Breaking Through an Ice Prisor.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7991, 30 November 1905, Page 2

Breaking Through an Ice Prisor.

Commander iPeary, who lias : bi.vit prevented from undertaking his fourth Arctic expedition for lack of moans, thus descri'bea a thrilling- encounter with a?) ieiHwall in his last Polai voyage, four years ago, in an llustratid article in the Tall Mall Magazine It was a •night, 1 of comUwl. suspense, and we were anxious for the slacking of the icewiHi the. next day's I ide. When this occurred, though the change was very slight, tho Erik wan ready with every pound of steam 'hei' boilerti could carry. A little soutn of us was a weak place in tho hairier, and working down in this we forced the Frik'R bow in, and 'by whirling the helm, first to port and I hen te starboard, used tile entire ship T'S a lever to loosen some 1 raiments, which were then pushed out with pofes, unl'il at last only one heavy piece, wedged in between lire others, barred our way. A big flou came past along the edge of the barrier, leaving a little space of water in its waike, in this Ura Erik was backed out as far as possible, then driven to our opening with all the speed >she could gather.

I lor iron-shod bow struck live ice, jarring her as if it were a rock, but breaking oflf 'a piece ami releasing 'its grip. Then she rode into it, forced it down, ami wiiU her momentum ami the-engines still working- at Ml speed, drove it before her a hundred feet or more, when a turn of the wheel let her glance by it, ami wn were inside the barrier. Inside the harrier the ice 'Was lighter, and we worked along with constant interruptions and -delays, sometimes butting ihe harrier incessantly for an hour >r two before we could smash our way through, hu'ij s-h(wly creeping nortliwa'rd -sll wV ifouml oifr : -way effectually barred by a 'big floe with its edge lying directly against the ace of one of the numerous glaciers which lino this coast. M. this -barrier we lay for half a day waiting for a change- then I decided to butt a passage through close against the glacier face. Tims after time the Erik was driven full *tilt at the cnetnv, breaking off pieces which were pushed or pulled cut of the way, until at last only a narrow tongue lay between us and the little pool of water the other side' of the floe.

I Hacking as far as we could go wo drove lat this at full speed. The i ".oßgue cracked, and we pushed the 1 point, of it before us, but though the Erik could get entirely through, the floe, caught her side amidships and began -irresistibly to push her up the submerged foot of Ihe glacier toward its vertical face. Slowly she was forced up till she was some five or six feet <nit of water astern, -and standing on the port rail I could touch the -glacier face with my hand. It seemed -almost inevitable that she would he crushed like mi egg-shell agjainst I'he unyije!jdfli*g wait wjhen, to my great relief, the pressure of the lloe ceased and it began almost imperceptibly to slide past us., Hurriedly an ice anchor and line was carried out ahead and the line taken Ifc Ihe winch.

Then 'anxiously we watched the ic« as inch Uy inch it crunched along the Erik's side. As if passed under her quarter. the wind started. ami in a iinom.riit .sho ,s\idr mid' Ml Qfl the glacier foot, righted herself with a violent, lurch, and was out cf danger. l>ss (linn a mile from the 'glacier face we were completely prisoned m a ;l 'bit of 'wat'er J>otween three large Hoes. This afforded a safe ivfuge until the next >ti'dc; anjd a pier a- trusA-wortJiy watch, everybody etse turned in.-glad of an opportunity for a few hours of peaceful sleep after the strain of the two previous days.