Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1891-09-02
WEDGED In THE ICE.


land expeditions. found herself firmly
wedged in a field of ice at the en-
trance to the Straits of Belle Isle, New
foundland. After making fruitless eff
fort to force the passage on the New
foundland side, Captain Pike de-
termined to cross over to the Labrador
shore and ram the ice there. Four days
were spent in the ice altogether. 1t
was period of hard work. Four hours
the Kite rammed the ice in a way that
would have sent craft less stout to the
bottom.
AS we were about to start on trip to
Labrador on the date named, a white
bearded fisherman came to the Kite
after medicine for his sick daughter.
He told us that half the population
along the straits were down with the
grip. DIR. Keely gave him prescription
and he departed, feeling very CRATE
full. and taking with him our last mail.
We had the cold comfort of learning
from him that if we had reached the
straits a day sooner we could have got
through perfectly well, as they were
then clear of ice. So much ice as there
was then is unusual for this time of
year. He also said there had been no
southwark bound tide through the
straits for two DAYS. A tide was due
that ought to clear things.
Captain Pike took all this in, hitched
his trousers, pulled his cap over his
starboard eye, climbed on the bridge and
gave the order to 60 ahead quarter
speed. We soon began crunching into
it. Blocks of ice as big as houses and
lots stood in our way, white as the
driven snow. What misery would be re-
lieved by even one of them in some tene-
ment district in Philadelphia or New
York The solid PROV of the Kite, a
mass of timber five feet thick, pounded
! into these. One moment she would
rise on the foe and smash through it,
and the next would hit 1t glancing
| blow, and, staggering for a moment,
| sWerve as on a pivot.
After making mile in this way the
skipper varied the monotony of the
work by tying fast to a good sized foe for
a fresh supply of water. The watch on
deck, headed by the second mate. at
tackled the ice with axes, and sailors,
scientists and lubbers warmed their
limbs and cooled their finger tips in
carrying armfuls and dumping it over
| the rails on the decks. 1t was trans
| ferred to the tank and the steam turned
on, and soon we had 700 more gallons
aboard. That steam pipe seems to hold
good deal of oil, for the ice water bore
distinct flavor the blubber.
Lookouts on the masthead agreed on
the impossibility of making the passage
of the straits at present. We began
to calculate that the Belle Isle route to
Greenland wasn't what Mr.. Peary had
cracked it up to be, and that if we had
taken Captain Pixies advice and skirted
the east coast of Newfoundland we should
have been north of this point already.
Just before sunset someone sighted a
seal 100 yards aft. A wild panic fol-
lowed the announcement. This was
the only minute during the day when
the deck hadn't looked like an arsenal,
and all hands made a dive below for
weapons. The seal craned his neck
and gazed at us with unfei gned astonish-
ment. No doubt he had never before
seen party of Philadelphia scientists
dressed like Malay pirates. Gibson and
Hughes appeared with their guns and
fired simultaneously, both exclaiming,
we'll match for the skin" One bull
let hit the ocean north and the other
south of the mark, and the seal, giving
what seemed to be a pitying smile, van
ished into the brine. He and comrade
appeared some minutes later, we'll out
of range, and they rIdiculed us till sun
set. When all was over DR.. Cooke
made his appearance, armed to
the teeth. He had Owed below with
the others, but the doctor has an idea
that nothing IS done we'll by real ex-
plorers unless they do it in costume,
and he had stayed below to put on a
toboggan suit, his ideal of seal hunters
outfit.
Dr. Cooke has a fine assortment of
Saratoga trunks containing varieties of
costume enough to clothe comic
opera company engaged in the pro-
duction of a nautical piece. When the
transportation becomes little harder
it is strongly suspected that Mr. Peary
will feed these clothes to the polar
bears, and that a certain young ply
stefan will weep some hot weeps at his
dress suits.
All hands put on their ice goggles.
The effect on the face is to make it more
hideous than before. Professional
they were necessary, for the glare of
the bright sun on the white surface was
more than our eyes could stand. There
was temperature of 6O degrees in the
sun and SO degrees in the shade, and
the surface of the water (it was prob
ably fresh on top froze slightly over
night. 1t was noticed and put down as
an interesting psychological fact that on
donning the glasses the wearer at once
felt colder than before. This, it was
agreed, was due to the mental impress
sion of a cloudy day created by the
smoked glass. As it is colder in cloudy
weather than in bright, the imagi
nation responded with a chill.
We were on the verge of an exciting
incident to-day. Messrs. Peary and
Mengel and DIR. Cooke, armed with boat
hooks, set out over the ice for small
berg aground some three 1niles away
When they had made their first mile
we saw them drop something On the
way.
It was Mr. Mengle. We made out
with long-range glasses that this mex
perienced and pious youth had tumbled
in. He was hauled out by the slack Of
the trousers and dumped on an ice cake
to dry, with orders to remain where he
was until the explorers returned. They
would then lead him home by the
hand. Poor Mengel, when the others
got out of range, found himself adrift