Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1890-11-05
IConcluded nom flrst page. ]

they are seldom where channel
has To be cut, but occasionally the
thinner ones interpuse themselves,
and II is to combat such cases that
the huge tripod plan has to bs
adopted to max airy Impression al
all. or course all the varieties aud
cuutiitious of Ice that an Arctic ship
may encounter in cutting in or out,
or other duty where irp saws are
Il ed caunot always be foreseen, and
this requires that quite an ass"rt-
nient of these polar tools should he
found with each well.equipped Are
tic expedition. They are also very
liable to breakage from their pecu-
liar duty, and this also calls for
quite number of them to be had
on hand. Aud now, having given
a little essay on saws for Arctic duty,
we will return To our cutting Out of
winter harbor at Marble island.
Two trenches were cut through the
snow not yet melted, some twenty
five or thirty feet apart, To indicate
the future scarf line of the channel,
and these half mile long cut dowu
to the ice, reached from alongsid,
the ship To the open water beyond
Commencing AT the water, the saw
are used until twenty or .hirty fee
are cut back into the ice fioe through
the trenches. A diagonal cut IL
now made from right tu left or lett
to right, from one side of the chair
mel to the other, aud the triangular
uiece of ice thus formed being tioated
nut either by pike poles iu the hands
Of the men or allowed to go out with
the receding tide, man regulating
its movements with a pole To pre-
vent its turning and cranIping il
he channel. This Attenuation I'll
diagonal ruts is kept up from righ,
to left, then from left to right, the
cutters of the sides Of the channels
following alongside until the ship il
reached, where, as | have safe before
it is brought up near Ivy. Some OF
the laZier members of the crew
when the wind would he favorable,
amused themselves in setting their
coats ar shirts as sails TO the smal.
| ice blocks. and sailing them out of
the channel after they were cut
thus saving themselves the duty OF
pushing them along. The crew was
divided into three gangs, working
eight hours each. Although this
arrangement was varied from
iime to time. The year befole
when four vessels were frozen in
the same winter harbOr, each
crew worked six hours, thus occu
pying the whole day, for even al
midnight it WAS plenty light enough
to see to work. The great advan'
tage to be gained by several vessels
wintering together is quite evident
when it comes to the severe labor OF
cutting out, as one channel will be
sufficient for all. Probably there is
no harder work in ap Arctic whal-
lug voyoge or exploring expedition
than cutting out of Winter harbor,
and everywhere that one can econo-
mize in labor, it is doubly accepta
| be. In fact, 50 severe is il that the
| liberation and whaling cruise which
follows is considered in the light of
a rest and recreation by the sailors
AT Marble island the time occupied
in cutting out amounted TO about
three weeks with but one vessel in
harbOr. Once the channel is CON-
pleted up TO the ship, the snow
house, or covering that has done
duty during the severe cold of win
ter, is torn down and thrown into
the channel as the tide flows out,
and it passes to the open sea beyond.
The spare top masts and yards and
sails are now put in their proper
places, and the provisions that have
been on shore during the winter, for
fear Of fire, are replaced in the
vessel. Then the barrels and casks
a h
some neighboring lake on land, al
though to get in the Eskimo have
had TO dig through six or seven feet
OF ice. The most favorable wind to
get out is one of an angle Of forty
five degrees to the direction of the
channel, and off shore, thus keeping
the Ice-pack away from the outer
edge of the foe aud allowing a good
chance to get free AZ soon as the
is cleared. With a few
d ,Atrous cuts by "all hands" the
little foe Oh which the ship rests is
cut loose and broken off from the
sides, to which it hangs but
lightly owing to the interior warmth |
,f the ship, and she rests free once
more in the channel. The rudder is |
now shipped, and with long ropes
and jolly song, as If they were
anchor, the lately impris-
,ned ship is slowly backed TO sa.
Very near the outer edge of the foe
A halt is made, aud about two
thirds of the crew is put aboard by
a gang plank, the others continuing
he towing outward, and as
HE slips by the outer edge of the
three rOusing cheers 60
up To welcome once more "a life on
ha ocQ,,n waye - The f..w ,l.n IN