Alpena argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1893-1909, 1894-01-17
The Frozen Ship.

OHe serene evening Ill tne Hlluule
of August, 1775, Captain Warrens,
the master Of the ship Greenland,
whale ship, found himself becalmed
among an immense number of ice
bergs, in about II degrees of north
latitude. On one side, and within
a mile of his vessel, these were of
immense height and closely wedged
together; and a succession of snow
covered peaks appeared behind each
other as far as the eye could reach,
showing that the ocean was COM
pletely blocked up in that quarter,
and that it had probably been so
for long period of time. Captain
Warrens did not feel satisfied with
his situation; but there being no
wind, he could not move either one
way or the other, and he, therefore,
kept strict watch, knowing that
he would be safe as long as the ice
bergs continued in their respective
places.
About midnight the wind rose to
gale, accompanied by thick show
ers of snow, while a succession of
laundering, grinding and crashing
noises gave fearful evidences that
the ice was in motion. The vessel
received violent shocks every mo-
ment, for the haziness of the atmo-
sphere prevented those on board
from discovering in what direction
the open water lay, or if there ac-
tually was any at all on either side
of them. The night was spent in
tacking as often as any cause of
danger happened to present itself;
and in the morning the storm abat-
ed, and Captain Warrens found to
his great JOY that his ship had not
sustained any serious injury, He
remarked with surprise that the
accumulated icebergs which had on
the preceding evening formed an
impenetrable barrier, had been sep
arated and disarranged by the wind,
and that in one place a canal of
open sea wound its course among
them as far as the eye could discern.
1t was two miles beyond the en-
trance of this canal that a ship
made its appearance about noon to
the great astonishment Of the crew
of Greenland. The sun shone
brightly at the time, and gentle
breeze blew from the north. At
first some intervening icebergs pre-
vented Captain Warrens from dis
tinctly seeing anything but her
masts; but he was struck with the
strange manner in which her sails
were disposed, and with the dis
mantled aspect of her yards and
rigging. She continued to so be-
fore the wind for a few furlongs,
and then grounding upon the low
icebergs, remained motionless.
Captain Warrens' curiosity was
so much excited that he immedi-
ately leaped into his boat with sew
eral seamen, and rowed toward her.
On approaching, he observed that
her hull was miserably weather.
beaten, and net soul appeared on
the deck, which was covered with
snow to considerable depth. He
hailed her crew several times, but
no answer was returned. Previous
to stepping on board, an open port
hole near the main chains caught
his eye, and on looking into it he
perceived man reclining back in a
chair, with writing materials on
table before him, but the feebleness
of the light made everything very
indistinct. The party went upon
deck, and having removed the hatch
way, which they found closed, they
descended to the cabin. They first
came to the apartment which Cap
tain Warrens viewed through the
port-hole. A tremor seized him
as he entered it. Its inmate re-
tanned his former position, and
seemed insensible to strangers. He
was found to be a corpse, and a
green damp mould had covered his
cheeks and forehead, and yelled his
open eye-balls. de had pen III
his hand, and a log-book lay before
him, the last sentence in whose un-
finished page ran thus: NOV. IA,
1852. We have now been enclosed
in the ice seventeen days. The fire
went out yesterday, and our master
has been trying ever since to kindle
it again, without success. His wife
died this morning. There is no re-
lief"
Captain Warrens and his seamen
hurried from the spot, without ut
tering a word. On entering the
principal cabin the first object that
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