The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1914-11-12
UNDER SIXTY
FEET OF ICE
By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1911. by Associated Lit
srary Press

titc society fitted out what waS known
as the Cherry island expedition. 1t
was purely in the interest of natural
history. Certain fish and birds which
had become extinct in the south were
still to be found up there. according to
the reports of whalers. and that was
the object in fitting out the brig Alba
tross for a voyage from London. Aside
from a strong handed crew, three pro
| fessors and four or five students ac-
companied the expedition. and after a
voyage almost without event we
reached Cherry island soon after the
beginning of its brief summer
! The island. which is of volcanic or
igin. is a mere tumble of rocks. 1t is
eleven miles long by five in breadth
and at the time Of our visit had no
trees higher than ten feet These grew
! between powders and on the slopes.
| with patches of course grass all about,
bpt there was not level spot half an
acre in extent on the whole island.
! We had been on the island about thir-
ty days and had pretty thoroughly ex-
plored it when Professor Saunders and
my humble self met with an accident
one day which led to Il most strange
discovery. We had set off together on
u hunt after birds eggs. and in walk
ing along slope We struck spot
overgrown with short green weed
As we walked over this bed we sud
denly found ourselves slipping. There
was water under it. and the whole
MISS gave way and sent us sliding
into IL ravine We went slipping. slid
ing. clutching and humping full fifty
feet before we brought up. but nei-
Their of us was hurt beyond few
bruises. Owing to the wet grass we
could not Chamber out at that spot and
SO continued on down the ravine.
1t was a toilsome journey we made.
but it ended ut last ut wall Of ice
within half mile of the surf AT that
! point the depth Of the ravine was
about hundred feet and. though the
sun was shining above. it was like
evening down there. A few yards be-
fore we were brought to 4 StandStill we
found the body of man lying against
the wall Of rock on the right hand
side and ten feet above our heads. 1t
was caught and held fast on a point Of
rock We were both good deal star
tied by the grewsone sight
AT some time or other" said the
professor as he looked about. this ra-
vine had been Il creek of considerable
size flowing down to the sea. This
man came up the creek from the
beach. but we now find a wall of ice
blocking it up There should be Il
boat frozen up in the wall between us
and the sea"
We had nothing to make torch Of.
and. retracing our steps to point
where we could climb out of the ra-
vine. we left the mystery to he solved
another day There was much discus
sion around the catnptirrs thai even
ing. and early next morning we set out
to see IL the r;ivine had once upon u
time opened to tbe sea. We soon found
that it had Its mouth had been on a
small bay. but STORM had filled II
with powders and damned back the
l
sea and the spot where we found the
body the ice was from fifty To- seventy
feet thick II the sun melted it for a
few feet in the summer the rains and
SHOWS of winter speedily replaced
what had been lost We found this
ice as clear as glass and rs hard rs
iron. but powder WAS brr,n=ht from
lei, hy-;rv Il AriI ii in
a couple of days We had blasted out u
great rift to half its depth
: Everybody had II suspicion of what
} was frozen in down there. but yet the
discovery gave us Il shock. When but
thirty feet of ice lay between Us and
the bottom Of the ravine we could see
through it we'll enough to make out the
hull of ship standing OH an even keel.
! 1t was the hull of Il brig. with Tnasts
gone. but otherwise intact We could
! even make out the ropes. which had
been frozen stiff as iron while they
! streamed along her decks. but there
) were no bodies of dead men in sight
To blast out the remaining depths of
/ ice and clear the ravine was ii task
|
and more powder than we had aboard.
/ Years before. perhaps half Il century,
! a merchant vessel had made that little
bay in distress. Wave and tide hat.
carried her up the creek. and wave and
, tide had blocked her exit.
, If one of the crew got away up to
, the ravine. why not all of them: And
fr
!, be found on the island. This man,
, vino may have been the captain. prob
ably started out by himself to see ii
there was chance of escape. but in
making his way up the ravine he per-
ished Of cold and hunger. There was
! scarce a hope for the others. Ii they
/ left the hulk they were forced to re-
turn to it for shelter and food. There
came a day when food and fuel were
, exhausted. when avalanches of snow
covered the decks and the cold of win
ter froze the marrow of their bones
, and they hid away in fOrecastle and
, cabin and died with open eyes staring
I into the darkness Upon our return
to London the case was reported and
made much Of In the papers. but nc
, government or individual has evel
gone farther than we did hulk lies
there full of dead men-a hulk which
sailed the waters of the frozen seas
half a century agO-and there 1t viii
lie until time is no more and chao:
reigns again. 1t might be blasted out
but of what use? The solving Of ont
mystery of the sea more or less would
count for but little.