The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1894-11-22


everything had been moved q hundred feet
farther up on the ice and with some heavy
blocks between Us and the wind. Even
here we did not know but 1t would be
necessary to move again before morning
should the wind 60 more to the north, but
we decided to risk it and crawled again
into our snug bags.
y Our progress today was very encourag
ing. We rowed about IL miles in 81 hours.
Only one Of the three aluminium boats,
the Parry, leaked at all, and that very lit
tie Any wooden boat would have been
splintered into kindling wood by the rough
usage to which our light metal craft have
been Subjected. Our aluminium sledges,
dashed rigidly to bamboo poles, tandem,
took kindly to the water. 1t is almost i'm
possible to capsize them, and their con-
tents were perfectly dry. With any other
form of sledge than this it would have
been impossible for us to have made the
boat voyage of today, for the simple rea-
son that the boats could not carry all the
load.
June s.-We spent the morning thor
oughly repairing the Parry, Tightening
her rivets. A novelty of the breakfast was
the choice OF the Norwegians to eat their
slice OF bacon raw instead Of having it
cooked. The weather was incredibly hot,
with temperature Of 34H degrees F. in
the shade and perhaps 80 degrees in the
sun. We actually suffered from the heat.
Here for the first time in our journey we
were able to scoop up perfectly fresh wa
ter from the base of the high pieces of ice.
We left notice of our visit under cairn
on the rocks of Cape Platen.
AS we took to the water at this after
noon the wind sprang up from the north
west, with snow, quickly changing the
summer scene to one of decided wintry as
pect. 1t proved a good sailing breeze, and
we hoisted our canvas and sped away to
the east, following the shore ice after 60
ing mile or SO, the Lockwood and the
Kane towing the two pairs of sledges after
them. We had to stop at the edge of the
shore ice and wait an hour or more in the
driving snowstorm for the wind to clear a
way for us. A queer scene our party made
standing about upon the ice in the midst
of white desert, the boats rapping and
tapping against the margin of our frozen
shore. Though the land was but mile or
two to the south, we could see it only at in
tervals. Dreary as the aspect was, our men
proved cheerful in it's midst. Professor
French and Captain Petersen went ahead
to mount high pieces of ice and look for
an opening. Mr.. Dodge, as usual, struck
up a bit of song, in which the Norwegians
joined.
DIR. Mohun and others found snug rest
ing places in the lee of masses of ice.
Presently narrow strip of open water
appeared ahead of u.s. and we set out. The
wind was almost a gale, and whenever we
got far from the shore ice the big waves
made our little boats dance a lively tune.
The Kane fell far behind, and we soon
signaled the Lockwood to join the Parry
at the edge of the ice and wait for her.
When she came up, we held a council of
war, and as a result of it issued orders
that all the boats should keep as near the
shore ice as possible, and that the Parry
should take the Kane, with its sledge, in
tow. Our idea in this was that near the
fast ice the water was smoother than far
ther out, and that in case of trouble to Ell
ther of the boats the shore ice would be
near at hand to make fast to. This seemed
a wise precaution, and if the order had
been carefully obeyed we should have had
no trouble. But about o'clock in the
afternoon, before we had realized that
danger threatened, the Parry and the
Kane found themselves in a most perilous
situation. We came to a deep bay in the
shore ice, across the mouth of which the
wind was blowing with tremendous force.
At first it was our intention to cut across
the sea end of the bay and around the
point of ice beyond. But, seeing the Lock
wood working up the bay, evidently to
make camp for supper, we changed our
course and endeavored to follow Into the
blight. 1t came near being Il fatal change
of plan for us. As the Parry and Kane
were brought about broadside to the wind
and their sails taken in the gale swept
them with amazing rapidity toward the
edge of the ice, where the surf was tossing
in the air and large and small pieces of ice
were surging up and down furiously. Be
fore the men could get out the oars-and
in the strong wind it would not have
made any difference if they had been al
ready manned--we were upon the lee shore
of the bay. 1t was a critical moment, but
luckily every man kept his head With
oars and boat hooks we held the two boats
off the ice the best we could, though,
with all our efforts, we ground against it
with force which threatened to destroy
the craft under our feet and leave us
ing come broadside on, our danger was the
greater, and the first thing we endeavored
to do was to swing the stem outward and
force an entrance bow on. So great was
the pressure of the wind that at one mo-
ment it looked as if we should not be able
to do this, and that the expedition would
be wrecked, even if some of us did not
lose our lives. The boats We're bobbing
up and down like pair of corks in storm
tossed sea, and the aluminium sledges,
containing 1000 pounds of our precious
food, were without protection astern the
Kane and in imminent danger of being
ground to pieces. Few words were spoken
in this moment of peril save by those in
authority. Every man worked for dear
life, and we soon had the infinite satisfac-
tion of seeing the bow of the Parry point
ed in between two large pieces, where the
force of the wind, joined to our efforts,
soon drove her farther. In few seconds
the men had jumped out upon floating
pieces, though partly submerged, which
We're moving up and down in the surf and
threatening to go to pieces at any mo-
ment.
Standing in water up to their knees,
they pulled the Parry farther toward the
solid ice, and in few seconds more we