St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-15

only hope that the cold would set the
ice again, stop my drift and that might
recover the ship before cold and hunger
had finished me. slept a bit after get
ting out of the wind, but was awake
when daylight came. The ice had
ceased grinding, the air was still and
frosty, and knew that was frozen in
again. Climbing to the top of great
south to find the ship within
quarter of mile of me, and in half an
hour l lad come up with her. She
rested on an even keel, fast frozen in,
with great blocks of ice all around her.
/ fired off my gun and shouted. but got
no answer, and even before l stood on
her decks / knew that she had been
abandoned. The davit falls were down,
and the boats gone, while box OF
bread, a fur cap a musket and several
other things were left on large block
of ice. When got aboard the evidences
of great scare and haSty departure
were more numerous. l soon cOnclud-
ed that squeeze of the ice had hove
the ship out of her slip and had given
her such cant that her crew feared
she was doomed. The field in which
she was frozen had at the same time
split up, and while the men had drifted
away on one foe, the abandoned ship
had gone with another.
There was reason to believe that the
entire crew would return. They could
not have drifted many miles and would
at once take advantage of the new ice
to reach the ship. Holding to this
view, replenished the fires, which
were not yet out, filled the cooks cop
pers with meat to boil. and then fired
my muSket at intervals of five minutes
as signal. When daylight faded
away ran green light to the mast
head as night beacon and turned In.
feeling positive that would see the
whole ships company by morning. 1t
was noon next day before / would give
up that | was to be left alone, and two
days later. when the fact became NOR
ally certain, was strongly
Tempted to Commit Suicide.
Indeed, had written letter to be
left behind me, and had gun loaded to
blow my brains out. when circum-
stance occurred to rouse up the man in
me. l had gone OH deck by the davit
falls, though could have mounted by
her fOrechainS. On her port quarter
was a great mass of ice, four feet
higher than her rail. This was part
of the bed she had rested in. AS went
on deck to take last look around got
an awful fright Two big polar bears
were preparing to board the ship by
way of this mass. and their fierce growlS
and sullen retreat set me in a tremble.
The idea of those beasts eating my
body, even after death. was SO repug-
nant as to at once Danish all further
thoughts of suicide.
,;orI, h. cfs
geIed. 1 locked myself in the cabin
and heard them rummaging about IN
the deck gangWayS and making per-
sistent efforts to break into the deck
house. 1t was after midnight before
they went away, and next day / made
preparations to repel boarders. 1t was
not day now. but the season had brought
continual twilight. / set to work to cut
the hummock away from the port quar-
ter, but after working for two hours
with an ak | decided to try powder.
With the tools at hand / sunk shaft
down seven or eight feet, filled gallon
jug with blasting powder, and then ar
ranged slow match and was
ready. / expected the ice to fly
about in lively manner, but the
deck house would give me shelter.
] was within minute of firing
GIl0 IIdlu Wu0ll l. ucdIQ d SI6dt SuiilIS
and growing, and 10! the two same
again Oh the crest of the hummock to
look down upon me. | yelled and
swung my hat, but they held their
ground and were evidently intending to
board the ship again. l now ignited a
match, set fire to the fuse. and, waiting
as long as [ dared to, ran into the deck
house. was hardly under cover when
the explosion came, and for the next
half minute pieces of ice were clatter
ing on the DO ard roof as they descended
from their fight. When l opened the
door and looked out the humlnock was
gone-leveled far below the rail, and
the
Bears Had Taken to Flight.
/ now realized thatI must pass many
long weeks alone, surrounded by dark
ness and various dangers, and l mapped
out programme to be followed. / had
breakfast at 8 a. m. Then | worked at
clearing off snow and ice until 10. Then
read until noon. From l to 2 l got up
coal and overhauled stores. At 2 had
dinner. From thence tilt 4 [ read. From
to | looked after some fox traps [
had made, and nearly always l had
pelt to take care of. From to prac-
ticed on the dumb bells. At Z l had
supper, and between that and my bed
time studied the charts of several seas
we had aboard, and learned to locate
various islands and countries. held to
this programme very rigidly. knowing
that might go mad if l allowed my
self to brood over the situation, and
thus slept soundly, preserved buoy
ant spirit, and constantly gained in
flesh.
In January there was move of the
ice which lifted the ship fairly out of
the water, but after an hour she settled
back without damage. By day and
night there were tremblings and shocks
and thunderous reports, but [ got used
to them after a while and was not
the second day of February that a
sledge drawn by dogs came close up to
the ship. and two Esquimaux made
long survey of it, waved their hands
and shouted to me as they went off.
On the 18th two sledges appeared bring
ing our captain. mates and two har
pooners, and four days later all our old
crew were on board. / was correct in
my conclusions as to why they aban-
doned the ship. They left her hurried
ly, expecting her to go down. and had
drifted almost down to Upernavik, when
discovered by natives and pilOted ashore.
Later on SledgeS were sent out to search
for the ship, and after many fruitlesS
Journeys she was finally sighted, and
when the spring breakup came we got
down into the Atlantic with scarcely an
adventure worth recording.
BURIAL BEFORE DEATH.