Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1851-02-07
The Frozen s,a.p.

The Frozen Ship.
At this period when much anxiety prevails res.
pecting the fate of Sir John franklin everything
relating to the Polar Regions is of interest The
following sketch is of the most thrilling extant
/" One evening, in the middle of August
1875, Capt. Warrens. the master of the Greenland
whaleship, found himself beealmed among an i'm
mense number of icebergs in about II degrees of
north latitude. On one side, and within mile of
his vessel these were closely wedged together. and
succession of snow-colored peaks appeared behind
each other as far as the eve could reach. showing
that the ocean was completely blocked up in that
quarter, and that it had probably been so for long
period of time
About midnight the wind rose to a gale, accom-
panied by thick showers of snow, while succession
of tremendous laundering grinding, and crashing
noises gave fearful evidence that the ice was in mo-
ton The vessel received violent shocks every mo-
ment; for the haziness of the atmosphere prevented
those 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
lacking often as any cause of danger happened to
present ITSELF and in the morning the storm abated
and Capt. Warrens found to his great Joy that his
ship had not sustained any serious injury He re-
marked, with surprise, that the accumulated ice
bergs, which had on the preceding evening formed
an impenetrabe barrier had been separated and dis
arranged by the wind, and in place a canal of
open wound its course among them as far as the
eye could discern.
It was two miles beyond the entrance of this ca
The shone brightly at the time and gentle
breeze blew from the north. At first some interve-
ming icebergs prevented Capt Warrens from distinct
ly seeing anything but her masts but he struck
with the strange in which her sails dis
posed and with the dismanted aspect of her yards
and rigging. She continued to go before the wind
for few furlongs, and then grounding upon the
low icebergs, remained motionless.
| Capt. Warrens curiosity was much excited
that he Immediately leaped into his boat, with
raj seamen, and rowed towards her. On approach
ing he observed that her hull miseraby wealth
erbeaten and not soul appeared on the deck, which
was covered with snow to considerable depth. He
hailed her crew several times, but no answer re-
turned. Previous to stepping on board, an open
port-h hole the main chains caught his eye, and
| on looking into it. he perceived man reclining on
a chair, with writing materials table before
him. but the feebeness of the light made everything
indistinct. The party went upon deck, and having
removed the hatchway, which they found closed,
they descended to the cabin They first came to the
apartment which Capt Warrens viewed through the
port-hole tremor seized him he entered it. It's
inmate retained his former position, and seemed to
be insensible to strangers. He found to be a
corpse, and green damp mould had covered his
cheeks and forehead, and yelled his open eyebals.
He had pen in his hand and log book lay before
him. the last sentence in whose unfinished page ran
! thus -" Nov. IA, 1862. We have now been enclo-
sed in the ice seventeen days The fire went out yes
terday and our master has been trying since to
kinde it again, without success. His wife died this
morning. There is no relief"
Capt Warrens and his seamen hurried from the
spot without uttering word On entering the prin-
cipa cabin, the first object that attracted their at
tention was the dead body of female reclining on
bed in an attitude of deep interest and attention.
Her countenance retained the freshness of life, and
contraction of the limbs showed that her form was
inanimate. Seated on the floor the corpse of an
apparently young man, holding steel in one hand
and flint in the other, if in the act of striking
fire upon some finder which lay beside him. In the
fore-part of the vessel several sailors found
ing dead in their berhs, and the body Of boy was
crouched at the bottom of the gangway stairs
Neither provisions fuel could be discovered any
where but Capt. Warrens was prevented by the su-
perstitious preudices of his seamen from examining
the vessel as infinitely as he wished to have done
He therefore carried away the log-book already
mentioned and returned to his own ship, and imme-
diateiy stecrtd to the southwark deeply impressed
with the awful example which he had just witnessed
of the danger of navigating the Polar in high
northern ATTITUDES.
''On returning to Eng gland he made various inqu
ries respecting vessels that had disappeared in
unknown way, and by comparing the results of those
with information which afforded by the writer
documents in his possession, he ascertaned the name
and history of the imprisoned ship and her unfortu
nate master and found that she had been frozer
thirteen years previous to the time of his discovering
her among the ice - Westminster Rerielr.