New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-02-24
4 TRIP THROUGH THE ICE.
A CANADIAN ICF-BOAT MAKING ITS WAY ACROSS
NORTHUMBERLAND STRAIT - SUCCESS - WHAT
rpAntvpCF NAV GAIN

NORTHUMBERLAND STRAIT - SUCCESS - WHAT
COMMERCE MAY GAIN.
lFRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRTBrNEl
Boston, Feb. NO one who has visited Prince
Edward Island in Winter will forget the crossing Of
Northumberland Strait. where at its narTowest point
between Canes Traverse and Tormentne mails and pas
cngers are transferred the icecovered channel
there II miles wide For nine miles Of the distance
the ice Is never stationary shifting with wind ana
tide and the strait widens abruptly above ana mellow
the capes the ordinary peris and fstgues OF the journey
are supplemented by the risk of being carried past
out into the wider wastes OF the ice-hoes.
When Prince Edward slandjOine the Canadian Confed
Grafton il was stipulated that strenuous attempt should
be made to build steamship which should be able TO
navigate the Gulf of ST. Lawrence in the Winter, and in
pursuance Of that agreement powerful boat OF 700
horsepower has been placed upon the route between
Georgetown p. Z. l., and Pictou N s.. a distance OF
about 80 miles This bOat-the Northern Lights long
narrow and Of immense strength sheathed outside her
oak pankng with iron wood and furnished with an iron
cutwater DOed a bow which If solid mass OF oaken
framework. our party left CharOttetOwn for George
town on the afternoon Of the 18th nst ana on arriving
found it too late 20 board of the boat which Lay at
the mouth Of the haI bor two miles below the town
For distance Of quarter of mile the ice was iist
but along border the drifting pack moved slowly with
the tide, in unbrokcn procession Of eyerchangins
forms Here a ice-feld level and unbroken, glded
past; next followed pinnacle formed OF the piled up
III collision; a
wharf succeeded and slowly swung against the ice
II broke off huge masses OF tons weight if they
mOrsels of chalk. The gangway drawn aboard, the
bell rung the cast off and we cTunched slowly
through thn ice of last nights frost out into the
pack Just quantity Of broken fragments and frosty
sludge came opposite narrow haven of refuge. In
this we soon gathered Roadway and at speed Of five or
SIX miles an rushed through It's devious windngs,
until sudden turn showed not a hundred yards off
broad level field a foot IN thickness. We who
were passengers merely started with apprehension and
wondered to hear word OF command or tnke Of bell
to lessen the comming shock The helmsman with i'm
passive face kept her straight on her course, and we
braced ourselves for a shock which never came Tie
bows grated Larhy on the breaking ice and into
the air as the inclined plane OF the keel pressed more
and more upon the foe. The field beside sank, and
behind Us vast pieces Of tons in weight came M from the
depths spasng and whrling in wake, while before
u.s. lust as we almost lost headway long crack suddenly
opened and showing the debris TO either side the noble
vessel Qded easily along into an area filed with huge
masses of heavier Ice.
Slowly we forged in between two masses as large as
the boat herself and surrounded by Of others Of
varying weight and closely packed that the hope OF
forcinga way through would seem utterly baseless.
The arrnored wedgeke bow gded in, the small crevice
wldcned almost imperceptiby afGr of we saw the foes
swing and separate, and, pushing like bull the boat
squeezed through thinner ice to repeat the process
since verrazani discovered these waters had keel ira
versed in midwinter the Gulf of St Lawrence, and the
Northern Light is doing work whose ultimate cOnse-
quences no may fOrete 1t was not al Ice around
us We passed through many an archipelago OF ice
islands but the belts Of water were narrow ever shifting
and so devious That what gained in speed We lost in
distance Their shores are full OF the chill beauty Of
frost-work and many fantastic monument, pillar,
AMI image gives pleasure TO the eye ana pay 10 lIe
Imagination. Life Is not WahunS' either OIten as We
a iga Tor
ou-ee Of the beautiful lOng-ta"d duck tH"edd Gi-
etGiis heraded is hasty fight rom Is hitherto Gle
land seal plunged from his lair on The sunny SIDE 81
foe Owed hastily To escape the attentions oi TIE Mil
As the day wore away we reached Pictou Island and
found the narrowing channel hard to penetrate beng
cr0v.ded with heavy foes against which We dashed,
rising high upon their massive aides, thereto hahG ID
biiTnotI our weight, or break into huge fragments
whose dispersion churned the waters INTO roam All az
once we saw before huge noe, evidently the worst
We had vet encountered. aud We rushed upon our I'M
passive antagonist The crash OF breaElns zee lol-
lowed and our bows ran upon tIe noe unt' we
were hard and fast aground, minus our IRON cut
water, from its bolts by tne shock We couiG nGt
advance The tCe showed no SIN OF Dredht~o oi sA
ug and could evidently carry our boat WITH ease 80
nothing remained TO be done 6ua TO cach On am aNye
night and all bat the watch sought tne caDln ana t
of sleep. III the morning the hcfallhR OF me
i ong me sides and the Earring Of the told that
our novel voyage vas being continued and ~ We went
on deck after breakfast found mat despite the oSs VI
our IRON prov, we we're making good progress
The ice was heavy the bay into wnlch We were pehe-
i and IcSs frcGIent until we blowing through
fruoi. field OF unDrOken 1t wac nearly loot
thick and an army with its cannon might nave marcheu
cros W but we crunched steadily through AT about the
s'.rd of a fair pedestrian until We einorged agil mo
Ia nfrozen cdic Of the outer h1rbOr OF PcjOu Ihcic
We ran into the rrm OF the inner haTbor and dlseh-
barked We had done what no man has done beIOie'
We had sailed ia midWInter across the STRAIT OF Nottn
umbcrland and shown that with proper appliances men
may drfy the ice-bOckdde winch for nearly Two centuries
has sbui out Prince Edward Island from franc WIN the
outer world And If the strait can he crossed IL
follows that the wider waters OF the Gun can ne mo-
easily penetrated To pOrts ike Gaspt klGhPnclo, ana
NiromicIi With these connected with Ha lihN' cape
Brei0u or Newfoundland by line 81 powerful IRON G'ad
seaners the present water isolation OF CAldih VIZ p
exchanged for uninterrupted and prOnthne All ougn
limited Winter commerce. NbO can say thut I~usDuE
deserted harbor, Pacen'ias squaIid maven may ot
Winter cXpOrta of the DOnnlOuf
<Tc.I,la ,ortb yoa. intn acstoSies over an