The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-11-06


sn 70 these straits and must have either driven down
from Barrow through AcClntock Channel from
the northwest This berg is important as bearing on
The movements OF the ice. For three days went
continually back aud forward, avoiding the loose DRIFT
.ee, winch more than once showed a disposition TO
jan US against the pack On September there
came change, which was, however, anything
oul favorable The ice under the mpulslon Of
southerly wind, commenced moving NORTH and II
soon began to creep up each shore II TO cut on
retreat II now became necessary 10 consider what
were to do and whether We were 10 prepare TO winter
LOT y we fingered much longer II would not remain in
our power 70 choose. There was still 4 chance that
the ice might break up IL we waited and let us through
although that now seemed scarcely probable as the
spring tides had passed But If Il did not
we should be inevitably caught IN
object in winterlng, still too far from King
William Land to attempt reaching 1t this summer aud
a spring and winter search could be expected TO
produce any further results after the Journey ofMcCn
took aud Hobson Captain Young ashore again ON
Roquette Island to have one look the prospect
but there was no change for the better Away to the
southeast, the shore of Somerset could the
huge towering perpendicular ellis OF rock which form
the monster gateway 10 Bello strait, and beyond the
coasts of Bootha Felix, trending away to the south
To the southwest high promonory, just on the hori
and southeastern extremity OF the Prince Of Wales
Land and all between this and Bootha in the direc
ton of King William Land was an unbroken plain Of
We took look south over this ghosty plain,
against whose dead, heavy, silent inertia all our
high hopes. all our fiery enthusiasm, all
our rose-colored expectations broke in melancholy
gloom We only 120 miles from King
William Land. We almost imagined could see It;
the Northwest Passage This pack Is probably not
more than fifty miles wide and OF the g. 900 miles be-
tween southampton and san Francisco there was only
tins one little obstace-this mere curtain, as IL we're
TO stop us But this was as eiectua barrier to ship
as hity miles Of granite
HOPE wINrERISG.
Reluctantly Captain Young decided to turn his ships
head again TO the north There could be no possible
in wlnterng here would be far better to return
to England aud come back next year with fresh
and healthy 70 try u again; and this is what he de-
clded 10 10 We built earn on the island left
fhp shin Ihn ian
had now already crcpt up both shores, as
though trying TO surprise and cut US OF, and
other ice came drifting down from the north. The
berg We had at first observed. ten miles or was
slowly coming toward Roquette Island the pack
moved north. There was channel in the middle oil
the strait still open, and through this we hastily made
escape. The through aud OF Peel strait in
heavy gale, with snow aud sleet proved TO be 4 slow
one. Ice following from the south and also coming
down from the north next day were nearly jammed
between them just on Cape Kennel the fog lifted
morning and we found high rocky coast the
board two three cables length or while the pack
the port beam scarcely allowed room to put the ship
about We succeeded, and driven back into Peel
Strait Ice rapidly closing the outlet and young
Ice was forming the waves like oil, and rising and
falling without breaking. AT last We found lcad
closed at the further end by broad neck OF ice This
we charged and got through and finally made our
escape, getting through Lancaster Sound without
accident
Captain Young then decided try again to find traces
OF the English expedition by thoroughly searching the
Carey Islands, and, il nothing found there to go
as tar north as Lytteon, as we thought 1t would be
unsatisfactory and that the public would be
easy II had been lett. We reached Northeast
Island September IL, and gladdened with the
sight Of cairn. The island was covered with snow
and furious snowstorm blowing before we got away
Upon landing and examining the cairn found
Captain Mares record addressed to the Admiralty from
which II appeared that the expedition all We'll hav
ing safely crossed Melville Bay and gone up smith
Sound, with every prospect OF favorable season-one
OF the most favorable, perhaps. ever recorded.
We reached Disco on September 20 and lett there on
the 24th passing Cape Farewell October . and
ming TO the Channel before terrible northwest gale
the worst, Captain Young said he over saw.
yoUNG'S DIARY.
The following is an extract from Captain Youngs
Journal
We are in deep blight in the ice. All southwark one
unbroken pack from side side Ftzroy Inlet
full Bello Strait packed close The spring tides
have passed away, and there is no hope of getting
further south this season. for the winter has already
set in with the usual accompaniment of gales sIeet
and snow, and the ice is rapidly forming
the waters. | am very 10th TO turn back, ana
struggling against hope, If even TO reach Bellot
Strait where we could hold on in comparative security
longer than we could possibly do here TO remain in
present position in Peel Strait is out OF the question,
we'll MS purposeless. We are hourly in danger of
being bese and, once beset are imprisoned for the
winter, without harbor, and in position
which would leave powerless to accomplish any
thing. From this position we could merely follow by
sIedgng the spring the footsteps of that veteran
plorcr McClintock TO King William Land under the
same conditions without hope OF further result ae IN
that case We should run the risk OF the ship not bng
released next summer, and consequent autumn re-
turn, probably ending our hitherto successful voyage
In disaster.
| cannot omit this opportunity of expressing my
gratitude my officers and crew, who, ut tins critical
period of the VOYAGE only anxious push for
ward and shared equally with myself their disappon
ment at the sudden arrest of progress and this
crusher to all hopes of making the Northwest Pas
A RACE AGAINST TIME
SEPT. g.
Strait. The temperature 20 deg, with squalls and
We stop to sound occasionally the unexporei
depths of this sea, which no ship has been
known to SAIL and by the evening of the 4th were
passing around Limestone Island the temperature fall
ing to "a deg. As we approached an enormous pack
which lay close TO us on our port hand, and threat
cned completely to cut off our retreat, | could
just at intervals between the
storms a small thread OF water perhaps half
a mile wide, and determined to against
time with the pack and try to pass Cape Kennel before
il mpnged completely on the land by the action OF the
northwest gale that blowing Ii was, in fact our
only chance OF getting out OF the strait, for had we
hesitaed stood back to the southwest we ahoud
tainy have been shut in for the winter; pressed
on with the last increasing darkness ana gloom
of the coming winter night 1t was dread
tul night; the wind increased to
violent gale, with hail and slcct and binding
drifts and threaded our way in the dark, abe white
glare OF the pack on one hand, the CLEAN of the snow
clad land the other being only guide once
only during the night solitary star shone out for
hall hour, giving the helmsman point for the
direction Of the ship. As the wind Increased the
temperature fell to Is deg Fahrenheit, and the
spray froze the ship as Tell, and by
midnight our decks were full Of snow which
whired up in binding drifts from the eddy winds
of the sails We could from time to time judge
progress along the coast by the excellent description
OF Ross and McCntock in their spring journey. Thus
at ten r. NJ passed the deep gorge which separates
the limestone from the red sandstone lormatlon-a
curious geological feature of the coast BY midnight
we were OF Cunningham Inlet, and by three A. NJ.
were just in the position had so long dreaded The
ice pack had already impnged Cape Kennel leaving
the slightest passage, and progress IN this direc
ton stopped Suddenly snowstorm that had been
beating down upon for the whole night abated and
disclosed the high prcciptous ellis hanging
mediately over us presenting most ghosty appear.
ance the horizontal strata seeming like the huge bars
OF some gigantic cage and standing out from the
n In fapl wugt of "A and
we appeared be its very grasp. For
a few minutes only this appari-
ton and then all again darkness.
We barely had round to between this elf
on one side and the pack the other and then hastily
ranged about seeking escape. Most providcn
TALLY, after three hours of intense anxiety, n slight
movement in the pack reported from aloit. giving
indications of weak place The ship was instantly
turned in that direction, and eventually succeeded