Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-14


Table Island and Makes "a Cache.
TABLE ISLAND. SPITZBERGEN, May IL.
Tonight We are r1oored to the heavy ice
foot surrounding this far nor.herly rock
in latitude S0.45. We have not had a great
deal of trouble in getting to this high lat
itude, barring the last five or six miles,
which held US all day. 1t was early in the
morning that Captaia Bottelfsen found Il
necessary to stop the Jarl on account of
the young ice. A few hours before We had
been sailing through tempestuous sea,
which broke up all ice, while this morn
ing we were amid water SO calm that the
surface Of the sea was quickly covered
with a thin, tough film, through which
the ship could make no progress. But for
this impediment we should long ago have
been at Little Table Island. for which we
were steering when we went to bed last
night There we wish to make cache of
20U or 300 pounds OF provisions for use of
our boat and sledging parties on their re-
turn from the farther north next autumn.
1t Is q curious coincidence that Ii was up
his cache in 1897. He was there on the
I'D Of June. while this Is only the 18th Of
May.
Bucking the Ice.
At 10 this morning we started again to
try to cut our way through the immense
fields of young ice by which we were sur
rounded. Now and then We came to spots
In which the heavier ice had overrun the
lighter, adding an extra thickness and an
incredible amount of toughness. In order
to go through this 1t was necessary to run
astern and then head or. with all the force
of the engines. Half dozen such RAM
minss usually advanced us a ships length
and made the work very discouraging.
Nearly all day We were bucking the ice in
process by running line out ahead, an
choring 1t to the ice and hauling in with
the steam winch. This helped little.
Then We tried to do as the whaler used to
do in such emergencies-drop heavy tim
bers down from the bowsprit, first on one
side and then On the other, In an effort to
break up the ice. But the CONCEALED mass
YVES too soft to break in blocks, and the
most We could do was to punch holes
through the gelatinous but tough surface
without helping the snip at all.
Our men also got out on the ice, which
was scarcely strong enough to support their
weight, and used axes in cutting channels
ahead of the ship. While engaged in this
work Mr.. Juell fell through into the icy
waters and would have drowned had he not
taken the precaution to tie a rope about his
body before going overheard. We hauled
him iii, and in two or thu ee minutes he was
out on the ice again as if nothing had hap
pened. Our four Norwegian gentlemen from
Christiania prove to be capital hands in ice
work, afraid Of nothing, glorying in expos
ure and as strong as young giants.
About 1 in the afternoon the Jarl stall.d
completely. and finding no way to get On
we stopped the engines In order to save
our precious coal and took to eating and
smoking. In the arctics one can always
eat and smoke If he has enough meat and
tobacco, and as yet We have plentiful
supply of both. After dinner Capt. Bot
telfsen thought he saw a new opportunity
TO break through and reach the open water
rod IN LIGHT hot he
ship and Table Island provokingly near us
and yet very difficult to reach. So we made
steam again and renewed the process of
backing and ramming. Here we employed
still another device known to the whalers-
that of calling all hands on deck and CT
dering them to run to and fro from gum
vale to gunwale, thus giving the vessel a
slight rocking motion and greatly helping
1t TO worm its way through the ice, on the
same principle that man twists himself
about when trying to squeeze through an
opening much too small for him. After
four hours of hard work We we're pleased
to feel the Jarl give quick start and run
away at full speed in open water, with
Table Island dead ahead.
Curiosities of Young Ice.
While in the young ice We were inter-
ested in observing some of the curious eff
fects produced by nature. All over the
surface of this ice were crystalline forrna-
ii ms of pure white, resembling rosettes,
Caused by snow being caught in the water
turing the process of freezing. For the
most part these crystals were irreguiarly
aligned, but here and there the wind had
played curious pranks. now forming an
gular characters greatly resembling Eng
lish capital letters and again producing
figures very like Turkish or Armenian
script. In many places the ro3ettes We're
aligned in good imitation of the names of
persons, and one was seen which formed
almos- perfectly the letters of the name of
the writer's little daughter Rita.
All over the surface CT the sea the sheets
of young ice were coming into collision.
Ordinarily when two sheets of ice meet
the stronger conquers the weaker and COM
pels II to take the under side. But In these
instances there was no stronger.
Both we're formed at the same instant,