The Washington times., 1904-01-17
BY PERCY F. MONTGOMERY.


TF hansen. or perhaps Peary. had
been aboard the ST Louis on her
4 last trip. he would have been quite
at home since they, perhaps. I'm all
their Arctic experiences. encountered no
rougher weather and. save for lower
temperature. no greater stress OF storm
and snow. From the time she left the
north coast OF France far Off to the east
OF her stern and butted the rising waves
the passengers remained prisoners of
winter below decks.
Winter Storm at Sea.
A storm at sea Is no pretty sight, de-
spite poetic ideas 10 the contrary. and
when the spray reaches the masthead
and every object outside the reach of
the genial heat of a steam pipe be-
comes phantom in icy form. the real
ity Of IL all Is painfully impressed on the
vOyager's mind.
Sometimes with her nose blowing the
waves. and again with the propeller
tearing madly in the free space astern
when she plunged; sometimes half on
her side. the big steel ship beat her
way westward for six days in the north
Atlantic blizzard. and lay to In the fog
in the lower harbOr of New York.
A Welcome Wireless"
Nobody knew where they were nor
how far land was away until a wire
less came for one of the passengers
from of Nantucket. Information was
given out that she would try to dock
Monday at in the morning. This was
Saturday night. With the blowing over
OF the snow squall and the lifting of the
heavy gray clouds a little after dawn
ul,o L. L.,
ready TO get up the river and touch land
again. Somehow. it seemed farther
away than ever before. On deck the
busy sailors shoveled snow away and
the frozen rails and decks were cleaned
OF their coating of ice by beating them
with wooden clubs and Delaying pins. in
order to be ready TO work the ship when
she landed. At l in the afternoon she
moved forward again amid the mass of
tramp ice. and carefully picked her way
toward the narrower channel of the in
ner harbor. A tiny boat came along
side and the customs and quarantine Of
fcials made their inspections. and at
1:20 she left Quarantine and steamed
toward her dock.
Worked With Bare Hands.
Out on the forward promenade deck in
a thirty-mlle wind, sailors worked with
bare hands at ropes and steam hoists
and signal flags. Up in the bridge stood
the captain. in a Southwestern and long
rubber coat Reaching to his very eyes
was a canvas sheet TO keep away the
wind. and so solidly frozen was it that
when the order to lower 1t down was
sung out. the men who responded had
to beat IL into submission with big clubs
for five minutes before Il would move.
Far forward. with his hands rammed
down in his pockets. and only his eyes
visible, stood the deck officer. in charge
Of the forward part OF the ship, his
eyes watching first the ice below and
then the busy men about him. Slowly
almost so slowly that she did not seem
to move at an-the big liner crept up
toward the city. until the tops of the
towering office buildings peeped through
the hazy air. and the first sigh OF re-
lief escaped the beleaguered passengers.
Difficulty in Docking.
They were home at last; they were in
sight OF their very homes, some OF them.
But. alas the sea holds many secrets.
and Sunday afternoon had much OF nov
city in store for the St. Louis before the
end of the long journey should be an ac-
complished fact. of the Battery four
tugs came longside. the white clouds of
steam from their tunnels hiding them
at times from the upper deck OF the
ship. At In the afternoon the pier was
reached, and the struggle for mastery
OF the sea became even greater than
when out in the open water beyond
Sandy Hook. For many days tramp ice
had been coming down the Hudson, and.
with the current ebbing and flowing
twice a day. the pier channels had be-
come blocked and frozen with ice over
two feet thick. Like dogs lowering about
a freed coon, these miniature ships
steamed this way and that TO get a hold
on the steamer and land her safe and
sound. Inch by inch she slipped past
the dock, up stream, until il seemed as
II she was to be carried on up the river
TO its very head waters, so anxious did
everyone become.
Fighting the Harbor Ice.
The hand OF the man on the bridge
made a turn at the electric signal and
she ceased trembling and the engines
stopped again. Then with two tugs at
her bow and three at her stern she
moved foot or two inshore But IL
was not so easy as it looked. For
an hour they worked. First the ship $
engines and then the tugs worked to
force her round against the ice and the
ebbing current and head her PROV up
into the slip. With a cast that would
have made lariat thrower OF the plains
green with envy sailor far up forward
threw a fine line over TO the dock.
Eager hands caught Il and hauling It
I'm hand over hand they pulled a two
inch hawser ashore and made it fast
At bitt on the dock The end OF Il on
the ship was fastened TO "A windlass and
the donkey engine sung away merrily
until the slack stretched taut and
held for an instant. With the report
OF a cannon IL parted and they tried
again and again.
Then a hawser four inches through
was dragged, after almost superhuman
~~OoON~~~N0NOODNN
ICE TOO HART