Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1914-10-02

ing along with the current. rearing tney hieaie
strike the vessel and part the moorlng INES ao'
under way and steamed into an lnoenIdlol III
the ground ice, where the steamer Jeannette was
made fast. suitable mooring place was 1ounu
and the vessel made fast to the ground Ice
con August 1 and 2 loose ice would drift IN
and pack around the vessel where sne LAY III Tue
indentation in the ice. AS there was only I'll
fling pressure no danger was anticipated Al
n M August came sudden pressure OF the
ice. the four forward fasts carried away ana the
vessel forced astern about five feet The pres
sure then coming against the starboard sloe
forced the port side against the ground 1ce
"a point of ice under water abreast the engine
ROOM the weakest place in the vessel, as there
are no athwartship timbers there forced the port
side in sufficiently to buckle the engine room moor
plates Men were Immediately sent with Ice
chisels and the ice was cut away AS soon as the
ice was removed the pressure at that point
ceased and the floor plates dropped back In place.
.aThe after section of the rudder was sprung
about an eighth of an inch The ice was cut from
around the rudder and the pressure on tnat was
removed So far as can be seen no material dam
age was done by the nip. vessel less strongly
constructed would have been crushed at once.
On more than one occasion that year the little
Bear vas hard put to it and her mission OF mercy
was fraught with hazards. On several occasions
during that Arctic summer she had to blast
channel open to clear water, and this exploit was
not always Immediately successful, while the odds
against escape piled up in threatening manner
However, the ship kept steadily at her task, and
in the end the ice-bound whalemen were succored
and carried back to civilization, after restora
ton to health set upon other whalers in that
treacherous region.
Ice was not the only peril, for with the milder
months there fog, and occasionally very
strong winds or gales that meant danger upon
that barren coast AS part of the relief expe
dition sled party dispatched overland long
before the Bear could nose her way into the
Arctic ocean, and of the gallant work of those
men Americans and the personnel of the revenue
cutter service may we'll be proud.
In closing his report to the treasury depart
ment Captain futile said: "The officers and
crew bore the monotonous isolation with the
greatest patience, complaints being almost I'M
heard of. The courage forti+ude and persever
ance shown by the members CT the overland
petition are deserving Of the highest commenda-
ton
Starting over route seldom travelled before
by dog sleds, with herd of over 400 reindeer to
drive and care for they pushed their way through
what at times seemed impossible obstacles
across frozen seas and over snow-cad mountains
with tireless energy until Point Barr DIV was
reached and the object of the expedition srccess
fully accomplished.
Such is the type of the aboard the
little cutter, and there is every reason to expect
the same splendid performance of their present
mission as was witnessed under somewhat kin
dred conditions II years ago.