The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1894-10-11

stop and wait, with little or nothing to do
and all day to do it in.
1t becomes a serious question with us
how we are to follow up the advantage
which our good fortune has given us. We
have not yet reached the polar pack, prop
erly speaking. Between the land and the
great northern ice lies belt of debris,
of the detritus Of the sea glacier, of the
the sweepings of the great ice magazine.
This is composed of detached masses from
the edge of the pack, shore ice, pieces
swept out of the fiords and straits and
sheets Of young ice, all jammed-or, as
the arctic navigators call it. screwed y
together. With the shore to offer resistance,
these masses telescope one another, grind
and twist and are bruken into frag-
ments and piled in hopeless confusion.
Over such ice it is as much as man can
do to climb or crawl. We know, because
we have tried it. Our boats and sledges
might be carried over such ice as this, but
it would be next to impossible. Should we
attempt it our rate of progress could not
be more than couple of miles day.
We knew before we came here that much
of such ice would be found along the shore
or between the land and the pack. 1t is
the result of what we have already de-
scribed as the process of throwing irresisti-
BILE motion against immortality. What
lies between is ground into powder. Our
plan was arranged not to traverse such ice
as this, or, if any of it, very little. The sur
face which we had made provision for was
that of the true polar ice, the undulating
foes broken by ridges of hummocks at
their margins. We had hoped to find q way
through the debris and to the main ice by
the ship.
We have today been seriously discussing
whether or not we shall leave the ship in
a day or two, abandon all efforts to steam
farther north and try the virtue of human
muscle. We say human muscle, because in
this sort of ice dogs will be absolutely use
less. Only power directed by reason is Of
avail here But for the present we are
debarred even this somewhat desperate
trial of strength, for the young ice about
the ship and existing everywhere perhaps
between the foes is not strong enough,
except here and there, to sustain the
weight of man. At the same time it is
too tough for q steamer to make Roadway
through, let alone small boat like the
Lockwood, the Parry or the Kane.
Some of our men go out on the ice to-
day to find, if they can, the carcass of the
she bear shot yesterday. They find traces
of her by the blood on the snow but final
ly lose the trail. Without much doubt she
crawled into the ice to die and was buried
by the pressure which piled huge blocks
upon her.
After consultation between the two ice
pilots and the officers of the expedition
it is agreed that OUT plan for a few days to
come will be as follows: To exercise pa
thence in waiting for favorable opening
of the debris ice to the north and then en-
deavor to push to the edge of the main pack
with the Ragnvald Jarl. This being our
plan, it may easily be imagined how anx-
| iously we watch the wind and the shifting
of the ice.
This evening, after a calm and for the
most part bright and enjoyable day, the
alert eyes Of Captain Bottelfsen detected
signs of a storm in the northeast, and he
| decided to move the steamer to a safer
| position. Some open water had appeared,
| and in that, if the wind should come on
to blow, the ship would be at least man.
ageable, so that some choice might be made
| of a place wherein to lie for safety from the
heavy ice. The question was how to get
her out of the pocket in which she had
been held for SO long, and this problem
was solved by all hands getting on the ice
with axes and oars and literally chopping
a channel 200 feet long for the hull to
make way through. This cost our men a
good three hours work and a number of
them . good wetting, but a little before
| midnight by dint of pushing and chop
ping, grand chorus of She do novel,
| went up in three or four languages.
Sach daredevils as our Norwegians are!
| IT they know what fear lis, they do not
show it in the manner in which they work
| upon little pieces of treaeherous ice, ap-
parently as Indifferent to falling into the
sea as the average American would be of
getting his feet wet. Professor French and
Mr.. Dodge, just to shozx that Americans
| are not to be outdone by any one, wallow-
ed about in the slush and took their share
| of the duckings too. With cigars and hot
coffee all around, musical instruments
and song, we made merry till far into tho
morning, all but Captain Bottelfsen un-
mindful of the lowering clouds and gath
ering fog in the northeast.
The Ice Cleared Away.
TUESDAY, May 15.-Officer of the day.
Professor French.
The morning showed us strong wind
from the east. justifying Captain Bottelf-
sens move of Last evening. The Jarl lay
quiet and secure, anchored to the shore ice
under the lee of Table island, while mod
crate gale from the east ragged outside The
ice had disappeared with surprising rapid
ity. Except that adhering to the shore,
none was to be seen in the neighborhood,
and the pack was just discernible to the
north and northwest. For the first time
since our arrival here there was a chance
to make little northing with the ship
Captain Bottelfsen expressed the opinion
that as long as the wind continued to blow
from the east it would be better to lie in
harbor, for the longer the wind kept up
the farther from shore would be the win
ter ice and small broken up foes by which
we had lately been surrounded. Moreover,
the high wind from the east would con-
sumo 80 much more coal In making north
ing and casting. 1t was decided. therefore,
that as long as the wind continued we
should remain where we are, keeping care
full watch for more promising opportuni-
ty to push on.
Coal power is an Important considera-
tion with us now. We brought out from