Death on the Ice

by Cassie Brown | History |
ISBN: 0385251793 Global Overview for this book
Registered by wingGoryDetailswing of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 10/14/2006
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8 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by wingGoryDetailswing from Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Saturday, October 14, 2006
I found this rather battered trade paperback among the books on the sale shelves at the Nashua Public Library - not bad for a quarter! It's about an event I'd never heard of before; apparently in 1914 a large group of seal hunters wound up getting trapped on the ice for two whole days and nights, without any gear or supplies - with the ships passing by unaware that the men were missing. By the time everyone worked this out and went after the lost men, very few were still alive...

Journal Entry 2 by wingGoryDetailswing from Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Friday, March 7, 2008
[Another of my long-overdue writeups; I think I read this book early in 2007.]

Since the big seal-hunts have become such a sensitive topic in recent years, it's sometimes difficult to read about the sealing industry early in the last century without considerable bias - rather like reading Moby Dick now, and feeling more sympathy for the whales than for the humans! I think I've managed to acquire enough double-think to blend an appreciation of the trials of the people who risk life and limb to wrest a living from dangerous jobs such as whaling or sealing with my own conservationist sensibility, but at times it's a bit of a stretch, as when the author describes the method of seal-killing and the fact that since the valuable cargo consisted of fur and fat, so most of the meat was abandoned on the ice...

That said, I found this account riveting and mind-boggling - and quite informative. It goes into the history of the Newfoundland sealing industry up to that time, including concerns about the ill-treatment of the sealing men, and details the working conditions, which were appalling and very dangerous. The first casualty of the hunt documented here was a man who slipped on the greasy, bloody deck and fell through a hatch, breaking his back and suffering internal injuries.

But that was only the beginning. The significant part of this story has to do with the combination of errors, misjudgements, and bad luck that resulted in 132 men from two different ships being abandoned on the ice for two days and nights, with each ship's crew believing that their men must be on the other ship. The lack of radios and the ignorance of the effect of a steel-built ship on compasses were factors, but there were many fundamental oversights and negligence that are hard to explain away.

The stranded men were in a truly difficult situation, as they had not gone out with any expectation of having to spend the night on the ice - no shelter, no supplies, and many without even heavy clothing, as the work of sealing generally kept them plenty warm without it. And while survival in the Arctic under those circumstances is challenging enough, these men all knew - knew! - that their ships were nearby, possibly within easy walking distance, but in the rising storm and darkness, and in the absence of reliable compasses and any prolonged signals from the ships to indicate their position, they couldn't find them... And when they did see ships - their own or others - the ships either didn't see them or assumed they had their own ship to return to, and sailed on by. The accounts of what they went through are intense, and rival those I've read in polar-exploration books such as The Worst Journey in the World.

Two days later, when the captains of the ships involved realized what had happened and went looking for the lost men, two-thirds of the men were dead, some found huddled together, frozen solid; others, reported by survivors as having lost their minds and walked into the sea, would never be found. Many of the survivors had severe frostbite. The resulting investigation was a huge media sensation at the time, though - as often happens in such cases - the courts sought a scapegoat, and the results of it all were such as to infuriate the survivors at the time, and the reader today!

A fascinating account. Recommended. [Some information online here.]

Journal Entry 3 by wingGoryDetailswing from Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Saturday, October 10, 2009
I thought I'd offer this book for a book ray, as it's one that I've enjoyed and it doesn't seem to be that well-known. (It was a huge surprise to me!) See the forum post here.

The book is a trade paperback weighing about 9 ounces. I'll accommodate domestic-only (and other) mailing preferences as best I can; if I get enough participants who are willing to handle the necessary postage/customs-forms requirements, I'll make it an international ray. Please post a reply in the forum thread or PM me if you'd like to participate, and include any mailing restrictions you may have.

Bookray instructions:

When you receive the book, please journal it, and PM the next person in line for their address so you'll have it ready when you've finished the book.
Note: even if you've sent books to that person before, please PM them before mailing this one, to confirm that the address is correct and that they're able to take on a book ray at this time.
Try and read the book promptly - ideally, within a month of receiving it. If you expect to take longer, you can request to be put at the end of the list. If you find you're swamped with other books when the person before you contacts you about the bookring, you can ask to be skipped, and then let me know whether you'd like to be moved down the list or dropped entirely. If you receive the book and find it's taking longer than you'd planned to get through it, I'd appreciate an update in its journal entries or on your profile, just to let me and the other participants know you haven't forgotten it.

When you're ready to pass the book along, please add your comments about the book and indicate where you're sending it, either through a journal entry or through the controlled-release-note option. [If you make controlled release notes with your country/state/city as the location, the book will have a lovely map of its travels by the time it gets home.]

If you find that you're having problems contacting the next person in line, or don't think you can manage to mail the book as originally agreed, please let me know; I'll be glad to try to work something out!

Participants, in mailing order:
azuki [FL - USA]
nicolesinger [NC - USA]
ajsmom [Canada]
hyphen8 [HI - USA]
snufkin81 [South Africa]
ETMadrid [UK]
Shelly-Sparkles [Australia]

Journal Entry 4 by wingGoryDetailswing at Nashua, New Hampshire USA on Friday, October 23, 2009

Released 14 yrs ago (10/23/2009 UTC) at Nashua, New Hampshire USA

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I'm sending this to BCer azuki in Florida to kick off the book ray. Hope you enjoy it!

Journal Entry 5 by Azuki from Miami, Florida USA on Monday, November 2, 2009
Book is here. Thanks for offering this book as I am sure I won't come across it otherwise.
It's a terrible tragedy... although I will still say, leave the poor seals alone!!

Journal Entry 6 by Azuki from Miami, Florida USA on Tuesday, November 10, 2009
As I have to bring my car to the shop, I ended up with some extra reading time, though shredding tears in an auto shop is not what I'd like to. This is indeed a captivating book which left me worrying about the fates of the men in between reads. Initially I didn't feel that any person was negligent or evil, but as I read on, I felt indignant that the captains could continue the hunting after the disaster.

I do wish that there is more detail of its aftermath. I wonder what happen to Wes, and about the lives of those who survived.

I will send this on as soon as I hear from nicole.

Journal Entry 7 by nicolesinger from Newport, North Carolina USA on Friday, November 27, 2009
It's here! And just in time to accompany me to Durham for round 2 of hospice caregiving. (Much better than if it had arrived here after I'd left, though it would have gotten to me eventually... And it looks as though there is no one after me for now, so I won't worry too much about the possibility of holding things up. I'll still try to read it in a timely way, though.)

Thanks, GoryDetails, for making this available, and thanks, azuki, for passing it on.

Journal Entry 8 by nicolesinger from Newport, North Carolina USA on Wednesday, December 16, 2009
I think the thing that most struck me about this story was the brutality. The brutality of the seal hunt itself, of course, but also of the arctic conditions in Newfoundland that made sealing necessary for survival and of the companies who made things so horrible for the workers. No safety equipment or warm clothes? No wireless on board because the company couldn't justify the expense? Steaming away to get your catch in first, or staying to continue hunting while other ships escorted the dead men home?

It seems unbelievable, and yet... though the technology has changed, I suspect it would be easy to find examples of similar callousness in some companies today.

I'm glad that as many survived as did, and I'm glad the survivors had a chance to tell their tale.

Thanks, GoryDetails, for sharing this book. I've put it in the mail to ajsmom today, and I'll make a release note next.

Journal Entry 9 by nicolesinger at Morehead City, North Carolina USA on Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Released 14 yrs ago (12/16/2009 UTC) at Morehead City, North Carolina USA

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I'm sorry to be mailing this two days later than planned. The relative I was staying with passed away late Saturday afternoon. I did arrive home (late) Sunday night, but was not up to going to the post office until today.

I sent it off this morning to ajsmom, as requested. It's probably not a book to enjoy, but I hope you find it is enlightening and fascinating as I did. I'm glad I got to be a part of this book's journey.

Journal Entry 10 by ajsmom from Quesnel, British Columbia Canada on Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Caught today, thank you!

Journal Entry 11 by ajsmom from Quesnel, British Columbia Canada on Sunday, January 24, 2010
This little book was absolutely riveting...but there were moments when I didn't think I could possibly stand to read any more of it. Upon completion, my first thought was that money always seems to be valued more than human life. It would appear that very few changes were made to the sealing industry after so many deaths and so much public outcry - but then again, when you re-elect the people who allowed it to be run that way, is it any wonder?

Very early on in the book, I remarked to my husband that it was another great meteorological catastrophe, much like "The Perfect Storm" (which we both read). There were also huge human errors, but there obviously would have been fewer fatalities if the great storm hadn't come up.

A fascinating account of an event I'd never heard of. Thank you for the ring, Gory - I will be recommending it to others. I will contact Hyphen8 now and get this book on its' way asap.

Journal Entry 12 by winghyphen8wing from Honolulu, Hawaii USA on Saturday, January 30, 2010
Received today. I'm in the middle of something else, but I'll line this up to be read next. Thanks for sharing!

Journal Entry 13 by winghyphen8wing from Honolulu, Hawaii USA on Monday, February 8, 2010
Thanks for including me in this ray.

This book was fascinating, but not easy to read. I have some issues with seal-hunting; for starters, the vulnerability of the newborn pups, the waste of leaving the stripped carcasses behind, and the sheer scale of it all. I remember the big save the seals campaign in the 1980s, so I knew how the baby seals were killed, but I'd never read the details before.

Regardless of what these men were doing and what I might think of it, their living and working conditions were brutal. Our lives today may be over-regulated at times, but this story seems to show the abuses that can happen when an industry is basically unregulated. For example, the bit about the radio being taken out of the Newfoundland - it was clear from the outset that having no radio could be a major factor in the disaster, but the fact that the ship's radio was *removed* prior to the 1914 sealing season because it was too expensive just drives me nuts.

I won't forget the descriptions of the men freezing to death virtually in mid-step for a long time. Just reading about it made me cold..and it never freezes here.

I have snufkin81's address and this book will be going out again soon.

Journal Entry 14 by winghyphen8wing at Honolulu, Hawaii USA on Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Released 14 yrs ago (2/8/2010 UTC) at Honolulu, Hawaii USA

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This book is on its way to South Africa to continue the ray.

Free your books - help spread the words!

Journal Entry 15 by snufkin81 from Cape Town, Western Cape South Africa on Friday, February 26, 2010
This book arrived safely today. Thanks, hyphen8! I have a few others ahead of this one but I'll get to it as soon as I can.

Journal Entry 16 by snufkin81 from Cape Town, Western Cape South Africa on Sunday, May 23, 2010
I'm sorry I've been hogging this book for such a long time - I had a stream of bookrings that all arrived at about the same time.

I thought this book would take me a week or two to get through considering the unpleasant subject matter, but I found that once I started I just had to keep going to the end and I finished it in a few days. It is a harrowing, ghastly read, but so well written that it draws you right in. I don't think I'll forget the image of bodies frozen on the ice very soon; to think that it could all have been prevented by a single wireless!
Reading this sent me through the whole spectrum of emotions - anger, disgust, sadness, relief, admiration. People like Arthur Mouland, Jessie Collins and Cecil Mouland, who just refused to give up or let the people around them give up, are true heroes. That anyone at all survived is truly amazing and thanks to them.

I would have liked to know more about what happened to the individuals afterwards. Did any of the sealers ever go back to the ice? (I guess part of the tragedy is that most of them probably didn't have much choice if they wanted to provide for their families.) Did Wes Kean carry on sailing? What was the relationship like between Abe Kean and his sons after the disaster?

I found a very short Canadian documentary about the disaster, using Cassie Brown's research, on Youtube. It's quite slow and it doesn't have any more information than the book, but it uses Cecil Mouland's interview with Cassie Brown, and it's interesting to hear him speak about it. (It's in two parts - be sure to watch both!)

Thank you all so much for your patience! Thank you GoryDetails for giving me the opportunity to read and learn about an event I would probably otherwise never have known about. I have just PMed ETMadrid for her address.

Journal Entry 17 by snufkin81 at To the next participant, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases on Sunday, June 13, 2010

Released 13 yrs ago (6/12/2010 UTC) at To the next participant, A Bookring -- Controlled Releases

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Sent on to ETMadrid by airmail on Saturday.

Ooh - lovely stamps! This must have arrived yesterday. I've got my biggest build up yet of bookrays/rings, but I will get to it and let you know my reaction.

Journal Entry 19 by ETMadrid at -- Somewhere in London 🤷‍♀️ , Greater London United Kingdom on Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Thanks snufkin81 for the youtube link - it's interesting to see more of the illustrations by David Blackwood and hear the voice of Cecil Mouland. Thanks GoryDetails for proposing this. If I were the last on the list, here where I live would be the perfect place to leave the book. The building is now known as Alaska Factory, as it used to turn seal skins into clothing. There's a picture of a seal carved into the top of the gate. There are huge great wooden barrel-like things outside in which I presume the skins used to be washed.

This is a very careful reconstruction of the events that led up to the disaster. Like azuki and snufkin81 I would have liked there to be something about what became of the survivors.

It jars massively with the content of the book (and only mentions sheepskin), but you might want to have a look at a film made inside the factory where I live.

Lastly, I'll just add that on Friday 13th it made me feel a little uncomfortable as airborne, half way between London and Toulouse, I read about the looming tragedy being brought about perhaps because the ships had left port on Friday 13th... I was glad to land safely, and even gladder to get back home safely on the return trip. I'm not superstitious, else I'd not have been travelling in the first place, but it was a bit spooky to read that just at that moment!

Journal Entry 20 by ETMadrid at Southwark, Greater London United Kingdom on Sunday, August 22, 2010

Released 13 yrs ago (8/22/2010 UTC) at Southwark, Greater London United Kingdom

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I posted this on to the next participant.

Journal Entry 21 by Shelly-Sparkles at Woody Point, Queensland Australia on Monday, October 25, 2010
Fantastic, am so looking forward to getting horizontal on the couch and delving into this splice of history.....

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