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

irch. This Is what the arctic navigators
called being towed by an iceberg.
A number of large grounded bergs were
In the neighborhood. and fortunate for US
did their presence prove. They broke the
foes up by cutting these burrows through
them and enabled us to follow the openings
thus made for number Of miles, getting
first In the wake Of one berg and then of
another. These icebergs must have come
from some more northeriy land for the
Forth shore of Spitzbergen has no calving
S1ac.ers sucn as produce bergs of this size
mere are caiving glaciers on tie eastern
shore, but masses detached therefrom bv
Protrusicn into the sea would float south
ana not into this region
Help From the Wind.
When the bergs failed us another agency
came forward just in the nick of time to
neip US out A strong wind sprang I'D from,
me south and blew the ice offshore opening
up the Hoes With Incredible rapidity, ard
without interruption We continued our way
oooh 4 swell was perceptible. and we knew
mere must be plenty Of open water ahead
AT O'Clock the Ragnvald Jarl began to
pitch and roll in a heavy sea. ami NOT
piece OF Ice was to be seen In any direction
excepting streams of small pieces. which
mere and there thickly covered the surface
VI the roi Ing sea, forming a curious spec
tacie- Inc wind now increased to q gale
and out of Hinlopen strait which senarates
west Spitzoergen from Northeast Land-a
cold. stormy strait, much dreaded by the
"naiers-tne sea rolled with terrific force
L f TOUR hours, or as long as we were off
the HiHlopen, the Ragnvald JarI tossed
about like barrel on the waves. greatly to
the discomfort of some members of our
party. On the right could be seen Yer
ieSei nook, Welcome point-so called by the
early navigators in gratitude for having
passed the stormy Hinlopen-and the high.
land which lies back of Hecla cove, where
Sir Edward Parry had his ship. the Hecla.
harhOr ha xt-aS
orabie sledge journey over the pack With
a glass we could determine the position of
Mosei bay, where Baron Nordenskjold
passed the winter previous to his attempt
70 reach the north pole over the pack an
EFFORT which failed. or rather was not Sc
riously entered upon, on account of the loss
OF his reindeer and the condition of the ice
10 the north OF the Seven Islands
The Seven Islands.
In the early evening We made the land
near Low Island. Capt Bottelfsen having
stcered to the east in order to keep well
away from the pack Ice to the north while
the gale was still on. We came SO suddenly
upon the shore and shoai that but for the
alertness Of our skipper we might have run
aground, and escaped that misfortune only
by quickly veerins about and backing the
propeller. Being now In the lee of the land
We had sluooth water and fine weather. and
the Prov Of the Jarl was turned to the
northeast, the north cape of Northeast
Land and the Seven Islands being in plain
view.
In little more than twenty-four hours
We have traversed waters noted for their
difhculties with ice. and in which many
arctic expeditions have fiounderei about
quite horelessly. 1t was in this region that
Parry's ship was drifting In the pack ice
for month. How great our luck has been
may be judged by the fact that only three
times in the history of Spitz5ergen naviga-
ton. SO Tar as Is known. covering a period
Oh 40 years. have the Seven Islands been
reached in the first half Of May.
AS We go to bed the Seven Islands are
looming up on our starboard bow, and the
polar ice pack may also be seen to the
north The temperature Is - degrees F.
and Capt. Bottelfsen says the combina ton
OF cold and calm may give him trouble by
forming young ice the surface of the
sea, out we have made a remarkable run
along the north coast, and go to sleep with
light hearts.