Show tho arctic fleet alio twenty or more whale ships which came down from the arctic last autumn havo started again for the same destination cheso vessels will not arrive in the arctic boford some lime in may they fish by the way making long stretches out of a direct course sometimes getting well over toward japan and sometimes nosing about the sea tor any chanco to strike a fow in chii latitude besides alio bicet ol 01 sailing ships will bo three steamers in the arctic this season viz the belvedere and north star of new bedford and tho new steamer now on tho stocks at tah port which will bo completed inside of the nest two months tho sailing ships arc all old fashioned short oak built ships which have done service in other business boford they acro around to the arctic some ot them were pack cl s lifty years ago they aro still strong ships and to ho independent of all doaa the cold weather of abo arctic and alio saturation of oil has ft tendency to preserve ships fijn lers these old vessels get r nipped in the ico they mai be rood for at least a tor of a century more of good service by that timo there will probably bo no use for anything but tho screw steamships in whaling lvin how another use of steam in whaling has been introduced tho steam tender or small boat steam strong enough to tow a dead whale a long distance and tow tho to the fishing grounds steam can not bo utcy tn following whales on account of tho noise but it can be used as an auxiliary in alio ways frug ami t is said with substantial advantage A great many chalca aro struck and lost but a steam tender to hitch on and tow thirty or forty miles is the improvement in tho old sailing vessels will wear out in iho business thoy to not represent a great deal of capital now and then an alil ship worth five or six thousand dollars and twice that sum in the matter of will come into port with a thousand barrels of oil and ai much bono as can bo stored away the interest on capital is small the arc large that is why those old bluff ships soaked with whale oil anro so dear to the hearts of their owners tho steam chalers whalers wh alers with anywhere from to according to size these must come into port with ikiyo faras or the venturo would bo a losing business san francisco bulletin |