The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-08-01
IN THE ARCTICs.
Sergeant Rice Narrates His Thrill
ing Experience.
NARROW ESCAPE FROM BEING
CARRIED OUT ON THE POLAR
OCEAN.

tion at Fort Conger, on Lady Franklin's Bay.
One was to the north, along the coast OF Grin
nell Land, by DR.. Psvy and Sergeant Kice.
1he second was also to the north, along the
! coast OF Greenland, by Lieutenant Lockwood,
| IN which the point farthest north was reached.
The third was to the vest, in the interior OF
Grinnell Land, by Lieutenant Greedy. In the
| hTst expedition, which consisted of Sergeant
| Rice, DIR. Pavy and Esquimau Jens, the party,
/ after visiting couple of caches that had been
| previously deposited along the shore, left the
| 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 graphi-
| cslly described by Sergeant Rice in his diary.
| Nothing can more clearly portray the difficult
| ties and dangers that beset Arctic travellers.
| The narrative is here given as found in the
| diary taken from the unfortunate explorers
| dead body:
We travelled from foe to foe, through the
bursting walls OF ice, slipping and falling on
the slippery and uneven footing at times, and
struggling in soft snow at others; extricating
| the dogs that got caught mp in the hummocks,
and cutting with axe through the most diff
| colt passages; raising the loaded sledge over
| icy obstacles and lowering it-with insecure
footing-on the other side. Then again we
| would stumble into treacherous snow which
had crevices and assures, and from which,
| standing thigh deep, we had the greatest diff
| Guilty in extricatiDg the sledge and landing it
| again on hard ice. We travelled over all the
| ground twice, it being impossible to move at
| all with more than half our load; and the
hopeful anticipation of reaching at the 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 TWEEN
| ty-five miles of ice lay between us and Mark
hams farthest-and we had twenty days ra.
| tions 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 attainsd could
| give us little expectation or hope of unlocking
any additional secrets of this mysterious sea.
At 3 a. M, April %, after dreary night,
during which our sleep was disturbed by the
bowling of the dogs they crowded against
the tent for shelter from strong Southeast
wind that was blowing, we aroused and pre-
pared to start. The high wind of ths night
was followed by strange, bewildering morn
ing, the atmosphere in an indeinable condi-
ton, which destroyed shadows and distorted
heights and distances in strange manner.
The way appeared smooth until our stumbling
uncertain movements and false estimates of
distances proved that our eyes could not be
trusted. We carefully advanced-the cond!-
tions gradually becoming more favorable
until, as We neared the shore of Cape Hecla,
Jens cried out: "Emerk" or, Water ahead
We paid no attention to his remark, which we
supposed referred to some tidal crack of local
affair, and were soon astonnded to see before
lire of coasts from Hecla to Henry and also
as far as we could see toward Cape Columbia.
To the North, also, there was an open space of
water, indicated by the heavy water clouds
that hung over the place. The water in front
of us was at least half mile wide, and ice of
considerable weight and draught was sailing
toward Cape Henry with the tide. The doctor,
by planting sticks and taking bearings on the
land, soon proved that the foe was piyoting
and swinging from the shore.
AS usual, Wo had only half Our effactS on the
sledge. We deposited these and returned to
our camp for the others.
Reaching the open water again, we found it
had widened. After watching for some time
in hopes of favorable change in the move
ment of the ice, we decided that our only
chance OF getting off the foe was at Cape
Joseph Henry, where, from our distant view,
the ice appeared to touch the land. With light
sledge, selecting only our most valuable effects
or rather those necessary to our preserva-
tion-we started for the Cape, and by very
forced march arrived near there at 4.30 D. m.
to lind the water extending around Cape Jo-
seph Henry and also to the Northeast as far as
we could see. We could do nothing more in
any direction, and, this part of the foe APP
pearing most likely to connect itself with the
land, we concluded to make it our headquar-
tiers and keep in readiness to take advantage of
the first chance for landing. We melted soma
ice to quench our thirst fed the dogs and
then selected the most substantial looking part
of the hoe-near the edge-where we
should opportunity offer, and at the
same time safe from the possible breaking
| up of the margin Of the ice. 1t next occurred
| to us that our near future might be stay OF
months on the foe, in which case all our pro-
visions would not be too much. The doctor
and Jens then started to the northern end of
| our track, at Cape Hecla, to bring that which
| we had abandoned. Two only were required
| to go over the broken road; in fact, for all of
us to go would reduce the chances for an &C.
nfV odd nrOia ont
| The writer was at the time rather heavily
| handicapped with hand which had received
recent severe cut, and stayed behind AS 1t
was necessary that a lookout should be kept,
was to get some rest SO as to go on watch on
| the return of my companions. They left me at
p. m. The weather was then calm and pleas
ant. [ had no shelter (the tent was part OF
the load for which they had returned) but as
soon as | could give up the contemplation of
| our rather nnpromising surroundings, crawl
ed into my sleeping-bag. which l laid on the
| ice under the lee of hummock.
became very apprehensiVe for the safety of
the doctor and Jens, as well as thinking my
own situation rather critical. They might be-
come lost in the storm, and thus separated
from me, which might be a state of affairs
| worse for them, as the pack might be breaking
up and leave them cut off. both from the pro-
visions they had gone for and those with me.
| The observation made that the ice was NOV
ing out of James Ross bay did not add to my
| peace Of mind. This was certainly the case as
the shore to the south around the cape was
opening up gradually. 1 could do nothing but
hope that the storm was local and would not
be of long duration and that my unfortunate
companions might not go astray before it
ceased.
At4.15 a. m. I heard the dogs barking, ana
turned ont to find my comrades safely re-
turned. We erected tent and prepared a
meal, after which they turned in to sleep,
while took up position on the top of one of
the hummocks at the edge of the foe. The
morning had turned out beautiful one after
the storm, which ended as quickly as it had
begun. For some time could note but little
change, but was convinced that the pack, was
moving out of Ross Bay, as the land was OPEN
ing mp to view around Concal Hill and Cape
Henry was, presenting different phase.
After few hours was startled by the grind
ing, crushing noise of the ice in contact with
the shore or ice some distance to the west in
side the bay. 1t was evident that the pack had
swung so as to touch the land, and instantly
awakened my companions. They, poor fell
lows, had not been long asleep, and / am sure
that nothing less than the intelligence that
there Fas a chance for escape would have in
duced them to overcome their WEAKNESS. We
repaired again to our outlook, and after con-
Guiding that it was the ice aud land, not ice
and ice, which were in contact-the pack, SO
far as we could see was still unbroken--we
hastily made preparations to land before the
opportunity was lost, if there was any.
We quickly gathered up only VIII at was ne
oessary, leaving tent standing, with provi-
sions, clothing, alcohol and dog food, taking
only sleeping bags, cooking apparatus and the
| chronometer and sextant. We thought there
| might be chance to return for our other prop
| erty, even if we could get ashore, and perhaps
| the contingency which we entertained as most
likely was the probability of our return for a
| longer wait The laundering noise of the
| grinding ice did not promise very good port
| age. Jens, little bew1ldered, drove rapidly
| in the direction of the sound, which appeared
/ to be from point about mile inside OF Cape
| Henry AS we neared the place the terrific
noise of the grinding pack increased so that it
was deafening, and our hurried remarks had
| to be shouted in each others ears. Drawing
near to the edge of the ice, we found it UNDER
/ going terrific pressure. The whole immense
pack was moving steadily and Derceptibly out
of James Ross bay, and at this point it was
| forced with tremendous weight against the
| lofty ice-foot, which similar causes had erect
| ed or strengthened for years. The ice-foot was
forty or fifty feet in height, presenting a rug
ged front of immense blocks of ice cemented
together, and its thousands of tons OF weight
could only have been forced up in such man
ner by the mighty pressure Of frozen sea in
motion. AS we looked, the edges of the foe
would break, where weak, against the ice
wall, and the pieces forced upward would be
kept in motion like juggler's balls for while,
and then tumbled down into the narrow water