The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1884-08-23
AMONG THE FLOES.
Sledge Journey in the Arctic-sergeant
Rice's Account of His Difficult Marches
on the Frozen Sea and Escape from
the Polar Ocean.
New York Herald, July 81.

&c the Polar Ocean.
New York Herald, July 81
# Three memorable expeditions wer
E. undertaken by the Greedy party fror
is their station at Fort Conger, on Lad
n Franklin Bay. One was to the north
% along the coast of Grinnell Land, b
} DR.. Pavy and Sergeant Rice. The sec
l. ond was also to the north, along tn
u coast of Greenland, by Lieutenan
n Lockwood, in which the point furthes
e north was reached. The third was t,
e the west in the interior of Grinnel
-, Land, by Lieutenant Greedy. In the
r first expedition, which consisted o.
: Sergeant Rice, DR.. Pavy and Esqui
maux Jens, the party, after visiting q
couple of caches that had been previ.
, ously deposited along the shore, left the
t land and travelled in sledges over the
, frozen ocean, with the object of getting
as far north as possible. The thrilling
incidents of the journey were carefully
noted and most graphically described
by Sergeant Rice in his diary. Moth
ing can moro closely portray the diff
ficulties and dangers that beset Arctic
travellers. The narrative is here given
as found in the diary taken from the
unfortunate explorers dead body:
DIFFICULT JOURNEY.
We travelled from foe to foe, through
the bursting walls of ice, slipping and
fallingon the slippery and uneven foot
ing at times and struggling in soft snow
at others; extricating the dogs that got
caught up in the hummocks and cutting
with ak through the most difficult pas
sages; raising the loaded sledge over
icy obstacles and lowering it-with in
secure footing-on the other side. Then
again we would stumble into treacher-
GUS snow which had crevices and
assures, and from which, standing
thigh deep, we had the greatest diff
Guilty in extricating the sledge and land
ing it again on the ice. We travelled
over all the ground twice, it being i'm
possible to move at all with more than
half our load and the hopeful anticpa-
ton ofreaching at last the eighty-fourth
parallel, that buoyed us up when Cape |
Sheridan was left behind, had given |
way to keen appreciation of the fact |
that if four miles per day could be made |
it would be all we could expect. This
would place us at the highest latitude
ever attained-for only twenty-five miles
of ice lay between US and Markham's
farthest-and we had twenty DAYS.
rations still unconsumed; but the value
of our trip was fast depreciating when
we reflected that the difference between
the highest point we could reach and
that already attained could give us
little expectation or hope of unlocking
any additional secrets of this mysterious
sea.
AMONG THE HUMSIOCKS.
We were at all times so beset and
surrounded by hummocks that view
of even the shortest distance could only
be attained by scaling paleocrystic
berg. After every short advance of
perhaps fifty or seventy-fve yards we
would seek an elevation TO ascertain
where next an opening occurred. l
Often Jens, descending from an icy t
would turn to us, and, with '
drawing his hand from the mitten and I
holding it palm upward, would extend l
lis separated fingers and shake his t
lead in hopeless manner Never in p
III his existence in the land of desola- C
ion had his eyes met such view. Our S
observations from different points soon "
onvinced us that advance directly north fl
rom Cape Henry was impossible, but fl
he route across James Ross Bay toward 81
APE Hecla appeared to be better. II
"wATER AHEAD" ',
At a. m. on April %, after dreary W
ight-during which our sleep was dis tt
lrbed by the holding of the dogs as n
ley crowded against the tent for shell p
II from strong southeast wind that tc
as blowing-we aroused and prepared m
} start. The high wind of the night al
as followed by strange, bewildering st
orning, the atmosphere in an indefin-
Die condition, which destroyed shad-
VS. and distorted heights and distances 4,
strange manner. The way m
,peared smooth until our STUN he
ing, uncertain movements and ~
lse estimates of distances proved r.
at our eyes could not be trusted. We be
refully advanced-the conditions W.,
adually becoming more favorable ",
It'll, as we neared the shore at Cape ~ ~
celia, Jens cried out: 'Emirk!" or tu W.;
tier ahead. We paid no attention to No no
J remark, which we supposed referred bs
~ W oOllc lludl cTdCh OF lOCdl affair, a N
d were soon astounded to see before ar a
belt of open water extending the aft
lole line of coast from Hecla to WI
'nry, and also as far as we could see On
ward Cape Columbia. To the north 40
O there was an open strip of water in be,
ated by the heavy water clouds that ON,
ng over the place. The water in GOV
mt of us was atleast half mile wide bn
l ice of considerable weig and mo
ift was sailing toward Cape Henry Ian
h the tide. The doctor, by planting Co
ks and taking bearings of the land, con T
N proved that the foe was pivoting b o,
swinging from the shore. orr orr,
SEEKING ESCAPE. the
Is usual, we had only half our effects the
the sledge. We deposited these and aen
armed to our camp for the others. tou
lching the open water again, we enc
nd it had widened. After watching low
some time in the hopeo of favorable am
nge in the movement of the ice, we Tell
ided that our only chance OF getting esc'
the foe was at Cape Joseph Henry owe
ere, from our distant view, the ice ca