Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1892-11-12
IN A GREAT SEA OF ICE
AN AMERICAN BARK IN THE
SOUTH ATLANTIC.
A Vessel Hemmed la by Icebergs But ls
Miraculousiy saved While Sailing
Among $4,000 Antarctic
Palaces.

Captain Joseph Swain, OF tho Amer
lean bark Alice had one OF the most
remarkable and perilous voyages ever
made by an American sailing vessel,
The Alice left Auckland New Zea-
land laden with gum and flax. She
encountered fair winds and in just
thirty days rounded Cape Horn and
entered the waters OF the South At
lantic. One morning soon after Mate
Hensen entered the captains cabin and
exclaimed. in evident apprehension:
There's something wrong, captain!
| sight land of the starboard bow"
Captain Swain went on deck. and
through his glasses made out Mate
Hensen's land to be AN iceberg OF
inky blackness Within an hour
eight more bergs were sighted those
to starboard being jet black and
those to port a vivid green Each
passing half hour resulted in the dis
coyery OF mere icebcrgs, all bearing
down toward the Alice
The captain crowded on all sail in
the hope of running away from his
threatening neighborS but he bore
down upon the largest field OF leo re-
ported by sea captain in recent
years.
This was in latitude 4S deg. 40 min.
south and longitude 80 deg. east.
Standing on a yard Captain Swain
and Mate Hensen easily counted 800
bergs OF all sizes and three distinct
colors. In height the icebergs varied
from an estimated forty feet to be-
tween 400 and 800 feet They were
behind. beside and in front of The lit
tie bark as far away as the eye could
see and many of the smaller ones
| touched sides with the vessel Ii be.
came bitterly cold. The thermome-
ter which had registered 81 deg. fell
to zero and the members OF the crew
suffered intensely.
The vessel sailed along in this sea
OF ice fresh breeze blowing steadily
until nightfall when by the grace
OF God as Captain Swain says the
wind died down into very moderate
breeze
10 this fact we owe our saliva.
tiou. said Captain Swain. Had the
wind remained fresh at night we
would certainly have been crushed.
As il was we were able TO keep up
enough light sal to navigate but
even then death stared US In the face
for two nights.
Both nights | kept all my fourteen
men on deck. the mate forward near
the forecastle, myself amidships and
two men at tue wheel Even then
we had at least two dozen hair.
breadth escapes from collision with
some monster bergs IL vas only by
the closest lookout and the most
prompt work at the wheel that we
were able to just escape running into
bergs directly ahead. Running slow
rs we did. the danger was Iessened
for we practically drtfted along in the
icy channel. With the dawn OF day
came fresher breeze and we en-.
deavored TO sail away from the ice
bergs and | think in the sail OF that
day we must have passed at least
/. 800 bergs OF different sizes. for at nc
time did We sight less than 200 81
them.
1t was tine most exciting and
perilous voyage OF my life continued
the captain, and have rounded thai
Horn thirty times. ! never expected
TO see land again.
But what fantastic shapes those
monster bergs took You could con
jure up churches domes steeples.
gigantic men and animals OF all de
scriptions. A peculiar thing about
them wns that all were black on one
side and white or green on the Other
side. | can only account for tn,
blacknoss Of many OF them By theil
age and having broken away from
land. One berg must have been Al
least 500 feet high. As two-tnirds o
an iceberg is below water this mad,
total height OF !. 800 feet.
1T was not until midnight OF tn,
22d that we Gnally escaped them. aut
just in time. for before dawn we wer,
struck by northeas:er that devel
oped into one Of the severest hurri
canes 1 have ever been in. This hur
ricaue lasted twelve hours but In
Alice stood it well-better than m,
tired crew. from that time on we ha,
} splendid weather and made tie yoy
. age from Auckland to New York Ii
eighty three days"
Cost Of Che snItan's Eaarem.
, The maintenance OF the sultan