The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1891-04-23
THUMPING AN ICEBERG.
Startling Interruption of SundGs Services on Board
Ship.
By FRANK YOUNG coMnAGERE.


Tigress was mcaudering through Arctic waters
in search Of the POlaris or the surviving mem-
bcrs of her complement OF officers and men, she
met series Of heavy gales that sOrely tried
the patience Of all on board
Some time agone wrote Of the heroic action
of one OF the men on board in furing a top-gal-
lant-sail that threatened to carry away the
mast and wreck the ship, aud the incident
OF which write here was during gale that
succeeded that one.
After the Tigress got through the pack Of
drift ice in coming out of Northumberland
Gulf, she had hardly had time to feel that she
had keel and steering gear after the four days
storm that met her NJ once when she got into
clear water, before another gale set IN that was
almost as bad as the one before
/ have not my data Mt hand to refer to- but
il must have been about Sept. when we were
In the very hight Of tho storm, aud getting
so used 10 the heavy rolling and pitching of the
short and choppy seas OF HudsOn's Straits. that
the members OF the Ward Room Mess, includ-
ing Commander (nOw CommOdore) Greer, as
sembled in the deckhOuse forward TO remember
that We were Christians, and that the day was
the Christians Sabbath.
There was a heavy table set in the middle Of
the little room, lashed to the deck to keep it
secure, and in the forward end was q huge sea-
chest, in which the writer slowed away his few
belongings aud that chest rested between tho
little compartment where DIR. Elston kept the
medical compounds with which he dosed all
hands as required, and a bulky set of drawers
that was both wTiting-desk and s.orehOuse
for Paymaster Blughman.
On this Sunday evening that write Of Capt
Greer had suggested that we should remember
that We were Christaus-the storm having
nothing at all TO do with the case-aud so We
assembled there to make believe we were at
home in the United States and going to church.
What beastly, nasty night it was. The sea
was so heavy that the poor ship almost rolled
her main-yardarm into the water, and she
pitched when she didn't roll as if she would
let all the spars 20 over the bowsprit. 1t rained
in thick sheets that were Opaque only, and
when the rain slackened, the fog. that had been
almost continuous during the gale would settle
down so closely that you could scarcely see
across tho deck.
We had ice all around u.s. but we cared little
for that, for our experience in Arctic waters for
thousand miles farther north had taught Us
that there is an immense amount Of poppy ycOck
about the alleged danger from ice The fog
was the greatest danger We had to encounter,
for we could get no sights" for latitude and
longitude, and tho PERCEPTIONS and dangerous
shores on both sides OF Daviss straits arc well
10 keep away from unless in clear weather
when you can find and navigate into a safe
ford.
These are the conditions Of wind, weather,
and location, and Of the company gathered TO
observe IN sailor-fashiOn the Sabbath. Mr..
Wilkins, tho Navigation Officer didn't take
much stock In such matters aud so he pleasant
ly told Lieut.. SebTie that he would relieve the
latter on the dockwatch aud let him 20 to the
Suuday-school." / am unable TO say whether
Scbrie was particularly deyoat, but he accepted
tho relief and Joined the symposium. 1t is
possible that the binding rain had something
TO do with his devoutness, but IL is unfair TO
ascribe it to that.
Well, we had deck-sIools and a couple Of
camp-chairs, while three OF US were squatted
on top Of my old sca-chcst. AS we had no
Chaplain on board, Capt. Greer was forced to
lead Oh, but he cut that part pretty short and
we began trying 10 sing some Of the Old-time
hymns that all Of US were familiar with. Pay
master Baughman, now dead, was almost an
artist in vocal music aud Chief Engineer Mel
vile NOV Chief Of the Engineering Bureaul
was close after him. For the rest Of Us / can't
say much, except that all hands joined loudly
IN on every tune, aud so VIC were engaged
when the meeting suddenly adjourned
JhHmp! thumpi crash
Holy Moses! but you should have seen the
crowd iu that deck-house. The fat doctor was
lying up close by the bureau; the Captain was
spTawled halfway over Tire big table; Berry,
Sebrie, Tyson, and White we're piled up in a
aud the rest were distributed. There was so
much of gale blowing at the time that the
ram when IT fell, came down at an angle of
almost 50o so you can imagine that il WhisIled
somewhat through the rigging.
Loud as the wind was, it was not loud
enough TO drown the sound OF the crash we all
heard when that "thump" came nor did it
doaien the trumpet tones of dear old Wilkins's
voice as he sung out: Hard a-starb0ard hard
down." Then be rang four bells, for full
speed ahead from the engine, aud, rs If to
emphasize the order he yelled Go ahead full
speed; give her all she'll take!"
There was a crashing sound Of crushing tim
bers. Of splitting sails and broken rigging. but
all came 50 quickly that We had hardly time
yet 70 pick ourselves up before Lieut.. Wilkins
presented himself inside, and steadying him
self against the starboard bulkhead, formally
reported 20 the Captain:
Struck an iceberg, sir, head on, and it IS
grinding under our p0rt-beam now. Fore-stay-
sail carried away, and about all tho head-gear
with il jib-boom and collar OF tho bowspIit
carried away"
How under the sun he had found out so much
in 50 short time as was contained i'm his brief
and eplgrammatic report, never could under
stand, hut he had it down lne Is we found out
later.
We were under close-reefed sail, laying pretty
close up into the wind with the propeleratab about
bali speed two belis) to help hold her, so that
our speed was about three knots with drift of
almost two knots more. In those waters, with
half thousand icebcrgs in sight at any time
in clear weather, the thermometer is Of no real
reliance to give warming Of the proximity Of
vessel 70 ice, while the barOmetcr-especiall
in the Fall Of the years in a chronic state Of
depression.
The berg we struck was seven or eight hun
dred feet high above the water. and about
quarter Of a milo long on the face where we
hit IL. The point OF contact was very near the
lecward end, and thus when our headwny was
checked by four successive thumps against the
ice, and the ship swung around against the
PERCEPTIONS wall, il was fully 10 minutes that
we ground along with the ice on our port beam
until we iloated clear OF the apparent danger
Mr. Wilkins was on the bridge at the time