The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1875-11-18
Capt. Young's Explorations.

The following is an extract from Capt,
loung's Journal regarding the passage
through Melville Bay:
Wo continued through night under can
vas, and next morning after leaving
pemayik could Just distinguish Horses
Head through the fog, while tlocks OF
looms continually crossed US in their flight
10 Westward, from which / inferred that
tho middle ice-Was not far in that direc-
tion Passing through long chain OF ice
hergs, running north and south aground
we arrived in the afternoon at the Duck
Islands, On the 10Th we were deserted
by every living thing. 1t was foggy dur
ng the night with occasional snow-show-
ers, but at 9 O'Clock Il. m. we had break
in the sky and a great glacier was before
us, with Capes Seldom, Lewis, and Walk
CT in sight, and here and there q few ice
bergs, but not Il single piece of tloe-ice.
y boat was sent away to collect some
loose pieces from berg for fresh water,
as we were quite out Of that necessary
element. We had a glorious night, with
Il clear, brilliant sky, and Il temperature
of 30 degrees. We seem rather to be in
the Atlantic on fair autumnal evening,
and could scarcely believe we were in
The much-drcaded Melville Bay 1t is as
tonlShing how great IS the uncertainty of
navigation in the Arctic seas. 1t was near
our present position that at this time of
August, lS15, we were in the Fox, so
hampered by the ice that we finally drift
ed into the pack, and yet we now have a
clear sea, and are steering direct for Cape
Ork, without having a distant view Of
the middle ice. We saw nothing here save
an occasional petrol, = not bird, nor
whale, nor any other living thing
the contrast between this iceless sea and
brilliant sun, and the absence of all ami
mai lie, was most striking. We passed
through a quantity of loose, broken-np ice
of Cape York, and some enormous ice
bergs. but Il dense fog, which had pre-
vented our seeing any distance toward
shore. made it impossible to communicate
with the natives, us ! had intended doing
HE temperature fell to %, the rigging
was covered with frost and ice, and crvs-
tails formed among the loose ice
1t had been arranged that the Pandora
should touch, if possible, Carey Islands,
deposit letters for the Alert and Discovery
and bring home such letters and records
us Capt Mares might have left, of their
progress in their adventurous and ardu-
Gus voyage.
Passing through streams OF loose ice off
beverley Cliff and Petowak glacier, OF
which our artist made some fine sketches,
we arrived at Carey Isles. Beating against
strong northerly gale, we managed to
land on the northwest island of the group
fixed upon by Capt. Mares to deposit dis
patches. Great was our disappointment
when we found three cairns, none of
which were left by Capt Mares. After a
thorough search for the crew, we found
he had not been here at ALL Two of the
cairns were built by whalers; the third by
the Resolutc and Assistance of 1850. Capt
Young concluded that Mares was prevent
ed landing here by ice or fog, OF perhaps
gale.
Having deposited two barrels of letters
for ships, we re-embarked by light mid
night, not without difficulty, as it was
blowing q strong gale, and heavy surfs
we're running. The Pandora bore away
for Lancaster Sound, running before a
northerly gale. OFF Cape Horsbury we
killed three bears and captured one alive.
We entered Lancaster sound the 21st, but
unexpectedly finding our progress stop
ped by barrier of ice off Cape Wanderer
we crossed and recrossed the Sound three
times without finding lead. Finally the
ice opened along the southern shore and
allowed us to push through to the entrance
of Admiralty Inlet, where we found more