An Arctic Whaling Diary: The Journal of Captain George Comer in Hudson Bay 1901–1905 9781487584290

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AN ARCTIC WHALING DIARY The Journal of Captain George Comer in Hudson Bay 1903-1905 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 expedition coincided 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 September 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 patterns 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. w. GILLIES Ross is a member of the Department of Geography, Bishop's University, Lennoxville, Quebec.

EDITED BY W. GILLIES ROSS

An Arctic Whaling Diary THE JOURNAL OF CAPTAIN GEORGE COMER IN HUDSON BAY

1903-1905

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PRESS Toronto

Buffalo

London

© University of Ton.mto Press 1984 Reprinted in 2018

Toronto Buffalo London Printed in Canada ISBN 0-8020-5618-0

ISBN 978-1-4875-7343-0 (paper)

Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Comer, George. An Arctic whaling diary Bibliography: p. Includes index. ISBN 0-8020-5618-0 1. Comer, George, 2. Whalemen - Connecticut Biography. 3. Whaling - Hudson Bay - History 20th century. 4. Hudson Bay - Description and travel. I. Ross, W. Gillies (William Gillies), 1931Il. Title. 639' .28'0924 c83-098623-5 SH383.2.c65

Era frozen into the ice at Fullerton Harbour, Hudson Bay Photograph by George Comer Mystic Seaport Museum

COVER:

FRONTISPIECE:

George Comer on rigging of the Era

Mystic Seaport Museum

This book has been published with the help of a grant from the Social Science Federation of Canada, using funds provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Contents

PREFACE vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS X MAPS xii PHOTOGRAPHS xiv INTRODUCTION 3

1 Voyage north (29 June - 23 September 1903) 40 2 Taking up winter quarters (24 September - 31 December 1903) 63 3 The first winter (1 January - 10 May 1904) 86 4 Spring and summer whaling (11 May - 25 September 1904) 116 5 Preparing for winter (26 September - 31 December 1904) 143 6 The second winter (1 January - 9 May 1905) 162 7 The second summer (10 May - 8 September 1905) 188

vi Contents 8 Voyage home (9 September - 15 October 1905) 210 EPILOGUE

218

225 The schooner Era 225 B Crew list of the Era 1903 228 c Stores carried on the Era 1903 229 D Beaufort wind scale 235 E Minimum air temperatures at Fullerton Harbour 237 F Sea ice thickness at Fullerton Harbour 238 G Details of whales killed in 1905 240 H Whaling and trading returns 1905 241 I Population of Eskimo groups 243 J General observations by George Comer 245 K Government expeditions 1903-5 251 APPENDIXES A

GLOSSARY

255

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX

265

262

Preface

'Born to ride out any stonn, he sailed the seven seas, toughened by simple living, hard knocks and heavy work, from cabin boy to captain. George Comer, master of himself, became master of his ship with the muscles of a Hercules and a will of iron.' Frederick Walcott at the dedication ceremony, East Haddam, Conn, 4 June 1938. 1

It was a year or so after George Comer's death. Beneath a state fire tower on Mount Parnassus Road, a few miles east of the Connecticut River and the quaint town of East Haddam, over 200 people had gathered on Saturday 4 June 1938 for the unveiling of a granite tablet in memory of the whaling captain. The site was close to 'Restwood,' then as now the home of the Comer family. Members of the Connecticut Forest and Park Association were hosts at the ceremony and music was provided by the Fife and Drum Corps of nearby Moodus. Among those who spoke were: William L. Cross, governor of Connecticut; Frederick C. Walcott, Connecticut state welfare commissioner and former United States senator; Robert Cushman Murphy, ornithologist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York; Mrs Edward Stafford, a daughter of the polar explorer Robert E. Peary; and Charles E. White, president of the Savings Bank of New London. Comer's grandson and namesake, then aged twentyone, unveiled the tablet which read 'To the memory of Captain George Corner, able seaman, arctic mariner, navigator of the seven seas, 18581937.' 1 The typescripts or newspaper accounts of remarks made at the dedication ceremony are in the George Comer Papers, East Haddam, Conn, 3-8.

viii Preface The dedication of a memorial, the participation of state and local institutions, and the presence of a number of well-known people from government, science, and commerce suggest that George Comer was no ordinary man. Indeed he was not. The diverse activities and achievements of his seventy-nine years had touched a wide spectrum of acquaintances and admirers, many of whom were privileged to regard him as friend. Whaling had been his business, but he had never limited himself to the task of navigating small ships through icy waters in search of leviathan - a task which by itself would appear to offer more than enough challenge for anyone. George Comer 'could not.endure idleness' as LeRoy Harwood, treasurer of the Mariners Savings Bank of New London said at the ceremony, and to the demanding routine of polar ship handling, sealing, and whaling, he added the study of polar animals and birds, the observation of matters of geographical interest, and the investigation of Eskimo culture. His insatiable curiosity, extensive experience in the polar regions, and ability as a collector brought him into contact with some of the foremost explorers and scientists of the day. He corresponded with Roald Amundsen, the first man to pilot a ship through the North-west Passage, Vilhjalmur Stefansson, advocate of the 'Friendly Arctic' concept, Knud Rasmussen, the Danish explorer who sledded from Hudson Bay to Bering Strait during the Fifth Thule Expedition of 1921-4, Franz Boas, author of the first major ethnographic work on the Canadian Eskimo, and the Reverend E.J. Peck, who introduced syllabic writing to the Eskimos of Baffin Island. At the time of his death on 27 April 1937, and a year later at the dedication of the memorial, those who praised George Comer spoke not only of his success in the whaling trade, but also of his contributions to geography, zoology, archaeology, and anthropology, and of his participation in community and state affairs. Above all they spoke of his character as a man. A portrait of George Comer in his later years shows a rather rotund face with a moustache which gives a whimsical, slightly walrus-like appearance. The eyes reveal sincerity and warmth, and even hint at humour, but at the same time suggest a certain firmness. A man, it would appear, who might be friendly rather than aloof or antagonistic, open rather than secretive, tolerant rather than narrow-minded, and yet a man whom one would be anxious not to disappoint or deceive, a man with a sense of right and wrong who would set high standards both for himself and for those under his authority. He was a big man, a shade under six feet and weighing about 200 pounds, conspicuous by his size and bearing. People were naturally drawn to him and many whalemen were ready to accom-

ix Preface pany him year after year to some of the harshest whaling grounds in the world. Brass Lopes, a boatsteerer on the 1903-5 voyage, was one. Another, Frank Borden, wept as the Era departed for Hudson Bay because poor health prevented him from going. Comer's friendliness and honesty made him good friends among Aivilingmiut and East Haddamites alike. In Hudson Bay, where the ship was his home during nine long months of winter, the Eskimos were always made welcome. As he records in his journal (10 March 1905), 'all natives have the freedom of the cabin to come and go when they like.' At 'Restwood' too visitors were always welcome. His 'heart and home were symbols of hospitality,' as Robert Cushman Murphy said at the dedication. Visitors might be shown some carved walrus tusk cribbage boards or other mementos brought back from the Arctic on one or another voyage, and might be treated to a few stories of adventure in the far north. Jovial with a good sense of humour, Comer was an entertaining raconteur and many organizations invited him to speak about his polar voyages. The Explorers' Club of New York, the Jibboom Club of New London, the Middletown Chamber of Commerce, the Children's Museum of East Haddam, and a number of other institutions both large and small, national and local, benefited from his informative lectures, usually illustrated with lantern slides made by the captain himself. Always conscious of 'simple human relationships, ' as Murphy noted, George Comer was not only hospitable but also generous and considerate. When he sent apples to the scientists at the American Museum of Natural History he took care that some should reach the secretaries as well. His kindness was reciprocated. Residents of East Haddam and New London often sent packages with him on whaling voyages to open when he pleased. The periodic unwrapping of some surprise gift from friends at home punctuated the loneliness and discomfort of dark arctic winters, and brought him much pleasure. At the memorial dedication his long-time friend LeRoy Harwood summed him up: 'Big in body, strong in mind, a strict disciplinarian, but a sympathetic friend of all mankind, he represented in his life all that is best in human character.' W.G.R.

Acknowledgments

The editing of George Comer's personal record of an arctic whaling voyage has been a pleasant side trip from research into the development and impact of commercial whaling in Canada's Arctic. My particular interest in Comer, and in the voyage of 1903-5, arose during a study of the influence of whaling upon the Eskimo inhabitants of the Hudson Bay region. That work was assisted by the Canada Council, the National Museum of Man, the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, the Advisory Committee on Geographic Research, the Canadian Research Centre for Anthropology (all in Ottawa), and Bishop's University (Lennoxville, Quebec). I am pleased to acknowledge the generous support of these institutions, support that led indirectly to this book. In preparing the introduction, notes, and appendixes I utilized several libraries, archives, and museums. I thank the staffs of all, particularly those of the Public Archives of Canada and the Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, England. Many individuals helped with specific problems or in special ways. Among them are: Terence Armstrong (Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge); Frederica de Laguna (Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Penn); Alfred Copland (Ottawa); Bernadette Driscoll (Winnipeg Art Gallery); Linda Eisenhart (Smithsonian Institution, Washington); Basil Greenhart (National Maritime Museum, Greenwich); Horst Hartmann (Museum fur Volkerkunde, Berlin); Richard Kugler (Old Dartmouth Historical Society, New Bedford, Mass); Trevor Lloyd (Ottawa); Claude Minotto (Public Archives of Canada, Ottawa); Benoit Robitaille (Universite Laval, Quebec); Stuart Sherman (John Hay Library, Brown University, Providence, ru); A.N. Stimson (National Maritime Museum, Greenwich); and Garth Taylor (National Museum of Man, Ot-

xi Acknowledgments tawa). The anonymous readers for the University of Toronto Press made valuable suggestions concerning the manuscript. The photographs have been reproduced with the help of a grant from the Publications Committee of Bishop's University. The aerial photographs, © 1956 Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, are reproduced from the collection of the National Air Photo Library with permission of Energy, Mines and Resources Canada. I acknowledge the co-operation and assistance of the archival staff of the G.W. Blunt White Memorial Library at Mystic Seaport, Mystic, Conn, where Comer's 1903-5 journal is, and the careful work of the Seaport's photographic section which provided several of the illustrations for this book from copy negatives made from Captain Comer's own glass plate negatives. I am grateful also to George Comer, grandson of the whaling captain, with whom I have enjoyed several 'gams' in East Haddam.

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