Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1847-03-23
Awful DiScOFeiY.

OF icebergs, in about ~ degrees of nortt
latitude. On one side and in one mile o
his vessel, these were closely wedge to.
gether, and succession Of snow colorod
peaks appeared behind each other as fal
as tho eye could reach, showing that the
ocean was completely blocked up in that
quarter, and that he had probably been
SO for long period of time. Capt. War.
rens did not feel altogether satisfied with
his situation; but there being no wind
he could not move one way or the other
and he therefore kept strict watch, know
ing that he would be safe as long as the
icebergs continued in their respective pla-
| ces. t tE ~ a#t
About midnight, the wind rose to gale,
accompanied by thick showers of snow,
while succession of tremendour thun-
dering, grinding, and crashing noises,
gave fearful evidence that the ice was in
motion. The vessel received violent
pshocks every moment; for the haziness Of
the atmosphere prevented those on board
from discovering in what direction the
open water lay; or if there actually was
any at all on either side of them. The
night was spent in tacking as often as
any cause of danger happened to present
itself, and in the morning the storm aba
ted, and Captain Whrrens found, to his
great JOY, that his ship had not sustained
any serious injury. He remarked with
surprise that the accumulated icebergs,
which had on the preceding evening for
med an impenetrable barrier, had been
separated and disarranged by the wind,
and in one place canal of open sea
wound its course among them as far as
the eye could discern.
1t was two miles beyond the entrance
ofthis canal that ship made its appear
ance about noon. The sun shone bright
ly at the time. and gentle breeze blew
from the north At first some interven-
ing icebergs prevented Captain Warrens
from distinctly seeing anything but her
masts; but he was struck with the strange
manner in which her sails were disposed,
and with the dismantled aspect of her
yards and rigging. She continued to 60
before the wind for few furlongs and
then grounding upon the low lcebergs, re-
NAMED motionless.
Captain Warrens' curiosity was so
much excited that he Immediately leaped
into his boat with several seamen, and
rowed towards her. On approaching he
observed THAI her hall was miserably
weather beaten, and not a soul appeared
on the deck, which was covered with
snow to considerable depth. He hail
ed her crew several times, but no answer
was returned. Previous to stepping on
board, an open portfolio near the main
chains caught his eye, and on looking in
to it, he perceived man reclining back
on chair, with writing materials on ia
BILE before him, but the feebleness of the
light made everything indistinct. The
party went upon deck, and having remov
ed the hatchway, which they found clos
ed, they descended to the cabin. They
first came 10 the apartment which Cap
tain WarreEs viewed through the port
hole. 4 treInor seized him as he entered
it. Its inmate retained his former posi-
ton, and seemed to be inssnsible to stran-
gers. He was found to be a corpse, and
a green damp mould had covered his
checks and forehead and yelled his open
eye-balls. H. had pen in his hand, and
log.book lay before him, and the last
sentence in whose unfinished page ran
thus:-"Nov. IA, 1862. We have now
been enclosed in the ice seventeen days.
The fire went out yesterday, and our mas
ter has been trying ever since to kindle it
again without success. His wife died
this morning. There is no relief"
Captain Warrens and his seamen hur.
ried from the spot without uttering
word. On entering the principal cabin
the fret object that attracted their atten.
ton was the dead body ola female recli
ming on bed in an attitude of deep in
terest and attention. Her countenance
retained the freshness oflife, and a con.
traction of the limbs showed that her
form was inanimate. Seated on the floor
was corpse ofan apparently young man,
holding steel in one hand and fiat in
the other, as ifinthe act of striking fire
upon some finder which lay beside him.
In the fore part Of the vessel several sal
lors were found lying dead in their
berths, and the body Of boy was
crouched at the bottom of the gang
way stairs. Neither no provisions nor
fuel could be discovered anywhere, but
Capt. Warrens was prevented, by the. su-
PsrstitiOus prejudlces Of his seau1en, from
s1amining the vessel as infinitely as he
wished to have done. He thetsfore car.
ried away the log-b already monenti-
sd, and returned to his own ship. and
immediately steered to the southwark
deeply impressed with the awful example
which he had just Witnessed of the dan
ger Of the navigating the Polar seas in
highnorthem latitudes. - $50
On returning to England he made va
rious Inquiries respecting vessels that had
disappeared Ia an unknown way, and, by