The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1885-01-14
Written for THE RECORD
"REMINISCENCES OF A VOYAGE TO
THE NORTHERN SEAS,
BY GEO. C. WESTON, N. Y.
No. 10.

N0"9 nun tue vessel on Sleds, and were
now shouting and gesticulating for us to
come ashore. We sent back answering
shouts, to let them know that they were
heard, and began immediate preparations
for embarking. We watched our chance
when the water between us and the shore
was comparatively free from ice, and then
launching our boats, we bent to our oars
with will, as we knew the passage
would not be free from ice but a short
time. Luckily we reached the shore with
out any mishap, and drawing our boats
out upon the ice, we received orders from
the Captain to load them upon the two
sleds, which he had brought with him for
that purpose.
1t appears that he had been looking for
us for several days, and when the ice be-
gan to break up, he began to fear that we
had been lost. He was, therefore, very
glad to see us all alive and well once
more, and also to hear of the way in
which we had managed to lay in such a
good stock of fresh provisions; as the
whole crew stood in great need of fresh
eatables, our provisions being principally
sailed meats. After loading our boats
upon the sleds, and lashing them fast, we
started the dog teams and began our re-
turn journey towards the vessel
The rain had now ceased, but the ice
over which we were travelling was cover
| ed with water, in some places to the
depth of several inches, which made trav-
cling on foot very disagreebe We had
no wind with which to sail through to
our vessel, and our boats being heavily
loaded, 1t was all the dogs could do to
pull them along. Each boats crew walk
ed alongside of their boat, three on either
side, and helped the dog-team by push
ing. whenever it was necessary. 1t was
four miles over the ice from where we
loaded our boats to the vessel, and it took
us four hours to accomplish the journey.
When we came aboard our vessel once
more, we were heartily welcomed by our
| shipmates, from whom we had been
separated for thirty -eight days. To be
| aboard our vessel once moro seemed like
home to us, and to sleep in the warm for
| castle on good mattress, without danger
from ice or wild animals, seemed n great
| contrast with what we had been enduring
for the last month.
We found that our shipmates in our
absence had made little discovery; said
discovery being made by one of the ship
keepers, who in running along the shore
one day, saw some small fish in the water
| between the cracks in the ice, caused by
the rising and falling of the tide. He i'm
mediately communicated this wonderful
intelligence TO his companions aboard,
who were soon out, endeavoring to entice
one of the finny tribe to take nibble on
a hook, baited with small piece of salt
pork. The fish, however, steadfastly re-
fused to bite on such dainty morsel
Finding that they were decidedly Jewish
in their tastes, other varieties of bait were
tried, but all without success. What to
do next was what was troubling our ship
mates when we came aboard. One of our
party mentioned spears. Gust the thing"
exclaimed several, and the manufacture
OF spears was commenced at once. Our
diet for the next month, consisted prinei
pally of fish. The fish we caught were
small variety, somewhat resembling front
and finely favored.
The weather growing warmer, the snow
on the mountains began melting, and
streams of fresh water came tumbling
down over the rocks into the sea. This
was fine opportunity for us to procure
fresh water, with which to fill our casks,
that had been empted the Fall before.
We improved the opportunity and filled
all our casks. 1t was in the month of
June, when the weather commenced to
get warmer, and we had begun to think
of getting out of our icy quarters. 1t was
now daylight nearly all the time, the
suns rising and setting being but an hour
apart, which dwindled down to minutes
and, finally, for three whole days, (seven-
ty-two hours, we saw his shining
countenance describing circle in the
heavens, in the lowest part of which, he
just SKINNED the horizon. He would
then rise gradually, being all the while
| plainly observable.
After we had finished getting our sup
ply of water aboard, the ice had broken
| up to within quarter of mile of us.
We then decided not to wait any longer
for 1t to melt away, but got our saws and
commenced to saw the vessel out, after
the same manner that we had sawed her
in, the preceding Fall. 1t was slow work,
as the ice was very thick, but gradually
grew thinner as we approached the open
water. After getting clear of the ice,
(which we did in the latter part of the
month of August, we had no wind for
over week, and therefore had to drop
anchor and remain where we were until
the wind favored us. When it did come,
our sails were set, which had been furled
for so long, and as the breeze waited us
over the dancing waves, we felt that VIC
were once more free, and passing high
rocky promontory, which was on one side
of the entrance to the harbor in which VIC
had been held prisoners for so long, we
bid a glad farewell to the spot which had
became so familiar to us, aud was now
slowly fading from our view, behind the
projecting headland.
Considerable loose ice was still coming
down from the north, but was not so close
as to preclude the possibility of our sail
ing through it. We had good breeze
and sailed through it, lodging the large
pieces, the helmsman steering by the
Captains orders, who was aloft on the
fore-top-sai yard, where he could COM
mand a good view for several miles ahead.
When nearly clear of this floating ice,
the Captain made mistake and gave a
wrong order to the man at the wheel,