The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1894-12-13
train, which is often musical, paru1cularly
on frosty morning.


small, thin piece upon which stood, my
position was even more dangerous than I
then thought it. Naturally my first Inn
before had drifted out of their hearing
and ask them to come to my assistance
with the boat, but q moments reflection
told me it would be Is or 30 minutes be-
fore they could take down the awning,
stow the boat and overtake me, and by
that time the danger, if danger there was,
would be over. Besides must confess
pride had something to do with it One
does not like to admit he is unable to take
care of himself or that he has been foolish
enough to stand idle while the tide carries
him away to danger. So decided to take
care Of myself. Proflting by the expert
snoe which had had with Captain Peder-
sen in the screwing pack, with my ski
pole broke of piece of the foe about
six feet square, stepped upon it and gave
1t a mighty push toward the fast ice near
whose margin l was floating. But now
the tide was running so strong that it
swept me eastward with great rapidity
and neutralized the impetus of my push
Tor safety.
An Improvised Paddle.
Having missed the opportunity to land
upon the fast ice, it looked as if had
merely exchanged large foe for much
smaller one and was fated to be swept into
the maelstrom of heavy, grinding, crush
Ing masses in the middle of the strait. 1t
did not take me second to fealize that if
this occurred my life would not be worth
q kroner note, and that if anything were
ko ho dovo II xuo,,11 hovo ko ho dono uy,ioE.
ly. What most needed, it was easy to
see, was an oar or paddle, and as necessity
has oft before mothered invention SO peril
sharpened my wits. Pulling from my foot
one of the large boots which I wore,
pushed the bamboo stick through it's
straps, plunged it into the water and soon
found, to my great delight, that the i'm
provised paddle worked most admirably.
By using the wide open mouth of the boot
against the stroke was able to make fair
headway, and after ten minutes of hard
work managed to reach the stationary ice
and make good my escape. Five minutes
later the little piece on which had been
floating was ground to pieces between the
heavy masses that were revolving one
against another in the center of the tidal
current.
The turning of the tide gave us a chance
to get across the strait, and reused the
men and prepared for the journey. After
crossing a belt of rotten ice, where we
were often compelled to wade to our knees,
we emerged into lake left by the reced
ing masses. The bottom was covered with
white rocks, and seal, walrus and two
'white fish," or white whales, now ex-
oeedingly rare, were disporting in the clear
waters. One great iceberg stood on the
ground in this lake, and we could see its
massive feet, worn and wasted by the
tides and fashioned into the most pictur-
esque shapes, reaching out for many feet
in every direction. Beautiful as it was, we
gave it wide berth for fear of its over
turning. Sometimes these huge bergs are
20 wasted away underneath that the slight
est motion of the water or gust Of. wind
will throw them of their balance and
cause them to overturn. The rippling Of
an oar has been known to overturn a mass
weighing many thousands Of tons, over
whelming boat and boatmen, but 1t Is
hard to believe the story which Sailor
Boervig tells of having once seen q
mighty berg capsize because q sea gull had
alighted upon one Of its edges.
We were now joined by DR.. Mohun and
his three men with the Parry and set out
to recross Dove bay. 1t was q most diff
cult crossing, and at one time it looked as
II we should not be able to get through at
all. The surface was not 20 very rough,
for now the ice is fast wasting away by
thawing and evaporation, and all the
sharp corners are worn round and soft.
The tidal action which opened up the lake
for us between the islands has also cut up
the Ice in Dove bay, producing innumera-
BILE cracks and much rotten ice. For three
days we 1oundered about in this discour-
aging mess, and for an idea of our strug-
giles, labors and dangers refer you to the
following extracts from my journal:
A Test Of the Equipment.
this morning before every man in the
party was wet to his middle, and those whn
took the trouble to change their wet cloth
ing for dry had their pains for nothing,
for in few minutes they were wet again.
For my part, did not bother to change,
but plodded along all day with one-half Of
the person soaking and did not find it
very uncomfortable. 1t is nothing when
you get accustomed to it, and by this time
we know too we'll what it is. At times 1t
was almost comical to see one of the boats
plowing through the rotten ice and we
poor devils jumping from one submerged
foe to another up to our hips in water and
compelled partly to ride upon the boat and
partly to leap from piece to piece in order
to keep from going in up to our necks.
Once in awhile man would 60 right
through rotten hole that had every ap
Continued on 7th page.)