El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-02-14
DYNAMITE HELPED
PEARY To THE
POLE
When Arctic Ice Became
Too Thick the Explorer
Blasted 1t.

New York. n. Y, Feb. 14.-Any pros
pective pole-hunter who imagines he
need simply charter a ship and sail
pleasantly away to 80 degrees, north
latitude should read Peary's ar;icle in
the Forthcoming March Hampton'S 'Iaga-
zine wherein for over d dozen pages he
describes the terrific, nerve training,
sleep prohibiting fight Of the stout little
Roosevelt against a sea packed with
maverick bergs and ice floes run amuck.
In one case it was even necessary to
dynamite the ice, in order TO save the
ship from being crushed.
Nerve hacking Experience.
II think that none of the members
Nof the expedition will ever forget the
Both of August" says Peary- The
Roosevelt was kicked about the flOes as
if she had been football The game
began about o'clock in the morning
1 was in my cabin trying to get a
little sleep with my clothes on-for l
had not dared to remove them for
week. My rest was cut short by shock
so violent that, before L realized that
anything had happened 1 found myself
on deck-a deck that inclined TO star
board some II or Is degrees
\ II ran, or rather climbed the deck to
the port side and saw what had hap
pened. A big floe rushing past with the
current had picked up the grounded
berg to which we were attached by the
hawsers, and dashed it against the
Roosevelt and clear along her port side,
as if that 1O00-ton berg had been
toy. The berg brought up against an
other one just aft Of US. and the Roose-'
Welt slipped from between the two like
a creased pig
''As soon as the pressure was relaxed
and the ship regained an even keel, we
discovered that the cable which had been
attached to the floe berg at the stern
had become entangled with the propeller
1t was a time for lightning thought
and action; but by attaching a heavier
cable TO the parted one and taking
hitch round the steam capstan. We fl
nally disentangied it,
Surrounded BY Bergs.
This excitement was no sooner over
than a great berg that was passing near
us split in two of its own accord.
cube of some % or 80 feet across drop
ping toward the ship. and just missing
our quarter by only 4 foot or two
Bergs TO the right Of them, bergs to
the left Of them. bergs on top Of Them
1 heard somebody say. as we caught
our breaths at this miraculous escape
THE ship was now quite at the mercy
of the drifting ice. and with the pres
sure from the outer pack the Roosevelt
again careened to StarbOard. 1 knew
that if she were driven any higher onto
the shore We would have TO discharge
a large part of the coal in order to
tighten her sufficiently TO get her off
again. So I decided 70 dynamite the
ice.
Dynamite lee.
Il told Bartlett to get out his batteries
and dynamite. and to smash the ice be-
tween the Roosevelt and the heavy fIoes
outside. making a soft cushion for the
ship TO rest on The batteries were
brought up from the lazeret. one Of
the dynamite boxes - ed out with eau
ton. and Bartlett and 1 looked for the
best places in the Ice for the charges.
Several sticks of dynamite were
wrapped in pieces of old bagging and
fastened on the end Of long spruce poles
which we had brought along especially
for this purpose. A wire from the bat
terry had, Of course, been connected with
one of the primers buried in the dyna-
mite. Pole, wire. and dynamite were
thrust down through a crack in the
ice at several places in the adjacent floe-
The other end of each wire was .heB
connected with the battery. everyone got
away TO a respectful distance on the
far side of the deck. and a quick, sharp
push on the plunger of the battery sent
the electric current along the WIRES
RIP, bang, BOOM The ship shook
like q dish of jelly, and a column OF
water and pieces of Ice went flying q
hundred feet into the air, geyser fash
ion. The pressure OF the ice against
the ship, being thus removed. she righted
! herself and lay quietly on her cushion
! of crushed ice-waiting for whatever
| might happen next"