The sun., 1905-10-22
"-HE TICHTEST PLACE
WAS EVER IN"
no,id Vsndsrsry Tell ThsH Hdosnf1ssa
w--AMoNs THE POLAR ICE rLoEs
BY capt f. G. Iaehson

storm ana oense mia, atnnd ~ Nothing
toul,I he eern bat q hatfow c'ftlN ufanafv,
storm loescd ara, With towcfins waves
which each fuoiuent threatened Ia swallow
M Up
The storm continued With inctcaaine vioa
hne~ and by n p N n was blowing ffeeh
sale. snd IN the g,pts e,ronG gale our
bos, wss making Ia, ~ leeway and fs,ddly
leaving the land.
wssthefIns Cape Nrale hooked more than
proh,ematlcal Huge breakers threatened
10 ajoh IN at every moment. rising likc
mountains over Our heads andeach aeeined
ready 10 ensulf n
slret and anow continued inceasantly
throushoM the night II waa bitterly cold
and We were very tired and hungry, but o,ir
boat reaui rcd such constant bainG ont and
other work. and there were such difficulties
In the way Of reaching food that taking any
was out Of the question. Thus We rode out
the night, expecting every moment to 20
down.
During the following day matters In no
way improved. II blew harder than everi
tremendous cross seas were running.
which often rendered II impossible to head
them properly. We were, however, still
anoat, but shipping LOT Of water and only
by inoessant bailing did we get the boat
clear again,
Three or four times we were all but rolled
completely over and half filed, but managed
to right her.
About I p. NJ. a Jagged mass OF ice fouled
our sea anchor and cut it adrift, rendering
the boat even less under control than before.
Our lives entirely depended on our breasting
the waves. To attempt to recover that
anchor was out OF the question.
Only once or twice during the second day
did we get any glimpse Of the position ofthe
land through the snow and sleet II was
certainly growing more and more distant
Sleep was ont OF the question. Heavy
seas constantly washed over ua, yet strange
TO say, especially when on duty in holdins
the boats head up to the sea- experienced
the very greatest difficulty in keeping
awake, notwithstanding l knew that We
should all 20 to the bottom at once II failed
to do so. Once or tw ice ! nearly dropped
off in spite Of myself.
Thus we spent yet another night, the gale
fury The third day dawned, it was blowing
as hard az ever, but now changed TO the
north and northwest with inceesant snow.
The swell and the cross seas were very
high, the latter often icing very tumutuii i
deficient in houyancy, and as she rolled
she shipped water over either gunwale.
TO remedy this as much as possible and
to give her more freeboard, we threw
away such articles as were hea'y ano
could hest he spared.
Our position vas most precarious; not
word was spoken. yet every man telt that
the chance Of life was very small ana tnat
we were in all probability .n bound na,aod 1od tne
bottom: and the cairn and the record We
had left on Cape Neale would be the last
that would lie heard Of Us.
On the afternoon Of the third day, to our
, immense relief, lull in the storm occurred.
the clouds to the north east lifted som someInas. h
forty miles off and bearing about nortn
| northeast OF our position.
at once determined to make run FOR it;
and set reefed lug and jibeails.
collision with ice would have sent US to the
bottom, and our vigilance had to be re-
doubled, but after about seven hours
sailing. fairly racing through the water,
so that hitting floating ice was constanG G
dan ger, We approached land, wnlcn proved
to be Cape Grant.
We succeeded in rounding the northeast
side, hoping to find it sufficiently protected
by headland to enable us to get ashore
without swsmpog o es ae eame ns in
with the swell and stove in the boat as We
ran for the beach, hut we succeeded in reach.
ing the land All got duokings in .rnding
largely owing t o our exhausted m dition.
! for some Of Us could hardly .tari. No
food, no sleep, hard work end exposure
to arctic weather for three da Us, to say
! nothing Of anxiety, would try polar bear.
How thankful We were to stand on firm
land again the reader can we'll imagine.
We were safe for the present. -,
When we had had some food we huddled
together in our wet clothes on the floor OF
our little tent and fell asleep. with the gale,
which had come on as had as ever, howllng
outside, and snow falling fast.
We sl?It without waking for twelve hours