31,173 dollars. from whaling expeditions. Each whale is worth 5,000 dollars, when both oil Enormous and bone are utilized. value of each whale. The only whalers in the Our North coast whale fisheries are extremely valuable in the eyes of the Americans, for no Arctic are the others operate there Americans. The fishing season of the Arctic is usually from Date of opening of whaling about the first of May to the first of October The vessels cruise South of Behring Strait until the ice breaks up sufficiently for them to force their way through the Strait into the Arctic Ocean. This is generally about the first to the middle of June. The whalers enter the Arctic about the first of the month. season. Whales con- When the whales enter the Arctic they follow up the American shore into the North East as fast as the ice breaks up. They go, nobody knows where, but it is surmised into the great basin at the mouth of the Mackenzie River. Government directed to the Men deserting Klondike diggings. Report of Inspector C. CONSTANTINE, Commandant of Yukon The territory about the mouth of the Mackenzie River and Herschel Island is one that the attention of the Government is called to. Twelve whalers, steam and sailing, wintered there last winter. . make their way there.. Many men desert from the whalers each season whalers for the and having heard of the rich placer mines of the Yukon, These men come across country (from Mackenzie Bay) to Rampart House, on Short journey, the Porcupine River, a distance of ten days' travel over and easy travelling from a rolling country, and, for this territory, fairly easy Mackenzie Bay to the Yukon travelling, thence down the Porcupine River to Fort River. Yukon, and from there up the river (the Yukon). Herschel Island in One of these men by some means got word to the vessels, giving an account of the country here (Klondike), which induced a number more to leave, and many wished to, but were unable for various reasons. In some instances, where men had succeeded in getting away for some distance, they were overtaken by the ship's officers, and stripped of all they had, hoping they would then return. Herschel Island is in the Yukon (Police AdministraPearl Cove is the harbour on the about 80 miles from west mouth of Mackenzie Bay tion) district. south side the Mackenzie. The easterly mouth of the river is the main one, about 130 miles from the island. Island in The ice at the island breaks up about the end of Ice at Herschel May..... and begins to form about 1st of September Mackenzie Bay each year. Whaling profits and particulars. "The Morning Mercury," New Bedford, Mass., 14th October, 1897. whaling It was in 1848 that the first whaleship passed The first through Behring Straits, and since that time the Arctic steamer Ocean has been the principal field for the hunters of oil Behring and bone. through Straits. steam-whaler; a great catch. The first steam vessel to engage in the whaling The first business was the "Mary and Helen," built by Captain Wm. Lewes in 1880. During her first voyage this vessel captured a cargo of oil and bone valued at 100,000 dollars. She was sold to the United States Government and re-named the "Rogers," and sent in search of the ill-fated exploring steamer "Jeanette." Presumably the most remarkable whaling voyage ever made in the old days, so far as profit is concerned, was that of the "Envoy," which sailed from New Bedford in 1848. She returned to Providence in 1847 from a whaling voyage and was there condemned and sold to Wm. O. Brownell of New Bedford to be broken up. Mr. Brownell, however, concluded to fit her for another voyage, and did so, sending her to sea under the command of Captain W. T. Walker. Such was the condition of the vessel that the underwriters declined to insure her. The net profit of the voyage was 188,450 dollars. The "Envoy" was fitted at an expense of about 8,000 dollars. The most whaling voyage old days. remarkable made in the Mackenzie Bay free of Ice for several months Whaling in the Arctic Ocean via Mackenzie River. Evidence of the Hon. Wm. CHRISTIE, late Inspecting Chief Factor of the Hudson Bay Co., to 1888 Committee. As to whether whaling or sealing craft if built at the headwaters of the Mackenzie River could descend to coast early enough, and ascend the river late enough to permit of some months' fishing near the mouth of the river, I would say, yes. I do not think there would be any difficulty in building craft at the head of the Mackenzie to descend to the mouth of the river, remain there for some time, and return the same year, because, etc. Section 10. Navigability, &c., of the Great extent of unbroken navigation. The Peel River a gold-bearing stream. General Summary from the 1888 Committee. In referring again to the navigation of this region, all the evidence has agreed to the great extent of unbroken navigation (from the mouth of the Mackenzie River). The steamer "Wrigley," of the Hudson's Bay Company, distributes stores (to the Company's various fur collecting posts) down to the mouth of the Mackenzie, just above the estuary, where the river is said to be six miles wide, and up the Peel River, which joins the Mackenzie near that point to Fort Macpherson, on that gold-bearing stream. |