Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-11-06
Scenes and Incidonts i'm tho Polar
Regions.

Regions.
We have already alluded to Dr. Kane's admirable |
work on ARCTIC Explorations. "-It is. perhaps the
most deeply interesting publication of the day. The
style throughout is admirable, and many novel and
exciting incidents are described. We subjoin one
or TWO pssssges:-P hitakI phia Inquirer. - al
tsF A THRILLING INCIDENT. - j
We fastened at last to the great Aoe near the
shore, making our har6or in a crack which opened
with the changes of tide. 1
The imperfect diet of the party was showing it,
self more and more in the decline Of their muscular
power They seemed scarcely aware of it them
selves and referred the difficulty they found in drag
ging and pushing to something uncommon about
the ice or siudge rather than to their weak
ness. But, as endeavored to renew our labors
through the morning fog, bolted in all sides by
icezfelds so distorted and rugged as to defy our
| efforts 20 cross them, the truth seemed to burst
| upon every one.-We had lost the feeling OF hun
ger and were almost satisfied with pasty broth
| and the large draughts OF tea which accompanied
it. was anxious 10 send our small boat, the Erie,
| across to the umme hill, at Appah, were knew
| IRON the E-quimaux should find plenty of birds;
but the strength of the party was insufficient to
| drag her.
| We were sorey disheartened, and could only
wait fot the fog to rise, in the hope of some smooth
| er platform than that which about u.s. some
lead that might the painful labor of track
| ing. had climed the iceberg; and there was moth
| ing in view except the Dalrymple Rock, with its
red brassy face towering in the unknown distance
| But hardly got back to my boat before gale
struck US from the northwest, and a foe, taking
upon tongue OF ice about mile to the north OF
us, began to swing upon it like pivot, and close
| slowly upon our narrow resting place.
At first our own foe also driving before the
wind; but in a little while it encountered the sta
| tionary ice at the foot of the very rock tscf On
the instant the widest imaginable ruin around
| u.s. The men sprang mechanically each to his
| station, bearing back the boats and stores; but
gave up for the moment all hope of our escnpe. 1t
was not nip, such is familiar to Arctic naviga-
tors; but the whole platform where stood, and
for hundrt DIS of yards every side of u.s. cTumbled
and crushed, aud piled and tossed itself madly un>
der the pressure. do not believe that of our little
body of men all of them disciplined in trials able to
measure danger while combating i'll do not be-
| lieve there is one who this day explain how or
| why-hardly when in fact-we found ourselves
aaoat. We only know that in the midst of clamor
utterly indescrbable, through which the braying Of
| thousand trumpets could no more have been heard
| than the voice OF man, shaken, ard rails.
| ed, and whrled, and let down again in d swelling
! waste OF broken hammocks, and as the men grasp
| ed their bOathOoks in the stiffness that followed
the boats eddied away in tumutuous skreed of ice
! and snow, and water.
! We were borne along in this manner as long as
the uubrOken remnant Of the in-shOre foe continu
| ed revolving, utterly pOwerless and catching a
| glimpse every now and then of the broken headand
| that looked down US through the broken eky At
last the foe brought against the rocks and lOos
er fragments that hung round it begun 10 separate
! and We were able by oars and boat hooks TO force
our battered little fotilla clear of them. To our
| joyful surprise found ourselves 10 a stretch
| of the land-water wide enough to give US rowing
room, and with the assured promise of land close
! ahead.
As we neaTed it, we saw the same forbidding wall
| of belt ice as at Suther' and Kakuyt We pulled
along its margin, seeking in vain either an opening
access, nook Of shelter The gale rose, and
the began 10 drive again; but there was nothing
| to be done but get grapnel out TO the bet and
| hold on for the rising tide. The Hope stove her
bottom aud lost part Of her Notwithstanding, aud
| the boats were badly chafed. Ii was an avfu'
! storm; and it not without constant exertiOn
that kept afoat, baiIing out the scud that
| broke over US, and warding off the ice with boat
| hooks.
At three o'clock the tide was high enough for Us
! to scale the ice clih One by one we pulled up the
| boats upon narrow shell, the whole sixteen of US
| uniting at each pull We too much worn
! down to unload; but deep and narrow gorge open.
! ed in the cliffs almost at the spot where we clam
| bered up; and, pushed the boat into il on all
even keel the rocks seemed to close above our
! vine placed protecting cliff between US and the
| gale. We were completely encaved
THE DEPARTURE OF OLD GRIM.
! Now, let US give a sketch in a lighter strain
! Poor " Old Grim,"a four footed favorite, has de-
! parted, and the Doctors solio1uy on the occasion
| is not unwOrthy of Dickens
"0ld Grim" was character" such as persd
venture, may at some time be found among beings
| of higher order and under a more temperate sky.
A prOiOdnd hypocnte and time server, he so wrig-
gled his aduatory tail to every ones good
graces and nobody's respect. All the spare NOR
sells, the cast off decacies Of the mess passed
through the Witnessing jaws Of "Old Grim, An
illustration not so much of his eclecticism as bis
| universally of taste. lie was never known to re-
fuse anything offered or approachable, and never
known to be satisfied, however prolonged and abun.
| dant the bounty or the spoil.
| "Grim" was an ancient dog his teeth indicated
many winters, and bis limbs once splendid tractors
for the sledge, were now covered with warts and
| ringbOnes. Somehow or other when the dogs were
Harvesting for Journey "Old Grim" was sure not
to be found; and upon one occasion, when he
! detected hiding away in cast off barrel he incoE-
unently became lame. Strang to say, be has been
lame ever since, except when the team is away
| without him.
Cold disagrees with "Grim;" but by a system of
patient watchings at the door of our deck house &C
! companed by discriminating use of his AL h.
became at last the one privileged intruder. seal
skin coat had been his fdVorite bed for weeks to-
| gether. Whatever love for an individual "Grim"
expressed by his tail, he could never be induced to
follow him the ice after the cold darkness o. ths
winter set in; yet the dear good old sinner would
wrigge after you to the very threshold of the gang
way, aud bid YOU good>bye with a deprecatory Wag
! Of the tail wi ich disarmed resentment.
His appearance quite cbaracterstic-bi-
muzzle rooted like the old fashioned gable OF a
| DItch garrett window; biz forehead indicating the
| most meagre capacity of brains that could consist
with his sanity a dog; his eyes small; his mouth
| curtaiued by long black dewaps; aud his hide
mango russell studded vita chestnut burs; if be has
| gone indeed, we ne'er shall look upon his Ike
! again. So much Tor "0ld Grim"
| When yesterdays party started to take sound
ings thought sexerrise would benefit Grim, whose
| time>serving soiourn on our warm deck had begun
! TO render him over cOrpulent. A rope iHsteu-
| ed round him; for at such critical periods he was
obstinate ana even ferocous and, thus fastened 10
| the sledge, be commenced his reluctant journey
Reaching stopping place after while he jcrked
upon his line, parted foot from its knot,
| and dragging the remnant behind him, started VI
through the darkness in the direction Of our brig
! He has not been seen since.
Parties are out with lanterns seeking him, for it
is feared that his long cord NAV have caught upon
! some of the rude pnuacles of ice which stud our
! foe, aud thus made him a hopeless prisoner. The
thermometer is ~ below zero, and Old "Grm's''
| teeth could not gnaw away the cord.
NJ A q W WV U1VT ~ n IN ~ ~