The Republican journal., 1874-03-12
A Turning Iceberg.

|
teofologlSt on an expedition to the frozen
North, sent out to recover the remains Of
the Franklin expedition, which had been
| lost to 4 man. as we'll as to investigate the
| cause and course Of the Polar current | will
never forget an incident of berg turning
which came under my notice during that
| FoNage l nave since seen the lcebergS Of
| the Atlantic ocean Off Cape Horn, and the
giants OF behring's Straits, but never has
1t been my lot to witness another equally
| grand, yet perilOus sight 1t was Sunday
morning, tine breeze was blowing, and,
bht for the dense fog. we might have made
| excellent progress North as the ice was
open and gave us fair opportunity to
reach the North water. But togs in Baifin
Bay are togS. 1t was so thick that we could
not see ships length lone could fairly cut
the log with knife into bricks dry them
| and bUlu houses out OF them, to use a
broad alIegoN. We knew that icebergs
were about in numbers. as the too thunder
like crashing ali around us indicated. but
opportunities like the one we had do not
| present themselves every day, and We had
been "beset for nearly three weeks, un-
able to stir m inch. and had only escaped
| from our involuntary imprisonment the
| same morning. We made use Of the breeze
III spite OF the danger into which we We're
| running. Although our ship carried 4 com
/ plemcnt OF nearly hundred hands, we had
no chaplain on board, and the duty Of read
ING sermon and offering a prayer every
/ SUNDAY forenoon, devOlved upon me.
The tween decks were our chapel. The
| pulpit was rugged by covering the capstan
| with the non Jack, and placing n plank
before it 50 as to raise me q little above
those | was addressing. The morning
| speak OF We We're assembled as usual. The
! first lieutenant was in charge of the deck.
coming the ship, and with the exception
Of the few hands who We're ON deck with
him to handle the ship all were in the
tween decks listening to what had to say
to them. Ihe last strains Of the good old
hymn, From Grcenland's icy mountains
to lndia's coral Strand" d"-our tavorite-had
| Just died away when we heard q furious
shouting on deck, LET 90 the weather
braces maui in the lee ones Hard a-port
port Your helm-hard up with it Star
board braces all hands there, boys. lively
lively" The next moment we heard the
boatSwain's shri1 whistle nining all hands
on deck for danger
We all rushed on deck to see the cause
and there beheld a spectacle calculated to
make the blood of the most courageous run
cold
We found ourselves close alongside of Il
monstrous iceberg. even within the tchil''
which generally hangs around them tor
thirty wards or 50. High up it loomed,
losing itself in the fog above, and deep.
deep down we could see it. almost directly
beneath us with its emerald caves and cay
| Tho Inv ct
pie black almost, and was rising and fall
ing in calm, majestic heavings against the
water-line OF the berg Here were the
most symmetrical beauties Of ancient arch
itecture rs we'll is the most phantasma-
goric and tancitul of shapes Gothic arches
and CorinthiYn pillars: castellated turretS
and the massive masonry Of u fortress.
Here 4 projecting buttress, and there an
archedrecesS, breaks the smooth, aiabaster
like surface; here the spire OF a cathedral
rearS its matchless form into the foo above ::
wonder the towering dome of mosque
gracefully covers 4 splendid row Of Ionian
pillars The graceful miniaret the heavy .
square outlines Of the pyramid: obeliske.
arches galleries. balconies all are there.
hundreds Of feet above. in curious inter
mixture, threatening every moment to top
| I'it tioN IL lIl' " tllNN IT'S llltt llt HIN \
abyss below to initiate us into the my ster-
les there Whata grand, yet fearful sight
What hallowed thoughts crowd upon the
spectator. Admire. weak mortal, and
trcmble
wind, and for fully mile gently gIide~
along the edge of the berg, near enough,
sometimes to toss q biscuit to it. The eyes
Of Ill on board are turned up high, high
into the imptnetrable mist, which makes
the clossus loom even larger than it in re
ality is to see if it moves and determine
if ii is gong to tumble over and drag IL
down. down t" untimely graves far bn-
Meath that treacherous surface of polished
marble. never to he given up again until
the day Whenthe great trumpet shall sound
and the earth and sea shall give up THEN
dead
The wind had died away in the close
proximity of the berg; the ship scarcely
moves through the water her sails lazily
flap against the mast and the sound pro
ducpd is re-echoed hundred fold in the
crevices and caverns of our fearful neigh
bGr.
Many 4 tervent prayer is offered up to
Him in whose hands are the earth and the
sea and all which are therein; many a
loving farewell is mentally sent to those
whom we have left behind ut home, to
whom our hearts Yearn in love and sympa-
thy, and whom. in all probability we shall
never see again.
At last a slight 'catspaw' of wind urges
Us along 4 little; we reach the edge OF the
berg we breathe freer; we seem TO have
passed through an eternity; voices hither-
to hushed to whispers begin to resume
their wonted iirmness and decision.
Thank Heaven feels everybody, il
they do not say it.
| was standing beside the qulrtermaster
and the first lieutenant had mounted into
the qllarterboat. better to be able to over
look the boat.
-'Doctor,' he said, that was neal
enough eternity to get toretaste of it. and
nearer than ever want to-great God -
Astonished at this unexpected acclama-
ton looked up at him and saw him stare
at the berg, his face a most p 'rfect picture
of horror. His muscles were relaxed, the
lower jaw had fallen, the eyes protruded
from the sockets. the lips moved, but pro-
tluced no sound, He had sank from his
standing posture back upon one of the
thwarts Of the boat, holding himself by the
mizzen rigging. and |. thinking that he
was ILL., jumped into the boat to him, but
he waved me back, slowly lifted his hand
and pointing up, stammering, Look
turning The Lord have mercy upon our
souls
looked up at the berg and there beheld
Il sight indescribaby, tearfully grand,
enough to freeze ones very lite-blood.
The memory of that spectacle will haunt
me as long as life remains, and my night
males often assume its shape.
Some unaccountable cause had disturbed
the giant-it was vibrating. More and
more it rocked, stronger and stronger
became its motions; to and fro it swayed,
gaining strength and rapidity every mo-
ment Now it oscilates at an angle of
twenty degrees, more and more, and now
oh, Heaven, be mercitul it is topping
and crashing and laundering, crushing
and bowling, splitting and rending, the