The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1905-07-13

fefclnx Il to one side with series OF sr'
and shocks lha, Almasa throw one of onc''
fest.
IEslde the barrier the lce vAs lighter, ane
We worked siong With constans in'trup
,lOns Ard dslsy,. sometimes hsttins wal
Of lce lscessanlly for an hour es t~o befort
~s cauld .mssh was through. ba. allow
ly creeping sor,bwAId till ~s found tui
WY .ifeciually barred hy hir Zoe witi
lss edge lying directly against .he face Of
one OF the uumercus glaciers which hns
this coast,
AT this barrier We lay for hall day
waiting for = change.
Then decided 10 smAsh = passage
through ciosc sgsipss the glacier face
Time after time tbe Erik Was driven full
tilt at The enemy, breaking of pieces which
we're pushed OF pulled out OF the way. un'
M st last only a narrow tongue lay between
US and the little pool OF water On the other
side Of tho DE.
Backing ss far As We could 20, again We
drove at this full speed.
The tongue cracked, and We pushed the
poln, OF Il before us hu, before the Erik
could get entirely through, sae ioe caught
her side smIdships, aLd began irresistibly
to push her up tie submerged foot OF the
glacier toward its vertical face.
Slowly she Wa. forced up I'LL she was
some five or xix feet out OF water sstern,
and standing on the port rail- could touch
the glacier face with my hard.
|. seemed almost Inevitable that she would
be crushed like an efg-sbe II against the un-
yielding wall, when TO my great relief the
pressure Of the foe cested. ard II began al
most impercepiibly to slide past US.
Hurredly an Ice anchor and line we're
carried out ahead, and the line taken to the
winch. Then anIioutly we watched the Ice
as inch by inch Il crunched along the Erik's
side.
As II passed under her quarter the winch
started, and 10 moment the vessel slld and
fell Of the glacier foot, riahtediherself with
a violent lurch, and was out Of danger.
Less than mile from the glacier face We
were completely imprisoned 10 triangular
bit Of water between three Goes. This af'
forded a safe refuge until the next tide,
and after we had set trustworthy watch,
every body else turned In, glad Of an op.
povtunity for hours Of peaceful sleep after
the strain Of the two previous days.
The next day we worked up along the coast
to Erik Head, reaching 1t just as the tide
changed from ebb to fllod.
We were perhaps two hundred yards
from the cliff, which rose here some nine
hundred feet above US, and had Just come
through bit Of open water, across which
cakes Of heavy Ice were drifting south.
THE CLOSING or A Door.
When the Tide turned 1t was like the sud.
den closing Of door. The Ice ahead jam
med together In an impenetrable mass,
selling the Erik from the mainmsst for
ward % In vise, ard the heavy cakes we
had just passed stopped and came hurrying
back to crash against US.
l had ordered boa. 10 Sered to 90 ashore
as | wished to examine the Ice northward
from the summit OF the elf.
As we got into the boat. 3 piece Ice
about the sizs of q small house came rush.
Ing at the ship, and We iast barely succeed
ed In pulling the boat under the Efik's stern
time to escape being smashed like an
egg .shell against her side. The Erik her
self groared and re cked with the blow.
After that 1t was the livellest kind Of .
race among the whirlng ice-cakes for the
shore. When, an hour later, we returntd d
to the ship, we dragged the boat all the
way over the ice, now densely packed to-
ge.her.
The next day with the changing tide, we
pu ,hed and butted our way into tiny cove
south Of Erik Head, where close inshore
there was bit Of open water. There we
began landing Cur cargo. There was no
possible chance to get farther north, and
every one on board, except myself was
glad OF it.--Youths Companion.