The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1875-06-29
Wiissafifna,.,n..
A Legend of the Polar Seas.

WLSfeHdIy. a
A Legend of tine Polar Seas.
One serene evening in the middle of
August, ITS, Captain Warrens, the
master of the Greenland, whaleship,
found himself becalmed among the i'm
mense number of icebergs, in about
seventy-seven degrees of north latitude
On one side, and within a mile of the
vessel, these were OF immense height,
and closely wedged together, and sue.
cession of snow-covered peaks appeared
behind each other as far as the eye could
reach, showing that the ocean was COM
pletely ibleekaded up. in that quarter,
and that it had probably been so for q
long time ,a- H+e y5,s.f.sf oim .s9siE b
Captain Warrens did not feel altogeth-
er satisfied with his situation; but there
beirg no wind, he could not move either
one way or the other, and he therefore
kept strict watch, knowing that he
would be safe as long as the 7icebergs
continued in their respective places =
About midnight the wind rose TO gale,
accompanied by thick shower Of snow,
while succession of tremendous thun.
dering, grinding ard crashing noises
gave fearful evidence that the ice was in
motion. The vessel received violent
shocks every moment !; for the baziness
of the atmosphere prevented those on
board from discovering in what direc-
ton the open water lay, or it there was
actually any, at all 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 morn
ing the storm abated, and Captain War
rens found, to his great joy, that his
ship had not sustained any serious in
Jury. He remarked with surprise that
the accumulated icebergs, which had on
the preceding evening formed an impen
etrable barrier, had been separated AMI
disarfansed ibyhtheg wand, sid' that in
one place q canal Of open sea wound its
course among them sH, as as far far tas the eye
could discern. M s.;r2 Etsasbaow
/ It was two miles beyond, the entrance
to this canal that ship made its. ap.
pearance about noon; The sun s6one
bright at the time, and gentle breeze
blew from the north. At first some in
tervening icebergs prevented Captain
Warrens from distinctly seeing anything
but her masts; but he was struck with
the strange manner in which her sails
were disposed, and with the dismantled
aspect Of her yards and rigging She
continued to go before the wind for a
few furlongs, and then grounding upon
/ the low, icebergs, remained ;mo,ionfess
| Captain Warrens' curiosity was SO
much excited that he Immediately lesped
into his boat with several seamen, and
rowed toward her. On approaching be
observed that her hull Was miserably
weather beaten, and not q soul appeared
on the deck, which was covered with
snow to considerable depth, He
hailed her crew several times, but no
answer was returned. Previous to step
ping on board an open port-hole near
the main chains caught his eye, and
looking into it, he perceived man re-
clining back in "a chair, with writing ma.
terials on table before bin, but tine
feebleness of the light made everything
indistinct. The party went upon deck,
and. having removed the hatchway, which
they found closed. they descended to
the cabin. They first came to the apart
ment which Captain Warrens, viewed
Through the port-hole. A tremor seized
him as lie entered it, It's inmate re.
ftained his former position. and seemed
TO be insensible to strangers He was
found to be a corpse, and green damp
mould had covered his cheeks and fore.
thead, and vtiled his open eve balls He
had pen in his hand, and aalog-book
Ilay on the table before him, and the last
4 sentence in whose unfinished page rar
thus: ..,,.-{ ...,t ,,,r .o.5- ..-,a
,,aNjv IA, 1852 We baye, now been
Enclosed in the ice seventeen days. The
fire went out yesterday, and our master
has been ever since trying TO kindle il
again, but without success. His wife
died this morning. There is no relief
/ Captain Warrens and his seamen hur
ried from the spot without uttering (
word. On entering the principal cabin
the first object that attracted their atten
ton. was the dead body of q female re-
clining on bed, in an attitude of deer
interest and attention. Her countenanct
retained the freshness Of life, and a con
TRACTION of the limbs showed that .hel
form was inanimate.a Seated on the
floor was the corpse of an apparently
young man, holding steel in one ,hand
and flint in the other, as if in the ac
tof striking fire upon some tinder which
lay beside him. d In the fore part of tht
vessel several sailors we're found lyins
dead in their bertbs, and the body of :
boy crouched at the bottom of the gang
way stairs. /" '4'f' '' ~
Neither provision nor fuel conlt
beloliscovered anywhere; but 4Captair
i lWarrens was prevented, by the super
Istitious prejudices of his seamen, from
examining the vessel as minutely as h,
wished to have done. He therefore
carried away thedog- book already men
toned, and returned to his own ship
and Immediately steered to the south
ward, deeply impressed with the awfu
example which he had just Witnessed o
the danger Of navigating the Polar sea;
in high northern attitudes. d
On returning to England he made va
rious inquiries respecting vessels tha
had disappeared in an unknown way
and, by comparing the results of thos,
with the information which was afforded
by the written documents in his posses
sion, he ascertained the name and his
tory of the imprisoned ship and of til
unfortunate master, and found that sh
had been frozen thirteen years previou
to the time of his discovering he
among the ice. %
III Texas Landmarks,
, Sai6 a demure looking stranger wit
: prayer book under his arm to an oil
resident yesterday morning ;s',Wher
can l find the Methodist place of VOL
e ship?' "After you pass the sevent
y .