Daily Iowa State Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1859, 1856-11-24
Prom D. Esnes Arctic Expiosston..'
PA rskns A II ~ - 70 oooog she lc Oes0s

Pa ssins na W ~ - oossg the lc D~sos
Is blow . psrfscs hurricane. We hsd
sesn 10 coming, sod were rssdJ With
three good hawsers out . heed, snd ell
things soug on bosrd.
sui i, came on heavier and heavier,
asd shs ,cs bseso to drive ooss wildly
than l thought had ever seen il. ! he'd
jus, turned in to warm and dry myself
during the mo0enssry iull, and wss
stretching myself out in my bunk, when
heard she sharp, twsoginG susp Of
cord. Our six. inch hswser had parted,
end we're swinging 0v the other Two; the
gale roaring like Q lion, TO The South.
west.
Half minute more, "twsng. twsag!"
came . second report. knew it Wss the
whsle line BY the shriilness Of the ring.
Our noble ten inch msniliH ssiil bid 0u.
I WAS hurrying my last sock INTO iss sesl
skin boot, when Notary came vsddliog
down the csmpsniOn- ladder -"Csptsin
Ksns, she won't hold much longer, lie
blowing the devil himself, sod Pun afraid
to surge"
The msu,lla cable vas proving it's OK.
oellsuoe when reached the deck; and the
crew, ~ they gathered round me, were
loud 10 its praises. We could hear its
deep Eolisn chant, sweliing through ell
the rattle OF the running gear sod moan
ing Of the shrouds. II vas the de0th
song, The stranis gave way With the
noise OF u sbot,ed gun: and, 10 the smoke
thai followed their recO,l, We were drag
ged out by the wild ice, ~ it. QsTrJss..y
..!Wsue, shd got the brig . good bel, Is
the rushing drift; but IL oil came 10 moth
ing. We then tricd TO brosk back through
. narrow Joe clogged water way, that
was driving, = quarter Of . mile vide,
between che shore and the pack. 1t cost
Us two hours Of hard labor thought
skiiifully bestowed; but ~ she end Of
that time We we're at leHst four miles o6,
opposite the great valley 10 the centre Of
Bedevilied Reach. Ahead Of Ne, farther
to the north, We could soc the strsit
growing still nsrrower, and the heavy
ICE tables grinding up, and cloRglng IL
between the shore eiiGs on one side snd
the ledge 90 the other. There was but
one thing lat for us--Io keep in come
sort the command ut the helm BY going
freely where We must otherwise b. driv
en. We allowed her 10 scud under 9
re-fed foretopss,l; ah hsnds were watch
ing the enemy, - We closed, 10 s,lence.
At seven in the mOroing no were close
upon the piling masses. We dropped our
heaviest anchor With the desperate hope
Of winding the brig, but there Vas no
withstsndlng the ice torrent that follow
ed Us. We had only time TO fssten y
spar as a buoy TO the chain, ADJ let Der
slip. So went our best bower.
Down wo wen, upon the gale again.
hopelessly scrap,ng along lee Of ZOE sell
dom less than 80 feet thick; one hOe
measured by Y line as We tried to fasten
it, more than 10 ! had seen such ice
only once before, .ni never in such rap
ii otion. One upturned Muss rose
above our gunw ale, sossh,nx 10 our bul.
warks, and iepo.iting half = ton OF ice
in lump upon our deck. Our stAuncb
little brig bore herself through AT this
life.
But - new enemy came 10 sight ahead.
directly IN our way, just above the line
OF doe, zoe, against which We were alter.
nAtelS sliding AMI thumtibs. Was y
group OF telgt-. We had No power TO
avo,l them: Hni the only 4ne.tion was
whether W. @cr. - lie d.steI 10 pi.ces
sgsinst them e.! " .',i.rr tn, nigh, not
offer Us som" rr".'.irntl.. t..'Ig - refuge
We perceived tftt IL, wrrr ~ume ii.
lance from me H,r ~ s"i ,rpira'eti
from IL 10y an tr,.t>hl - pen water.
Our hopes rose - Il. .ie 0ruve Us 'ow
ard the passage ard unto Il, snd We we're
ready to exalt, when, from some unex-
planned cause, probably an eddy OF the
wind against the infty ice wallis. We lost
our heajwsy. Aimo-' Al the ssme mo
ment We saw tGu, the beigs were not AZ
rest; that with n mUn entam VI their own
they we're bearing down upon the other
Zoe, and that it must be cur fste to be
crushed between the two.
just then q Ur1ad scone- piece OF iow
wstsrWashed berg came driving from the
southward. The thOsght dashei upon
mo Of one OF our escape in Melville Bay,
and % the scene novel rapidly close
alongside Us, Notary managed to plant
an anchor on its slope, AMI TO hold on to
it by q whale line. IL WAs sn suxious
moment. Our Dubis Tow horse, whittier
han she pale horss that seemed to be
pursuing vs., hauled US brsvely on; the
spray dsshiog over his winiward aanks,
and his forehead ploughing up The Lesser
zoe ~ il in corn. The bergs eucrosched
upon us - We advanced; our channel
narrowed n width Of about forty feet;
; We brsosd the yards to keep clear Of the
impending Ice-wsll,.
We passed clear, but i, wss close
shave, 90 close that our port quarter boat
would have been crushed il We had not
taken it from the dav,ts, and found our.
selves under the zee d berg, 10 Q oom.
parativsly open lead Never did heart
tried men acknowledge, With more graf
itude, their merciful dslivsrsuos from
wretched dea:h.
Letter frsn Jas. s.chanaa i4s.vsr
81 the Pacific RailPoaa.
WHEArLASD, (near Lancastsr) Pa.
September l7th., 1855.
To b. F. Washington, Esq., Chair.
man Of the Democratic State Central
Committee, California:
have received nuperous comlnu.
nications from sources in California en-
titled to high regard, in reference to
the proposed Pacific Railroad. AZ it
would be impossible for me to answer
them all, deem it most proper and
respectful to address you = general an
swer in your official capacity. In per-
forming this duty to the citizens OF Cal
ifornia, ! act in perfect consistency with
the seli-imposed restriction contained in
my letter accepting the nomination for
the Presidency, not to answer interroga-
tories raising new and different issues
from those presented in the Cincinnst-
Il Convention; because that Convention
has itaoK adopta1 q raeolus;1c a., &C.,.