The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-07-30

and kept them, so that they could be read
over and over again by each one OF the
party The lemons were frozen and in |
n good state OF preservation, and were OF
inestimable value to the men in their weak
and debilitated condition. Every Sunday !
served out quarter OF a lemon to each person
Bread and meat rations were issued daily all
other stores were issued on Thursdays. On
Sundays the ration was increased little. At
Conger had been In the habit Of letting each
man choose his bill OF fare when his birthday
came, and tried to keep 1t up during our re
duced days at Camp Clay. Any little diver.
gence that would break the monotony was OF
great value Days to come would be antici-
pated, while reference to those past would oc-
cupy us when there were none ahead to look
for. A favorte amusement was to make out
bill OF fare OF what we would like when relief
came. The tastes OF the men were astonish-
ingly varied, and, when we look at them now,
seem almost ludicrous tried to call off their
attention from a contemplation of the frightful
situation in which we were placed. A series OF
lectures was begun and other intellectual
amusements, all of which had highly benefi-
cial effect on the tagging spirits OF the party.
Two hours day could be filed in by lecturing
on various subjects of personal interest, includ-
ing the United States, their products, etc. Each
state would furnish the data, and when the
lecture was over general discussion would
be entered into by all hands, each one express
ing his views. Mr.. Rice the photographer,
would devote another hour each day, either in
telling stories, of which he had large supply,
or else would draw from his stock of general
information, of which he had great deal DR..
Pavy would give very instructive and carefully
thought up lectures on history, despite the.
wretched condition of his audience Six days
OF the week we're occupied 10 this manner On
Saturday the subject would be moving Incl
dents by flood and field, in which each person
would speak in turn. In this manner the per-
sonal experiences of those who went on the
various sledging and exploring parties became
familiar to all, and enables us now to speak
most intellgently of all the work we have &C
complished The seventh day we rested quiz
city, each one with his own thoughts. The
most trying position of any individual member
of the party was that occupied by Sergeant
Brainerd Placed in a similar position, not one
man in a thousand would have been as faithful
to the tempting responsibilities that were al
lotted him as he was while Issuing ratons to
the party. He found himself, day after day,
exposed to the temptation of partaking Of more
than his share of the rapidly-decreasing sup
plies, but he acted with heroic fidelity, and
never in one instance abused the confidence
reposed in him by his comrades. Indeed, he
must have used less food than the allotted
amount, as the supplies under his care turned
out on the approach of spring fully two per
cent more than the most sanguine Of the party
had dared to anticipate In this way the
dreary weeks and months dragged slowly and
to light up the souls OF that doomed company
of victims to the cause of science. On June Sd
the party reached the highest northern latitude
by four miles in latitude $50 "a 5H."
INTERESTING INCIDENT.
The account OF the progress of the rescuers
up into the regions of eternal ice is deeply in
teresting, and presents vivid picture OF Iceland
scenery and the ordinary dangers and hard
ships OF Arctic navigation. Says the narrator,
who accompanied the Thetis: " On the 18th
the first genuine iceberg was passed. 1t was
viewed with great interest. A gale OF wind,
with snow, hail, fog and heavy seas, put
another phase on the trip, but by the 10th the
fine weather returned to last, with the excep-
ton of two or three days, until our return.
With our progress northward the increase in
the length of the days was noticeable. Each
night watch reported the things that had been
seen and on the 18th the midnight watch re-
ported reading the fine writing of the night Or
ders without the aid Of lantern. The sun
never set for us from May IS till July IL. Con-
tinuous day added to the working hours, and
we can proudly refer to many an hour made
when the clock marked the hours for slumber.
The first land was made on the Goth. Green
lands icy mountains were visible in the far
dstance-high, blush gray cliffs, covered with
snow and ice. On the Dist we steamed within
fifteen miles of the Greenland shore during the
entire day. Most barren and inhospitable II
!
ice and snow were black, chilling rocks-not a
sign of vegetation anywhere. On the
22d the barbor of Godhaven, Disco Island, was
made. 1t was only after the most careful
search that the tiny beacon that marks the har
Dor was discovered. 1t is a veritable hole in
the wall. High terraced cliffs present them
selves and seem TO forbid such an element a;
life in connection with them. Yet close under
their sides and behind low island, that from
the sea seemed to be part of them, lay the
settlement which, from its being the residence
of the Danish inspector-genera is practically
the capital of Greenland. A belt of broker
ice lay off the mouth of the harbor through
which we had to push 1t was our first expe
rience with ice, and novel one at the time
We moored to the ice, about mile from tn,
town. and there learned that the Bear had lef
the day before, in company with two Of tn,
q. whaling fleet. A great quantity OF ice was re
ported to the northward and the season, which
the absence of ice in the lower bay seemed t.
indicate as an open one, is now pronounced Il
be a close one Letters from the Bear INFORMED
us of the intention of the whaling fleet to TAX
part in the search, fact which their captain
openly avowed. rivalry, friendly in the high
est degree was thus started, a sense OF the i'm
portance of relief to Lieutenant Greedy Robin
it of any of the motives which the pecuniar
reward might attribute TO it. The visit to tn
governor showed disposition on his part t
aid in every possible manner the success OF tn
expedition.
The following is an account OF night anon
the icebergs: Going on watch at eight tn
first thing that took my eye rs left the hate
was the wall sides of berg near to the star
board side. From the gunwales OF the boats en-
could easily touch them Looking around W
seemed fairly beset with them fairly closed II
and yet we were steamng along at full speed
now to starboard, now to port, with an uncor
Germ that contrasted strangely with the cautio
of the ordinary cruiser We coursed our wa
through this winding lead until we final
reached the narrow canal that the whalers ha
left but little while before US. The foe We
evidently closing in. for at times our side
scraped ON either edge of it. Finally we reache
place where the raised and crumbed pi
showed that the foes had met and closed @
one another Frequent cutting resulted In OF
finally being unable to go either way; an
, further, we heeled over to starboard, shown
that the Ice had nipped us. No language thu
have command OF can adequately descril
the surroundings-the field Of ice stretchiI
TO the shore on one hand, the horizon on u
other, the immense icebergs glistening in Il
u light OF night sun, the heeling ship, testif!
ing to the power OF the moving foe At TO-
= in endeavoring to force a lead, the vessel stu'
4 fast and could neither be driven ahead n
astern The Bear steamed up close. sent
u her five-inch MANILA hawser, and endeavor
, to Jump us loose. At the first attempt Il
u hawser parted. We then sent over ste
hawser, which also parted at the first atteml
|. We then planted five gunpowder torpedoes,
= line, ahead, about fifteen feet apart, sunk &
Il feet from the surface, through two layers
d ice, eight feet thick in all. The result of t
y explosion was crack and considerable later
70 fracture reaching to the open water beyon
Nhn, ali, NJ