Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1855-11-06


first expedition of the fall previou
1t was under the direction OF Officer Nj
Garry and Mr.. Ronsall who went out a
Daguerreotypist (whose apparatus. b
the way, would not work In those nortl
, ern regions This party endeavored t
hnd the connecting link between Greer
land aud the main land ef North Amer
ca. but did not so that il still remain
undecided whether Greenland is an islam,
or not But they discovered large bay
. extending due north. terminating in tn
large glacier, mentioned above Fren
this new channel was discovered alon.
which they passed until they were brough
up by open water This water was entirely
free from ice. and abo4nded in anima
llfe-ish, fowl, and the warlus. A north
eriy gale lasting Two days. brought nc
llce-provlng that there is at least large
open sea beyond, and it was regarded by
DIR. Kane as great northern ocean. which
never freezes. A brauch Of this party
laid down the coast as far north as 50 so.
the highest latitude known to navi gators
Thes returned in July, and thus closed
The operations for the year 1854. Soon
after this it became evident that the ship
would not be liberated from the ice that
year. They all felt that they were doom
ed to spend another winter in the dismal
regions of the North, unless relieved By
other means Dr. Kane, for this pur-
pose. endeavored to communicate with
Sir Edward Belcher, at Beechy Island
In Wellington Channel about seven hun
dred miles to the Southwest He en-
deavored to effect communication by
boat. DIR. Kane and a crew of five men
set out in an open whale boat and crossed
Smiths Sound skirted the caost, till they
reached Jones Sound: where they met
the heavy pack of ice Of Jones, Lancaster
Whale and Smiths Sounds, forming an
impenetrable barrier of ice, from FIVE to
thirty feet in thickness They skirted
this pack to the Southwark making re-
peated efforts to bore through it The
boat on which their lives depended. was
several times in imminent danger of be-
ing crushed They crossed Bafin's Bay
to Whales Sound in this effort From
this point they returned to II ship hav-
ing made mp their minds to spend the
winter as best they could. No further
expeditions were sent out
By this time having run short of coal.
they were obliged to burn ever supcrhu-
ous part of the ship, aud confne them
selves in the smallest possible space =
Prospects were inde d gloomy During
this winter, to add to thc other horrors
which surrounded them, the scurvy broke
out and the whole crew suffered more or
less. t one time Dr. Kane and Mr..
Ronsall were the only persons able to
move about On them devolved all the
duties Of the ship, and nursing the sick |
The scurvy disappeared with tie re |
turn of the sun aud warm temperature
They owed their recovery to the free use |
raw walrus meat procured from the Es- |
qulmauX.
On the opening of Spring. last March
(S55.) it became evident that tue ship
would not be released that season, and |
that it would be impossible for the party |
to spend another winter with her,-pro |
visions were growing short and fuel had |
failed. except from the bulk of the ship !
Nothing as yet had been done to render /
her unseaworthy, but it would soon be
necessary After full consultation ii |
was then resolved to abandon the ship |
and cndeavor to make passage to the
Southwark in the boats. three in number !
which remained with them These with |
change of clothing. and 600 lts. of I
bread. $50 lbs pork. fat. and taliow, 100 |
lbs. Bordens meat biscuit, (which they
found invaluable) they transported eighty
miles over the ice, travelling to accomplish
it, more than 800 miles, to the open wa
ter. They left the ship on the goth #
May. 1856, without ceremony, and in 81 |
lence. and made open water near Cape
Alexander, OIL the 18th of June, but were
not able in consequence of South West
gale to proceed further They were una
bic to launch their boats till the 2lst.-
On that day they started, with three
cheers, for housekeeping close to the
coast They encountered ice continually
until they reached Upernavck. the most
northly Danish town on the Western coast
of Greenland They were many times
obliged to drag their boats upon the ic
from one lead of water to another The
distance travelled in reaching Upernavik
was 1900 miles The party subsisted
most of the time on game, consisting of
birds and seals, procured by their gans.
They reached Upernavlk on the evening
of the 9th of August Here they felt
that their hardships were over,
The expedition sent in search of them
must have passed them in Melville Bay,
and what was little strange, the Arctic
and Release were nearer In shore than
the open boats The party often discuss
ed the probability of an expedition com
ing to their relief and sharp look ont
was kept for it. The whole party was
confident that such an expedition would
be sent but yet they did not feel JUST
/ fed in running the great risk of awaiting
its arrival The separation from the
ship. with the boats. was desperate at
! tempt. but was regarded as the only
chance for their lives. The dangerous
feat was accomplished with the loss of but
one life Christian Ohiavn, the carpen-
ter. strained himself SO severely in lifting
I the boats out of the water over the shom-
mocksr that be died. He was beloved
and regretted BY all his associates in dam
ger He was buried on small island
on Melville Sound