The Redwood gazette., 1894-12-06

we had feared An east wind was driving
the pack ice into the strait, with the pres
sure Of mile upon mile and billion upon
billion Of tons of ice outside for sledge
hammer. After crossing large number
Of channels from four to ten feet wide,
where the shore ice had split under the
pressure, we made an effort to short cut
across the westerly end of the moving
pack. Before We were aware of our dan
ger the screwing had entirely surrounded
us. In every direction could be heard its
ominous grind and swish and the clatter
Of pieces falling and bursting. There is
nothing frightful in the noise Of break
ing pack. All the work is done quietly,
slowly, almost stealthily. The screwing
creeps and laps upon you, submerging
some foes and breaking others into thou
sands of pieces and piling them high in air,
with silk stockinged feet and hands velvet
gloved, though mighty. In moment or
two the level foe on which we stood began
breaking up and the windward pieces to
ride and slide upon their neighbors to lee-
ward.
Come, quickly, governor exclaimed
Captain Petersen, leading the way.
We had race for life. The breaking
area had entirely surrounded us, but di-
rectly to leeward neck of the foe was not
as yet wholly destroyed. 1t was fast going
and in many places was torn through by
the pressure, and the channel formed by
the separation quickly filled with grinding
ice. Desperate as this road seemed, it was
our only chance In five minutes we should
surely perish where we were But in at
tempting an escape it was necessary to
make haste slowly. One false step might
mean death. Fortunately Captain Peder-
sen has had much experience in the ice.
With the skill of veteran and the cool
ness of an old sailor he picked his way,
sounding every foot of ice with his a1pen.
stock as he went. Much of the ice was rot
ten and was in process of disintegration
under the enormous pressure to which it
was being subjected. We travelled rod aft
er rod of this road, which under ordinary
circumstances we should not have at
tempted at all. In an emergency like this
we could not afford to be too particular.
At every other step we felt the ice giving
way underneath us. 1t was necessary to
step as lightly and quickly as possible.
Even while thu margins Of thin foes were
cracking and submerging as the terrible
pack bore down upon them and overrode
them we had to pick our way through the
quivering, sliding mass. Many time
there were channels of open water to cross.
Some of these we were able to leap over,
and others we ferried across by means of
small pieces of the foe which served us as
a boat. Once while making ferriage of
this sort the piece on which we were rid
ing, being of irregular shape, overturned
with our weight too near its edge, but
fortunately spilled us upon the solid ice
near by instead of into the sea. A still
larger piece, one that looked as solid as
the rocks of the island near by, rising
some Is feet above the level, toppled over
as we mounted it.
The pressure under it's windward edge,
being so great, precipitated us into the
bank of snow and debris, which it had it.
self ground and cut out of the pack and
piled before it as it swept along. Now and
then we had to wade up to our knees, our
feet upon quivering floor that was sub.
merged by heavier ones resting upon its
margin. This was not so bad when the
ice under us felt thick and solid, but tic
klish work it was when the footing consist
ed of nothing but perpendicular columns
of ice perhaps foot high, the honeycomb
left by the wearing away of the ice in the
tide rip of the strait. This surface was so
frightfully rough that Captain Petersen
several times slipped and lost his balance,
spr;, Wing full length in the icy pool and
getting up with many another slip and
tumble backward into the icy pool. In
crossing these pieces of submerged honey
comb ice there was the additional sensa-
tion, most unwelcome, of crumbling un-
der the feet, and we never knew at what
instant we would 60 down into the depths.
To sink through in such a place meant
death, for ones feet would be sure to SO
entangle themselves that he could not ex-
tricate himself, and his companion in en-
deavoring to rescue him would be sure tn
become involved in the same danger.
Once a thin foe broke under Captain
Pedersen's S feet, and he sank to his middle,
falling backward toward the firmer ice
and endeavoring to sa ve himself from sink
ing by throwing out his arms. The writ
er, fortunately for the doughty captain,
was close behind him and pulled him out
just as the substance under his body and
arms was giving way. A little later Cap
tain Petersen effected a difficult crossing
by means of leaping from one small piece
to another, but these pieces broke under
him and made it impossible for the writer
to follow. This left the captain on one
side of wide channel and myself on the
other, an unpleasant predicament for us
both, for in this hazardous work two men
should always be together, SO that one
may help the other in case of need, but
there was no other way now than to go it
alone and trust to luck and the exercise Of
extra precaution.
Porilnne Sitnafion
The writer made long detour in order
to find safer crossing and presently found
himself completely surrounded by screw
ing, tumbling ice. The most likely avenue
of escape was already breaking up, the
margins of two foes crumbling off as they
jammed together and the fragments shoot
ing upward. After standing few mo-
ments watching this display of the mighty
forces of nature belt eight or ten feet
wide at the margin Of the moving foe
broke off and was completely overturned,
its bottom side, icy white and full of large
holes where the sea had worn it away,
resting upward. Those heavy pieces
bridged the chasm, and, though they were
still in motion and might at any moment
break into small bits Or turn with their
narrow edges upward, standing perpendic-