The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1850-10-22
INTERESTING FROM THE ICE REGION.
Intelligence from the American Arctic
Expedition.
u. S. BRlG ADVANCE, August 1923, 1850. }


least, ready, in case we fall in with whaler bound
home or TO England ! shall commence back
at UppeImarick, the place We sent letters from
last, to relate what we a&"- been dong
since Aboat two days after leaving the
latter place, we saw an open passage In the
mack extending as far as We could see TO the
westward the direction wished 10 go, so the
captain steered for it, thinking we might be able to
get 10 Lancaster Sound, through the pack, instead
of going round it, which We could do in one-third
the time, if we found a clear passage. We sailed
ON slowly for a day or two, until the 7th of July,
when the hard work commenced Every hour or
SO, we would bring up hard and fast in the ice,
when :" all hanGs and the ships cook" would have
20 get cut and break il up, TO enable us to pass
through, which assure you was by means easy
work Sometimes the ice was from three to four
feet thick. | will give you little abstract OF one
days work:-''At i p NJ e, both brigs got hard and
fast; got cut axes crows, and saws, but fast as
cut the ice away, 1t would fill up again. At
twelve, finding We were not aole to get through,
made both brigs fast To the ice.'
We were trying this day TO cut through into open
water ahead, but were not able TO do it; so we tied
up and laid there four days and fourteen hours
without moving inch; while were fast, | was
saving piece OF ice from under the counter,
i
tell you it a cold bath The water was 90 deg,
while the The rmometer III the sun stood at 50 deg
The 18th of July; the ice opened little; we got
under way and made about mile, when we had to
to tie up again. This day for the first time,
We saw white bear within half mile OF
the vessel We manned boat and started
after him, but were not able ge, within shot of
him, so we were forced TO let the gentleman 90 his
way. From the 18th OF July to the 29.h we made
about nine miles, and that by hard work, | can
tell you; most all of it b. warping. Some days we
would Eot make an inch; others would work
from morning TIL night and lake about half
mile. Some days we made mile two, but the
Nth OF July was d hard one. We worked fom
eight O'Clock in the morning until twelve at night,
@Smxteen houTs,) cutting through the ice three
feet thick, ana made only two ships lengths ahead.
u that was not n high time, there never was one.
The 10Th We were twelve hours making three
quartz rs OF mile. Itch you what is, il make,
my old bones laugh to turn in after working a crow
bar and saw all day, and sometimes half the
night. On the evening oil the 2lsI we pursued
another bear, but he escaped US by jumping int
the open water. And again, on the following night
all the tceTs ct The ves sci turned our, and started
after one Of the largest have ever seen. He went
oil about half mile from The ships, and lay down
TO take nsp. SO We thought we could crawl I'd
and hit him under the Jug before he saw us but he
was too smart tor ", for when we got within about
two gun shots OF hUi, ne jumped up and after TAX
Ing good iCOk at IS, bdde US goodbye. sup
pose be was about niue feet long. We continued
cutting and warllpg until the 2Stn when we warp
ed into clear ana b II fine of 90 miles, after
which we were brought up again all standing; we
were able, however, IN a LITTLE while, TO 90 on for
go miles more We were then working out of the
pack, tOwaTds the land To try and go round it, for
we found II impossible to get tsrough there has
been but one passage made through, and that. |
think, wHs by Sir John Rest has been tried
many times. While fast IN the ice one day, sevc-
raj Of US visited an iccbtTg; it about 800 feet
ahDVe M he'll 10 oh
is above, which would make II about z, 100 feet
from top ~ Bottom, gOodly lump OF ice, large
enough 10 supply the whole United States for some
time. You have no conception ol wha, hugemass-
cs OF ice there are up here. Without cxaggera-
ton, have tten CcleTgs almost half mile long.
measured one with tape line which found 10
be one hundred end niuty.seyen feet above water
On the Sd O! August, We discovered another bear,
swiuming down a lead OF open water. The Req
cue teni boat after HIM, and they would certainly
have klllcd him he'd there been no ice but
when the boat got within fifty yards OF han he
SVEN 20 the ice, Cf-Wled up, and made tracks.
When tbt1 get on thu IN there Is no use fol-
lowing thtm. On The 9th, hoe ever, while we
we're wsiIng along, win the Rescue IN tow, the
second tfCtr Of The letter vessel (Mr. g. disc0y-
cred a bear swimming towsTds The weasel, some
Sistsnce iIi M be mann flow. They ia mediately
took boat, end atdited for him. When he
saw them coming re swan 10 a small piece
Of ice, the only hing near hun, and CON-
menccd crawling up; but the beat having
reached within tory yards Of him, they fired;
ne suCcttCed IN getting on the ice however, though
one ndlt htu tlIlNtu nltll OF the Use OF n hud
legs by sinking has spine; he was able 10 make
but hue resistance after this, aud was finally de-
spachtd with an axe lie measured six feet four
inches nom zip To no, the tail measuring inches;
he he'd a loot on him lOA nCht long. What a wipe
he would bit fellow over the head. Now comes
my bear hunt. had just turned IN, on the Ilth,
when The Doctor came down 80 the cabin aud
said there we're thee bears IN sight. turned ont
before yen couldsay Jack RobiBson-got my mus
ket End pistol ready, aud on deck went; we
Saline % ihe iime up narrow lead OF water, but
leo N nm We 81 1Nt nur Ri
% surround these fellows, wnen, 10 our surprise,
three NOR hove in sight on the other side of u.s.
We bslA4 'c ihink that the boot ON the other
leg, uao tbat hey were about To surround us The
lset three made were the nearest, aud when We
got wi,h'u about tye hundred yards of them, they
Jumped ilIu he water and swan towards u.s. The
Jgtftiu, l'-"tor several men, and myself took n
boot sua went m pursuit. The men fired before We
weie NEAR cEouGh-none of Their balls seemed TO
take effect. We kept On after them; Il was anu
sing % see them pitch aud scramble to get out Of
our way. When we were within about thirty Yards
al them, hTed, the captains gun having missed
fire. J. was the last Of brulp, for | had become
very eager the chase he gave tremendous
howl, AID kceled up. We towed him to the ship,
and found that my bell had carried away all the
top OF his head, though he had been wounded be-
fore. lie mei sured i've feet nine inches-paw, ten
inches. The Others succeeded Ia making their
escape. | have never before heard of six bears
having been seen AZ once. We have met twelve in
all, aud expect shall see plenty more this winter
On the l5h, We managed 20 get over TO Greenland
We ran In 2ulCse TO the shore and dropped an
Choir. We lay there only a few hours and then went
on our winding way. The l7th, when OIL Cape bud
ley BRgs, he water looked very clear of ice to the
westward; we thought must certainly be
clear 81 the pack Vessels generally cross here
We stTuC Gcrnss, with fine breeze from the east
ward, ard rem into Lancaster Sound on the 18Th.
A. were entering the Sound, we discovered
two vesstls tstefn Of US, standing the same way
"a ourseass We shortened sal ana lci them come
up; they proved to BE- the Lidy franklin and So
lhis, uncer Csptain Penny, in search Of franklin.
We thought we were long in the pack (three
weeks) thst We were behind al the English ships
but Ind from Capt. Penny that we are ahead OF
them OIL. Commodore Austin, with bis four
yessels-two n them steamers-len Whaehsh
lslands AZ days before we did be is now about
two hundTfd miles behind ne We hiacnxereI an