Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-09-29
THE JARL COMPLETELY ICE BOUND

which came near getting US into serious
trouble. An iceberg came within a trice Of
costing us the destruction, or at least the
serious injury, of the Ragnvald Jarl.
Capt Petersen, who has a nose for hear
was sitting In the forecastle telling sailors
yarns when he happened to spy two bears
on the ice near the ship. Cautioning every
one 10 Keep quiet, the captain seized his
winchester and generously gave the other
cunning men the tip. Such a scrambling for
guns and cartridges as there was for a
couple of minutes! Capt. Petersen, Mr.
Dodge. MIR. Franklin and Mr. wastfalt
rushed on deck, guns in hand, and saw two
Ice bearS-one large one and one smaller a
mother and her cub-about 100 yards from
the ship. Six or eight shots were fired, and
the cub fell to the ice, the blood flowing
from two wounds. The mother bear was
nit, too. for a great red blotch appeared
upon Ter side. and at the wound she bit
savaSely, imagining in her vain rage that
her tormentor was near at hand. Reluct-
antly and slowly she moved away, turning
about every few moments to look at her
poor cub kicking his last in the snow.
Though Mr.. Wastfalt fired several N ore
shots with his long range Krex-Jorgenson
rifle, he was not able to hit the mark and
the dam dragged herself into some heavy
zee and out Of view, leaving q bloody trail
after her.
Some of our Norwegians put the small
aluminium boat overheard fastened skis to
their feet and went over the thin, spongy
ice after their prey. Two or three of them
narrowly escaped falling through into the
water, but there is no ice 50 thin or weak
that a Norwegian Is afraid to go over with
. pair of skis under him.
While we were all busy with this bear
hunt a large foe Of pack ice and pressed-up
shore ice had been stealing in behind us.
Capt Bottelfsen was the first to notice the
danger and at once began efforts to move
the ship, but she had been SO tightly wedged
In by the pressure of the heavy ice behind
that 1t was next to impossible to move her.
After a two hours struggle, in which the
column of heavy ice came closer and closer,
I'm time completely cutting off the egress.
Capt. Bottelfsen changed his tactics and ran
an area OF the thin ice, but toward open
water After another hour Of hard work,
with all hands out breaking the ice and try
ng to help the ship through, Capt. Bottelf-
sen came into the cabin and announced that
ne was unable to go any farther. The
streams of pack ice had closed in around the
snip, completely cutting of escape to a
large bay Of open water lying to the south
west.
We were not wholly grieved by this an
nouncement, for the only avenue of escape
was toward the south, and at this season of
the year We are radically and constitution
ally opposed to going in that direction We
did not at all like the idea of giving up
even the few miles Of the handsome north
ern advance which we have made and were
therefore, quite reconciled to the imminent
freezing In when Capt. Bottelfsen gave 1t as
his opinion that the ship was in no danger
whatever. now that she was In the midst of
the pressure of the heavy masses driving
down with the northwest wind began press
Ing the thin ice about the ship.
We could hear the grinding and sliding
and now and then the Jarl quivered and
srssked az she felt the force Of tie prss-