The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-11-12

made for the last desperate struggle TO-
ward the north by fitting out the Lock
wood and crew Of eight men, cutting
on eyesy ounce Of weight thst could possi-
nv he dispcDsoa with ord taking fuel and
prsvisisns for - days. The Parry was
left hehins with Dr.. Mohun and three
man under orders 10 wait aweek and then
make their way back to Walden island.
Great was the disappointment OF me
men who weno assigned 10 stay bohlad'
Cnpronisin2 as was the effort 10 pnsh ,hi
nofTs every man In the party wanted 10
GO with the lockwood
So We bads sOodby 20 Our comrades ef
the Parry Drew, hauled our boat and two
siedses 10 tho oago o. TIE tice hole ana
embarked. lry you Lan seen tho hti" Lock
wood a ne scs cut, you wouia have saic
we were fCoihGgUy 10 venture from the
shore in her. First she had been slowed
with the sleeping bags, extra clothing
bags, cooking apparatus, alcohoi case,
awning, weapons, instruments and great
variety Of Articles Indispensable to trip
of this sort Befoye man set foot In the
boat she was comfortably full, her three
tlwarts being completely covered and her
water tight compartments pilod high with
freight. II was difficult TO see how man
WAS W lOCih Aii hCif sNe Nft'N
men did lind places TO squeeze themselves
IN, and we soon had an opportunity to OBJ
serve how good sailer the Lock ood Is
Though very iophcavy, and wiki our two
aluminium sladges t,vod hehiiid, she rode
the waves rs gracefully "a an elder duck.
The first day OFT we had fine example
OF what 80 could DO IN the way Of travel
amid reasonably favorable conditions. In
two hours with wind and tide against us,
we rowed two miles TO the northeast. In
three hours more over tho smooth ice in
the leo of the Reps island, we pulled our
Q, 800 pounds at one load and made two
miles more. With some good Ice like this,
some leads OF water to boat through and
fair share of rough ice TO get over we could
easily make from 10 60 20 miles day.
Were we now upon the main or truo polar
pack we venture 20 say wo could average
= dozen miles a day, and 30 days OF such
travel would carry us very near TO the
north pole. We see now more clearly than
ever before what fiue chance wa have
lost by the radical change which came over
the season in May. Had the winds been
from the northeast, as thoy usually are in
this region IN early summer, 30 or 40 days
ago we might have enjoyed Parry expe-
rience Of boating through the drift Ice to
the heavier foes farther north. But the
northwest winds have piled the winter ice
in hopeless confusion upon all this coast.
We cannot create conditions, but only
struggle against them. For three days we
threw our strength against the ice wall
which we found barring the way to the
north. For three days we worked as we
had never worked before. No words of
mine will serve 90 give you an adequate
conception of the nature Of that hopeless
struggle In sn hour after we had left the
shore Of the Reps every man in tho party
realized that we were attempting the i'm
possible Near the coast the ice Is piled
90 or 30 feet high. To get over these OBJ
structions we had to lift the boat by main
-strsnsth-- -QlLen Ii was necessary to get
out the block and tackle and advance by
inches As soon as we get over one of
these barriers wa find ourselves in pocket
OF loose ipo aud water. There Is not water
enough To- pash the bont through nor ice
enough for the men TO find footing upon
1t il mere sludge, neither the one thing
nor the other The men cannot cross ahead
Of the boat with line for fear of falling
In and drowning before assistance can
reach them.
1t is necessary for all hands to stay by
the boat that they may have something 10
cling to when they End themselves half
immersed tn the SEA by the overturning OF
. small piece Of ice, as they do every few
minutes One of the men gets upon a
piece of Ice large and buoyant enough 10
sustain his weight, but the instant he
throws his strength upon the load the
piece sinks in the water. capsizes and
plungss him in. With his boots full Of ice
water no chambers upon the boat and
looks for another piece of ice which he
hopes will sustain his weight. While he is
doing this his comrades are having just
the same experience, and the result Is that
fully half the men are forced TO ride in the
boat al ths time. In this way we founder
and struggle along Inch by inch until we
have crossed the pool and reached the mass
of higher ioe on the other side. There the
boat must be lifted out Of tho soup, rs our
men call the pools Of sludge, by main
strength no easy task, considering that
at first only two or three mon can find
footing upon which TO exert themselves,
while most of the others flnd it necessary
to add their weight to that of the craft.
Amusing Predicaments.
Still we keep up the work. We struggle
through pool after pool and over barrier
after barrier We are all wet to the skin,
from our toes TO our waists, and some Of
us have been soaked to our neeks. There
is something ridiculous as well as provok-
ing about it all, and we have our joke and
" laugh Notwithstanding the seriousness of
= the situation When gallant Captain Pa
dersen measures bis length in D pocket Of
sludge and finally pulls himself out ana
sits on ths gunwale, rubbing his bruised
knees, tho men set UP shout and ask
him how ho likes soup. When Professor
French, our astronomical observer, takes
header into the sludge and crawls out,
oil bedrasgled and not little daaed, the
boys ask him IL he has seen any stars.
But why give further details of our three
days vain struggle against the obstacles
which confronted uss 1t is not necessary
to repeat over and oyer the story of lift
- -. !. Il - -
8 80. { 49, c;ss
= .s,l1 I'D ..egy ! ~ ssS - T.