The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-06-22

toned to the pcrils environing them,
they sometimes ventured TO undrcss at
night, and slept amid the tumult OF
cracking ice, from very exhaustion. In
the daytime, says the narrator of these
trying experiences, "whcn any one
comes down from the deck into the cab
in, the eyes OF all are involuntarily
turned upon him TO read in the express
sion of his face what is going on above,
and each breads to hear il said that the
ice is in motion.
"During the day, no quiet for read
ing or working; and every night al
most our sleep is disturbed by horri-
bic awaking within great creaking,
yawning coffin. Men can accuslom
themselves to almost anything: but TO
these daily-rccurring shocks, and the
constantly-recurring question az to the
end and Issue of itall, we cannot grow
Accustomed. One of us to-
day remarked very truly, that he saw
perfectly well how one might lose his
reason with the sudden and incessant
assaults. Every night we are
startled out of sleep, and, like hunted
animals, up we spring to await amid m
awful darkness the end of an enterprise
from which all hope of success had de-
parted. II becomes at last a mere me-
chanical process to seize our rife and
our bag of neCcssaries, and rush on
deck"
The awful clashing of the ice with the
elements continued with intervals of
abatement, until at last, worn ont with
the torture Of fear and suspense, many
OF the stoutest hearts felt that it would
be glad release to have the dreaded
catastrophe suddenly consummated.
Bearing the date of Jan. 26, the follow
ing passage stands in Payers journal.
The weary men have lust fallen asleep
Ill their berths, when fthe watch comes
to announce TO those below that the ter
rible movement in the ice has begun,
and once more we all spring from our
Oeds, put on our clothes. seize our
rcady-filled bags, and amid the dark
ness stand ready on deck and listen to
the war between the ice and the ele-
ments. In autumn, when the ice-felds
were not nearly so large as in the win
ter, their collision was accompanied by
a deep, dull sound but now, rendered
hard and brittle by the extreme cold, a
sound as of a howl of rage was emitted
as they crushed together. Ever nearer
come the rushing, rafting sounds, as il
thousand heavy wagons were driving
over plain"
But the winter Wore away, and the
ship Tegetthoff held together through
all the terrible strain. On the 10Th OF
February. when the sun once more rose
above the horizon and poured its beams
over the world of ice, the men for the
first time in months could look upon
each other in clear, searching light
And then was revealed the effect OF
their long and painful captivity. GLOW
shocked and surprised we were.' states
the simple narrative, "with the change
which had been wrought in us in the
long Polar night! Our sunkcn checks
were ovcrsprcad with pallor; we had
all the signs of convalescence after n
long illness - the sharp-pointed nose.
the suuken eye" But the beneticcni
influence of the sun brought back the
color TO the mems faces and cheerful
ness TO their hearts =
While Lieut.. Payer was conducting
the sledge-cXpedition, Lieut.. Wey,
precht was busy on the Tegetthon, com
pleting preparations for the abandon.
ment of the ship. On the 10th of Nav.
1874, all was ready; and the little band,
numbering one less-through the death
by consumption of Kusch, the engineer
than when they entered the Arctic
circle, took up their line ofmarch south
ward. The collections in zoology. bot
any, and geology, that had been cath.
cred with vast labor, were left behind
in the deserted vessel. Three boats on
three sledges, laden with the Journals
and instruments of the officers, and n
small stock of provisions and clothing
constituted the entire possessions of the
returning expedition. Their rate of
progress over the rough ice-hummocks
covered with snow was so snail-like
that, after the lapse Of tsco months OF
indeScri6dble efforts, The portv had moi
trdveied a distance from the shin OF
more than tVo German miles! "Not =
man among u.s." says Payer, 'imapined
that we could be saved, except by some
extraordinary and happy turn of for.
tune, small signs Of which were at pres
ent to be seen. To escape from tbis de.
pressing fear, we deliberately avoided
every allusion to the future"
On the 14th of August the open sea
was reached, in latitude II deg. i9 min.
The following day the boats were set
afoat, and the little party committed
themselves to the mercy of the deep.
The coast of Nova Zembla was sighted
on the 10th, and thence the boats kept
close TO their shores, hoping TO meet
some fishing vessel still lingering in the
desolate region. On the evening of the
Path two Russian schooners came into
view, and the safety of the men was as
sured. Since the abandonment of the
Iegetthoff they had lived in the open
air ninety-six days, and including the
sledge Journeys, about five months.
One of the schooners bore the party di-
rect to Vardoe, where they took pas
sage on the mail steamer TO Tromsoe
where they arrived Sept. 3, after an ab-
sence of two years and two montha.