The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1913-07-24


1895 was given command of two
ships in 1896 to explore the north
ern waters for passage to China.
He fell far short of his goal, but he
and his crew were the first Europ-
cans to spend a winter within the
Arctic circle and furnish definite in
formation to the civilized world about
the frozen wastes north of Russia
and Siberia.
Jacob Van Heemsherki and Jan
Corneliszon Rip were captains under
Barentz. Gerrit de -Veer was second
mate and historian, and to his care
full records the world owes the mar
ration of that memorable voyage.
The squadron sailed from Amster-
dam May 10. Near Spitzbergen Cap
tain Rip lost his bearings and turn
ed back. BarentZ, Heemsherki and
De Veer kept resolutely to the north.
They crossed Archangel Sea and
sighted Nova Zembia, which still
bears the name the Dutch gave it.
They rounded the Orange islands,
another Dutch name, north of Nova
Zembia, and turned southward into
Kara sea, confident that the north
east passage was before them.
But winter was coming on. August
&c the ship dropped anchor in a lit
tie harbor on the northeastern coast
of Nova Zembia. An ice pack closed
about them, which De Veer's journal
says:
Forced US, in great cold, power
ty, misery and grief to stay all the
winter. On the 30th the masses
of ice began to pile themselves one
upon another against the ship in such
a manner that all that was around
and about her began to crack and
split. 1t seemed as if the ship must
break into thousand pieces, thing
most terrible to see and hear, and hit
to make ones hair stand on end. The
ship was afterwards in equal danger
when the ice formed beneath, raising
her and bearing her up as though she
had been lifted by some instrument. "
Soon the intrepid adventures were
forced to leave their ship. They
erected a house on shore and pre-
pared to await the breaking of the
ice pack. Never before had any
European wintered so far north, so
the Dutchmen had no ones expert
ence to warn them of the extreme
cold coming. The fact that they
bore the greatest privations and
hardships cheerfully adds to their
honor. They placed their affairs in
the hands of God" Two men died,
scuryy attacked them and Barentz
succumbed when relief was in sight.
DeVeer records:
always cheerful and good tenn
pered. the men bore equally we'll the
enui of the long polar night and the
severity of the cold, which was so
extreme that during two or three
days when they had not been able
to keep on so large q fire as usual on
account of the smoke being driven
back again by wind, it froze so hard
in the house that the walls and floor
were covered with ice to the depts OF
two fingers, even in the cots where
we were sleeping. 1t was necessary
to thaw the sherry when it was serv-
ed out, as was done every two days
at the rate of half pint
A surprising ignorance of the
needs of fresh air came near causing
the death of the whole party once.
An unusally cold wind was blowing.
eve knew no means of guarding
ourselves against it, and while we
we're consulting together one Of our
men in this extreme necessity pro-
posed to make use of the coal which
we had brought from the ship into
our house and to make fire of it,
because it burns with great heat and
lasts long time. In the evening
we lighted a large fire Of this coal,
which threw out great heat, but
we did not provide against what
might happen, for as the heat re-
vived US completely, we tried to re-
tain it for long time. To this end
we thought it we'll to stop up all the
doors and the chimney, to keep in
the delightful warmth.
And we also ourselves were sensible
of great pain which attacked us, so
that several of the bravest came out
of their cots and began by unstopping
the chimney and afterwards opening
the door. But the man who opened
the dood tainted and fell senseless on
the snow"
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