The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1875-06-24
A LEGEND OF THE POLAR SEAS.

A LEGEND OF THE POLAR SEAS.
One serene evening in the middle
of August, IT'S, Captain Warrens, the
master of the Greenland, whalesh;p,
found himself becalmed among All ina
mense number of icebergs, in about
seventy-seven degrees of north lati-
tude. On one side, and within mile
of the vessel, these were of immense
height, and closely wedged together,
and a succession of snow-covered
peaks appeared behind each other as
far as the eye could reach, showing
that the ocean was completely blocked
up in that quarter, and that it had
probably been so for lsng time.
Captain Warrcns did not feel alto
gether satisfied with his situation but
there being no wind, he could not
move either one way or the other, and
he therefore kept a strict watch, know
ing that he would be safe as long as
the icebergs continued in their respect
i've places. About midnight the wind
rose to a gale, accompanied by a thick
shower of snow, while a succession
of tremendous laundering, grinding
and crashing noises gave fearful evil
dence that the ice was in motion. The
vessel received violent shocks every
moment; for the haziness of the at
mosphere prevented those ON board
from discovering in what direction
the open water lay. or if there actual
ly was any at ali on either side Of
them. The night was spent in tacking
as often as any cause of danger hap
pened TO present itself, and in the
the storm abated, and Cap
tain Warrens found, to his great joy,
that his ship had not sustained any
serious injury. He remarked with
that the accumulated icebsrgs
which had on the previous evening
formed an impenetrable barrier, had
been separated and disarranged by the
wind, and that in one place canal Of
open sea wound lis course among
them as far as the eye could discern.
1t was two miles beyond the en-.
trance to this canal that a ship made |
its appearance about noon. The sun |
shone bright at the time, and a gentle
breeze blew from the north. At first |
some intervening icebergs prevented
Captain Warrens from distinctly see
ing anything but her masts; but he
was struck with the strange manner in
W hich her sails were disposed, and |
with the dismantled aspect of her
yards aud rigging. She continued to
g before tho wind for few furlong
md then grounding upon the low ice
oergs, remained motionless.
Captain Warrens' curiosity was SO |
much excited that he immediatel.
eapcd into his boat with several sea
men, and rowed toward her. On ap-
preaching he observed that her hull |
vas miserably weatherbeaten, and not
! soul appeared on the deck, which
vas covered with snow to a consider |
lble depth. He hailed her crew sew
,ral times, but no answer was returned.
Previous to stepping on board an open
near the main chains caugh, !
lis eye. and looking into it, he per-
;eived man reclining back in chair,
With writing materials on q table be-
ore him, but the feebleness of the |
light made every thing indistinct. The
,arly went upon deck, and having re-
moved the hatchway, which they
ound closed, they descended to the
,abin. They first came to the apart
nent which Captain Warrens viewed
through the port-hole. A tremOr
'eized him as he entered it. Its in
nate retained his former position, and
'eemcd 10 be insensible to strangers.
He was found to be a corpse, and a
green, damp mould had covered his
cheeks and forehead, and yelled his
oren eye-balls. He had a pen in his
land, and log book lay on the table
before him. and the last sentence in
whose unfinished page ran thus:
"Nov. IA, 1762. We have now been
nclosed iu the ice seventeen days.
The fire went out yesterday, and our
master has been ever since trying to
zindle it again, but without success.
His wife died this morning. There is
10 relief"
Captain Warrens and his seamen
,urried from the spot without utter
ng word. On entering the princi
pal cabin the first object that attracted
heir attention was the dead body of
! female reclining on bed, in an at
itude of deep interest and attention.
Her countenance retained the fresh.
less of life, and contraction Of the
limbs sho " ed that her form was IMAM
mate. Seated on the floor was the
:orpse of AL apparently young man.
holding a steel in one hand and flint
II the other, as if in the act of strik-
ng fire upon some tinder which lay
,eside him. In the fore part Of the
ressel several sailors were found lying
lead in their berths, and the body of q
10Y was crouched at the bottom of the
,angway stairs.
Neither provision nor fuel could be
discovered anywhere; but Captain
Varrens was prevented, by the super
titious prejudices of his seamen, from
the vessel as minutely as
le wished to have done. He there
ore carried away the log book already
and returned 10 his own
hip, and Immediately steered to the
deeply impressed with the
I