The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1867-02-26
Encounter wi,m am E.oDerg.

! "Giving too little heed to Currents, We
were eagerly watching the Indication of the
wind which appeared at the south, and
hoping for Il breeze, when it was discovered
that the tide had changed and was STEALTH,
i'y setting Us upon a nest of bergs which lay
TO leeward. One uf them WAS of that de.
scription known among the crew by the
significant title of "touch-up not and
presented that jagged, honey-combed ap-
pearance indicative Of great age. They
are unpleasant neighbors. The least dis
turhance of their equilibrium may cause
the whole mass to crumhIe to pieces, and
woe be unto the unlucky vessel that is
! caught In the dissolution.
In such a trap it seemed, however, that
we stood fair chance of being ensnared.
/ The current was carrying us along at an
intentionally rapid rate. A boat was
lowered as quickly as possible to run out
line to berg which lay gr"uEded about
ia hundred yar,is from US. While this was
being done, we grqzed the side of berg
which rose hundred feet above our top
masts, then slipped past another of smaller
dimensions. By pushing against them with
our ice-poles we changed somewhat the
course of the schooner; but when We
| thought that we We're steering clear Of the
| mass which We so much dreade /, an eddy
changed the direction of our drift, and car
ried MS almost broadSide upon it,
"The schooner struck on the starboart
quarter, aud the shock, Sight though it
WAS, 6lsengaged some fragments of Ice that
were large enough to have crushed the YES
sci had they struck her, and also many lit
tie luups which ratified about us; but for
ItunaicIy TO person WAS hit. The quarter
deck was quickly cleared, anl all hands
crowding forward anxiousIy watched the
boat. The berg now began to reyolve AMI
was settling slowly over us; the little humps
fell thicker and faster upon the afrer-derk,
and the forcastle was the only place where
there was the least chance o. safety,
"At length the berg itself saved US from
destruction. An immense mass broke utf
from that part which was beueath the sur.
face of the sea, and this dozen times laR4
ger than the schooner, came rushing up
within few yards of US, sending a vast
volume of foam and water flying from its
sides This rupture arrested the revolution,
and the berg began to settle in the opposite
direction. And now came another danger
A long tongue was protruding Immediate
Iy underneath the schooner; already the
Keel was slipping an grinding upon it and
1t seemed probable that we should be
knocked up in the air like a foot ball, or at
least capsized. The side of our enemy
soon leaned from US, and we were ia no
danger from the worse than hastone show
ers which had driven us forward; so We
sprang to the lce-poles and exerted our
strength in endeayoring to push the vessel
oti. There were no idle hands. Danger
respects not the dignity of the quarter deck.
after we had fatigued ourselves at this
hard labor without any useful result the
berg came again to our relief A loud re4
port first startled us; another and another
followed in quick succession, until the noise
grew deatening and the whole air seemed
a reservoir of frightful sounds, The oppos-
lte side Of the berg had split off, piece after
piece, tumbFing vast volume of ice into
the sea, and sending the berg revolving
back upon lis. This time the movelnent
was quicker; fragments began again to fall,
anil, aIrea ly sufficiently startled by the
alarming dissolution which had taken place,
were in momentary expectation of seeing
tire whole side nearest 60 us break loose
and crush bodily upon the schooner, IN
which event she would inevitably be car.
ried down beneath it, as hopeIessly doome
As a shepherds hut beneath an Alpine av-
alanche.
"By this time, Dodge, who hal charge
of the boat had succeeded in planting al
ice anchor, and attaching his rope AMI
greeted Us with the welcome sigma I'Hail
IN We pulled for our lives, long anl
steadily Seconds seemed minutes an
inmates hours. At length we began to
move off Slowly and steadily sank the
berg behind us, carrying away tlle mali
boom and grazing hard against the quarter.
But we We're safe. Twenty yat'i. away.
and the disruption occurred whith We ha
al 50 much dreaded. The side nearest -
US now split off and came plungug wildly
down into the sea, sending over us show.
er of spray, raising a swell which Set us
rocking to anI fro as il in gaze of minI,
and left us grinding in the debris Of the
crumbIing ruin.
"At last we succeeded in estricating cnr-
selves, and were far enough away to looG
back calmly upon the object of our terr r.
1t was still rocking and rolling like thug
Of life. At each revolution fresh ms~-ass
were disengaged; and, as rs sides cane up
IN long sweeps, great cascad : tumbIe,l anl
leaped from them Kissing into ihe framing
sea. After several hours 1t s-.t:ed down
into nniatnln y morn frammau, " LIS fnr.