Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1920-09-09
ARCTIC RESCUE
IS THRILLING
Desperate Battle Fought by Ice
breaker With Great FIoes
in Kara Sea.
SHIP DRIFTS FOR MONTHS
Captain Gives a Plain but Graphic
Account Of PeriIous Voyage-Ex.
citing Race in lce-Laden Sea
Joy Hard to Describe.

joy Hard to Describe.
London.-Capt. Otto Sverdrup's mar
rative of the rescue Of crew and pas
sengers from the Russian steamship
Solovei Boudimirovitch, which drift
ed helplessly for months in the Kara
sea, is a thrilling tale of Arctic adj
venture. Captain Sverdrup's story,
as printed In the London Times, fol-
lows:
1t was in April last that l was en-
trusted with the task of planning,
eQuipping and leading relief ex-
petition to the Kara sea in order to
search for and If possible to rescue
the crew and passengers On board
the steamship Solovei B0udimir0vitch,
which at the end of January had be-
come jammed in the Ice outside the
White sea and afterward was carried
In the Ice through the Kara straits
into the Kara sea. There the vessel
drifted dangerously about. She had
left Archangel prOvisioned for only
two months, and food, coal and fuel
were falling short.
The big, powerful icebreaker Svla-
togOr was placed at the disposal OF
the expedition by the British govern
ment and sent over to Bergen. Here
she was quickly manned, equipped and
prOvsioned for six months. We left
Bergen on May 10 and arrived at
Tromso on the 18th. There we lay
until June Ia very painful period
of waiting for us and doubly painful
for the Russians hungry and cold on
board the Solovei, who had been in
formed by wireless that we had
started.
At vardo we shipped so tons of sup
plies more, and having left on the
evening Of June 9 anchored on the
morning of June IL in Bielushya bay,
Novava Zemlya, where we took on
board 500 tons of coal from the steam
ship Harde, which had been dis
patched direct from Tromso.
Up Against Strong Ice Barrier.
We passed through Kara straits
practically untroubled by ice until the
morning of the 10th, when we en-
countered a large mass of old close
packed polar ice. 1t was clearly no
use trying to force passage through
this; we had to try to find the newer
and more penetrable ice which had
drifted from the west into the Kara
sea through the strait. We steamed,
therefore, in a northwesterly direction,
but as there appeared no improvement
in the conditions we turned about and
went in a southeasterly direction until
the polar ice was passed.
Then, fortunately, breeze sprang
up from the northeast and made con-
siderable improvement in the Ice con-
ditions. Then we steered north In the
direction of the Solovei, and about
$3.50 in the evening, according to the
last position received from her by
wireless, we reckoned that we were
within about eight or ten minutes dis
lance.
On the 18th the weather cleared, and
having taken the necessary observa-
tions in the morning and at noon we
continued our voyage at 1 p. m. At
the same time we received wireless
giving the position of the Solovei,
which was considerably further north
than before.
A little later we suddenly caught
sight of the Russian icebreaker Kama
da, steaming after us. She had had
the advantage of the strong northeast
wind. which had parted the ice, and
our long wait for the purpose OF TAX
ing observations had also helped her
to overtake us. On June II our wire
less had picked up a call from the
Kanada to the SOlovei, which con-
firmed the rumor we had heard at
Vardo that the soviet government was
equipping q new expedition.
Soon afterward we received di-
rect inquiry from the Kanada as to
our position. which we Immediately
telegraphed both to the Kanada and
the Solovei, at the same time asking
them to give us theirs. The Kanada
replied asking us to stop for a con-
versation, and in the conversation
which followed with Commissar OF
Marine Mikhailoff and Captain Moka'
loff of the Kanada 1t was explained
that the vessel had been dispatched
by the soviet government In order to
give assistance If 1t should be neces-
sary or in case there should be diff
cnlties of any sort In consequence OF
the political changes which had oc-
Cured since the Solovei had left
ArchangeL It appeared also that they
had orders to bring the ship back to
Archangel direct.
Exciting Race In lce-Laden Sea.
After the conference was over,
therefore, there began an exciting race
between the two ships. The ice
through which. we had to force pas
sage was very different from that we
had had to tackle before. This was
the ordinary polar ice Of the Kara sea,
closely packed. with only few small
gaps Of open water. I had very little
hope Of getting through. and that we
did succeed was due only to the re-
markable qualities Of the Sviatogor
as an icebreaker.
With full steam up from all OF her
ten boilers she burst her way splen-
didly through the strong pack Ice
Now and then she was beaten and