An Arctic Whaling Diary : The Journal of Captain George Comer in Hudson Bay 1901-1905 / W. Gillies Ross.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Ross, W. Gillies, Editor.

Series:

Heritage

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Hudson Bay-Description And Travel.

Whalers (Persons).

Whaling.

Comer, George.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (304 p.)

Place of Publication:

Toronto : University of Toronto Press, [2019]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

When the American whaler Era, George Comer, Captain, sailed from New Bedford, Mass, for Hudson Bay in the spring of 1903, some American newspapers warned that there might be forcible intervention by the Canadian government, for the expidition conincided with sudden alarm about the precarious state of Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic and the dispatch of the government steamer Neptune to assert authority over a region which had been the preserve of American whalers for over forty years. In the end common sense prevailed, for, although the Era's activities were closely watched by the Neptune, which wintered by her in the harbour ice near Cape Fullerton in 1903-4, and by the Neptune's relief vessel the Arctic in the winter of 1904-5, and although relations between government personnel and whalemen were not always harmonious, the Era was able to follow her usual whaling procedures, seeking bowhead whales from May to Sepetember in both years. George Comer, an experienced and skilful whaleman, was a disciplined recorder of daily events during all his whaling cruises and a vigilant and interested observer of the arctic environment and its native inhabitants. He compiled population figures, collected artifacts, photographed clothing and tattoo patters of the various Inuit groups who participated in the whaling operations, and made the first wax cylinder recordings of their songs and tales. His journal of the 1903-5 expedition gives a valuable and fascinating insight into the arctic whaling industry, the lives of the native people associated with it, and the beginnings of Canadian intervention in the area. Professor Ross enhances this information with an introduction, epilogue, and notes, which describe Comer's career and whaling, and explain and enlarge on references in the diary.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Voyage North (29 June - 23 September 1903)

2. Taking up Winter Quarters (24 September - 31 December 1903)

3. The First Winter (1 January - 10 May 1904)

4. Spring and Summer Whaling (11 May - 25 September 1904)

5. Preparing for Winter (26 September - 31 December 1904)

6. The Second Winter (1 January - 9 May 1905)

7. The Second Summer (10 May - 8 September 1905)

8. Voyage Home (9 September - 15 October 1905)

Epilogue

APPENDIX A. The schooner Era

APPENDIX B. Crew list of the Era 1903

APPENDIX C. Stores carried on the Era 1903

APPENDIX D. Beaufort wind scale

APPENDIX E. Minimum air temperatures at Fullerton Harbour (daily minimum temperature - 40°F or below) 1903

4

APPENDIX F. Sea ice thickness at Fullerton Harbour

APPENDIX G. Details of whales killed in 1905

APPENDIX H. Whaling and trading returns 1905

APPENDIX I. Population of Eskimo groups

APPENDIX J. General observations by George Comer

APPENDIX K. Government expeditions 1903-5

Glossary

Selected Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 26. Nov 2019)

THE JOURNAL OF CAPTAIN GEORGE COMER IN HUDSON BAY,1903-1905.

ISBN:

1-4875-8429-6

OCLC:

1129174939