Durango semi-weekly herald., 1904-06-09
THROUGH egnalNo STRAIT.

We left Nome on July 10th. and
about week later landed at East
Cape Station IN Siberia. A few days I
passed in getting our outfits sorted, |
selecting boats. etc. When all ready |
TO start we were detained two days |
by storm.
Monday morning. July 27. the wind |
Gained down and we loaded our boat |
and made ready to start, but found |
We had little too big a load for our |
canoe. Some natives from around tho |
cape were at the station trading, and !
the agent arranged with them to take
part of our camp equipment in their
skin canoe.
We left. therefore. part of our sup.
plies on the beach and with the sur
face of the sea smooth MS glass. with
scarcely a breath Of air stirring and
the sun shining brightly, as 1t occas-
ionally does on the coast in the north.
we boarded our heavily laden canoe
and pulled out TO sea. ed had the
oars. while padded and steered from
the stern.
East Cape Station lays just around
the point OF land that forms the
southern point Of the neck OF land
that borders Behrius Straits. so TO
round this point we headed southeast
The station lays in low sand spit,
but toward the cape the land rises
abruptly 10 group Of mountain peaks
known as East CaUe mountains
We skirtei the base OF these cliffs
until the point was reached, and there
We were confronted by dilhcnlty not
unexpected, The beach along the
coast OF the strait was filed with
floating cakes OF ice which swayed
back and forth with the moving tide,
covering the sea for a distance out
from the land that was impossible to
determine from our little cockleshell.
To run In between the moving pieces
looked hazardous, and while we wait.
ed. discussing the best method of
procedure. | suggested that We row
out TO sea and find how far out the
ice lay and II II would not be possible
to row around it. made serious
mistake and the consequences came
near casting us dearly.
We rowed straight to seaward for
perhaps twenty minutes, and the ice
continued as far as we could see, al
though, as we rose on the top of the
swell which was rising | fancied that
just a little further out | could catch
the CLEAN of open, shining water.
wanted to go further, but Ed said no,
and then our troubles began. We had
traded positions and | had been row
ing for some time, when we turned
about and made for the point
slight wind sprung up from OF shore.
and soon noticed that the ice cake
which we had passed so readily on
the way out hung steadily alongside
as we tried 10 return, and II was only
by the most dificult endeavors and
the hardest kind OF Juggling that we
could get away from 1t at all. Then
the wind swung a big foe OF ice away
from the shore, which drilted around
and cut us OFF from the land. We re-
allied then for the first time that a
current was flowing southwark from
the point, running strongly, silently
and steadily out 10 sea. that we We're
directly in its grip surrounded by huge
grinding masses OF ice, and that the
wind was rising.
Desperately we rowed and padded,
changing places every half hour, max.
ing detours to get out. OF the current
and avoid the ice. Two hours must
have passed in back-brenking toll, dur.
ing which We barely held our own un-
I'll we found that by veerlng steadily
back toward the station we reached
quieter water. When we finally got
TO comparative safety from further
drift we We're about mile out to sea,
and not to exceed Ave miles from the
the station we had left. We headed
in for the point. keeping well inside,
and avoiding the treacherous current.
We reached the shore at last and
found ourselves in exactly the same
position we had been in three hours
before Barring our way in front
there stretched wall of ice, separat
ed from MS only by the current OF icy
water Of dangerous swiftness, which
we afterwards learned from the ma
tives flows there continuously.
This current, since we had learned
its secret, was easy to avoid. but the
ice was different To land where we
We're was impossible as towering cliffs
rose straight from the water line. but
we were not disposed TO turn back.
Watching for an opportunity we saw
an opening between the ice and rowed
swiftly across the current and headed
: through the ice for the beach, which
we had seen from ont at sea, around
the point Dodglng he flowing ice,
twisting this way and that we made
our way through and run the nose
of our boat into the sand.
Hi yi!" HI yi!" The friendly it,
tie esquimaux children pouuced down
TO meet us from their play ground ON
the rocks before We had even landed,
and their willing hands pulled our
boat high and dry on the nice sand.
Hardly had this been accomplished
when more hi yi's" announced the
coming Of the native boat with the
rest of our outfit For some unknown
reason they had not appeared all the
time we We're struggling against the
current. but were promptly on hand
as soon as we had breasted it unalded.
They knew all about the current,