The Idaho recorder., 1920-09-10
Desperate Battle Fought by Ice.
breaker With Great Floes
In Kara Sea.
SHIP DRIFTS FOR MONTHS
Captain Gives . Plain but Graphic
Account Of Psriious voyags-Ex.
citing Race In ies-l2dsn Sea
joy Hard 10 Describe.

london. Capt. Otto Sverdrup's mar
gative af the rescue of crew and pas
ssngers from the russian steamship
ssi helplessly for months In the Kara
s~a. ~ a thrilling tale Of Arctic nd
~~ature, Captain Sverirups story.
~ printed in the London Times, fol-
lows:
u WAS In April last thnt I was en-.
srusiesi with the task Of planning.
sqapping and leading n relief ex-
sssiition 10 the Kara sea In order TO
~s~reh for ami II possible to rescue
the crew and passengers on board
Che steamship Solovei I,oudImirovitch.
which nj the end OF January had be-
rosne damned In the Ice outside the
white ~N and nfterward was carried
In the lee through the Kara straits
snsa the kara sea. There the vessel
Nrif,es, dangerously about. She had
s~ft Awhangel provlsioncd for only
two moniis. aud food. coal aud fuel
w~r~ failing short
Th- big. powerful iccbreaker Svia.
rsror MAS placed nj the disposal OF
sh~ expedition by the British govern
sr~~t nnd snt over To- Bcrgen. Here
sss< wrs quickly manned. equipped and
Vr~vision~i for six months. We left
es~sr-n on May ~ ami arrived at
Tuwaso On the iTth. There we lay
ssnsis inn~ Ia very painful period
~of waiting for us aud doubiy painful
r"r -" russians hungry and cold on
Ns~~a the Soiovei. who had been In.
started
AZ Nav,e we shipped 10 tons of sup
pl,sr~ Were, and having left on the
~vealng ~ June q anchors~, on the
nsarnsn- af June I. In Bielushyn hay.
N",nsa I.miya. where We took on
hswrd I1 tens of coal from the steam.
~htr Har.i~ which had becn dis
ssssss,cd direct from Tronso.
+ Up Against 5trono Ice Barrier.
We s~@@eSi through Kara straits
rrn~vsnl,, nntroubled by lee until the
sss~rnng OF The 10th. when we en-
s-cun,~ss-i large mass of old close
yA~k~d polar Ice. u WAS clearly no
~s~r svylng ~ force passage through
Hh,s. we had ta try tn ind the newer
n q m.re p~netrsble iee which had
ssrtssra frVm the west Into the Kara
s~~a shsaag,, the strait. We steamed.
wis~v>f~t~ a northwestsriy direction.
Sur =. rnrre appeared no Improvement
xa ss~ srnsshIans we turned about and
~ses ,a y southeast~rly direction until
size rs,,sr te~ was passssi.
Tn-~ fortunately. 4 breeze sprang
>s, fvrrw the northeast and made \ con-
Vsssi~v~hte Impro, emeni In the Ice con-
s.,'s~~ 1ia-n Ne steercd north In the
~s'-v<tIa ef the Soiov-i. and about
- n ~ the evening. according tn the
sss, w.~i,ian received from her ny
wirS.s. We r.cknned that We were
wiihn ai"ut eight or ten minutes dis
sLns..
tin th- 18th the weather cleared. and
ssny.nx ,ak-u IN. n.resSnry oh~erya.
sioa- m the morning aud nj noon we
fh~ .s,mr time We received n wireless
giving the position Of the soiovei.
~hieh was considerably further north
chan hefore.
A little later Ne suddenly caught
S'rht of the Russian ic-br~aker Kama.
~ss. streaming after us. She had had
che advantage of the strong northeast
>.'asi. which had parted the Ice. and
ssar 'cnr walt for the purpose Of TAX
ting observations had also helped her
=" evvr,ake ns. On June II our wire.
s~~s had picked up q cnil from the
Esasds TO the Solovei. which cou-
S"wed the g1nor We had heard st