Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1885-01-03
WHAT COMMANDER sCuLEY SAYS
FascinatioE of tho Archie HesionS-Bu,tinU
Iceberg.

FascinatioE of tho arciic Heeions-Butting
an Iceberg.
"Had you any unexpected experiences
when you got into the higher ATTITUDES
aside from the general one pertaining to
the expedition ?"
''Oh, yes. One morning, for instance,
when the atmosphere was hazy from a
slight fall of snow, in going stiff nine
knot gait =" ra- plump into an iceberg
that was ii orr way, and which no one
could see. For moment I thought
every mast would go by the board, and
that my hair and teeth had preceded
them. l never got quite such shock.
| was nearly thrown out Of the crows
nest. expected soon to hear the Alert
was leaking. But, strange. as it may
seem, with rebound of at least 50 feet
there was not seam started. It was
almost miraculous that we had no catas-
trophe, and shows how thoroughly that
ship was built for just such encounters
in those seas. On another occasion,
when over against the Greenland coast,
I counted not less than l, 500 icebergs
that had been pushed from the glacial
formation on the sloping headlands of
the coast..into the sea. We could oc-
casionally hear the cracking that indi-
Gated the fissure; but the sight of these
majestic monarchs of the sea sailing off
in the morning sunlight, with all the
colors of the prism, was something that
cannot be described. Fascinating re-
gion? do you ask. Never a one more SO.
| wanted to stay there awhile. Even
the men took at New Bedford and New
London jumped at the chance to go,
though some of them said they did not
expect to come back again. Why, after
we got Greely, and our mission was ac-
complished, | never felt such a pang Of
disappointment that, with - days of
summer weather before me, and an open
sea, | was obliged to turn my prov
homeward and abandon the chance to
get higher latitude than any other
explorer"
"Do you think you would have had a
success had you been at liberty to have
entered on such trip?"
cit seemed SO; at least, just then.
And this leads me to say that the re-
mark I have quoted from Weyprecht was
vindicated in my experience. The theo-
ry of winter sojourning in the high lati-
tude in order to be On the ground for
another seasons continuance is. in my
Judgment, all mistake. The men
might as well come home and have the
advantages of civilization. Nothing is
gained by remaining within the Arctic
circle that cannot be realized the next
season by starting early if the conditions
are favorable And these conditions
rest upon an open sea. Now, some sea.
sons all the waters are filled with ice
that it is impossible to penetrate. The
very next season, every strait, bay and
channel is likely to be open water. The
winds, currents and many unknown and
undemonstrated influences effect the ice
What should be done is to get every
thing in readiness early in the year, and
by May or early June be at the upper
settlements. Then follow promptly the
open water and the occasion viii come,
sooner or later, when the pole will be
reached. In my case could have go.
far to the northward, and if caught in
the upper seas, had provisions that
would have lasted, possibly, two years,
before which time / should have worked
ont of the trap. In this connection let
me tell an anecdote. We were butting
) pretty efiectuaDJ, one day, some ice that
impeded our progress, when one OF the
Dundee whaling captains said IN admi-
ration OF our prowess 'Ye did that bat
tering in foine style. and it is O tough
ship that you have; but if You keep il
up you will ruin your ship for a second
season. Second season 7 exclaimed
none for rs, ifyou please. We shal. dnd
Greely and be back again long before
we begin 70 divide the seasons And
! SO it turned out.