Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1867-02-22

presented that jagged, honey-comb appear
ance indicative Of great age. They are un
pleasant neigbbors. The least disturbance
OF their equilibrium may cause the Who'll,
mass to fall to rieces, and woe be unto the
unlucky vessel that is caught in the disso-
luton.
In such a trap it seemed, however, that
VIC stood fair chance Of being ensnared'
The current was carrying US along at an
uucomfortably rapid rate. \ boat was low
cred as quickly as possible, to run out a line
to berg which lay grounded about a hun
/ dred yards from us. While this was being
done, we grazed the side Of berg which
rose hundred feet above our topmasts, and
then slipped past another Of smaller di-
mensions. By pushing against them with
our iee-poles we changed somewhat the
course of the schooner; but when we
thought that We were steering clear Of the
! mass that we so much dreaded. an eddy
changed the direction of our Drift, and car
ried US broadcast upon it.
The schooner struck on the starbOard
q f'er, and the shock, slight though IT was,
T. rgagod some fragments Of ice that were
laIEc enough 10 have crushed the vessel had
they struck her, and also many little Jumps
which ratified about US; but fortunately no
person was bit. The quarter deck was
quickly cleared, and all hands. crowding
forward, anxiOusly watched the boat. The
berg now began to revOlyc, aud was settling
slowly over us; the little Jumps fell thicker
and faster upon the aiter-deek, and the fore
castle was the only place where there was
tic least chance Of safety.
At length the berg itself sayod Us from
1re4--,,Fsgv IroLn nf
from that part which WAS beneath the sur
face Of the SEA. and this. dozen times lar
ger than the schooner, came rushing up
within a few yaIds Of us, s,ndIng a vast
volume Of 10 IN 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.
long tongue was IrOtruding Immediately
underneath the schooner; already the keel
was Slipping and grinding upon it, and it
seemed probable that We should be knocked
up into the air like q foot ball, or at least
caps zcd. The side OF our enemy soon leaned
from US, and We were in no danger from the
worse than haIl stone showers which had
driven Us forward so We sprang to the ice
poles and exerted our strength in endeay0r-
ing to push the vessel Of. There were no
idle hands. Danger respects not the dignity
Of the quarterback.
After we had iatigued ourselves at this
hard labor without any useful result, the
berg came again to our relief \ loud re-
port first startled US 4; another and another
followed in quick succession, until the noise
grew deaiening and the whole air seemed
reservoir Of frightful sound. The opposite
side Of the berg had split Of, piece after
piece, tumbling vast volume OF Ice into the
sea, and sending the berg revolving back
upon Us. This time the maycmeut was
quicker fragments began again 90 fall, and,
already sufficiently startled by the alarming
dissolution which had taken Place, We were
in momcntary expectation OF seeing the
whole eide ueares; to us break loose and |
cru % bodily upon the schooner. IN which |
cat she would inevitably be carried down /
henea ID it, a. hopelessly doomed as a shep-
herd hut beneath an Alpine avalanche.
By this time, Dodge, who had charge Of |
the boat, had succeeded in planting an ice |
anchor and attaching his rope, and greeted /
Us With the welcome signal, "Haul in" We |
pulled for our lives, long and steadily. Sc I
conds seemed minutes and minutoS hours.
At length we hegan TO move or Slowly /
and steadily the berg sank behind us, carry |
ing WAY the main boom and grazing hard |
against the quarter. But We were slfe. /
Twenty yards away and the disruption &C.
CURED which We had all so much dreaded.
The side nearest TO US now split Of. and
came plunging wildly down into the sea,
sending over US shower Of spray, raising &
swell which set Us rocking 10 and fro as ifin
a gale Of wind, and left u grinding in the |
dfbris Of the crumbling ruin.
AZ last We succeeded in oxiFicatiug our /
selves, and were far enough away to look /
back calmly upon the object OF our terror. |
Ii was still rocking and rolling like thing I
Of lie. At each revolution fresh masses I
were disengaged, and, a. its sides came up l
in long sweeps, great cascades tumblcd and /
leapd from them, bissing into the io.mIl1
sea. Alter several hours it settled down /
INTO quIetude, q mere fragment OF its former /.
greatness. while the pieces that were broken I
from it hoated quietly away with the tide.