Evening star., 1926-06-13


to run against obstacles. A very
strong wind astern gave us a good
speed, making this precaution the
more necessary.
Climbed Above the Clouds.
At last, abreast Of Cape Beaufort, it
was impossible to proceed any longer,
and we went up through fog and
clouds to bright sunlight. Later on
we could see through openings in the
fog that we had drifted eastward and
were over land.
We went down through an opening
and tried to proceed southwest to get
to the sea again. Thick layers Of fog
drifted underneath us. and only now
and then a. piece of bare rock was
seen--far too little to enable us to
| make out our whereabouts. Heavy
black clouds swept round mountain
peaks, forcing us again to rise above
the fog into sunshine. When we be.
lieyed ourselves to be as fer south as
we should go, we tried to get down
underneath the fog and do the best to
Ind our way. To go directly down,
when we did not know our exact posi-
t.on, would be very dangerous, with q
hSh~d gale blowing and high mountains
hidden in the clouds. The sun now
appeared in a favorable place for a
position line pointing north and south
out Rsering Strait.
The ship was maneuvred by sun
observations until we got such d line.
The colKse was set along a line which
pointed clear of all land, and the ship
headed A1to the wind SO that she
should approach the ice, or whatever
it might bea with as slow speed as pos
sible. We then pointed the nose down
and came ont over the ice at an alti-
tude of some 800 feet.
Obtained Position by Radio.
At this moment Gottwaldt got a
bearing of q station which, on account
of strong signals, he thought might
be Nome, but ha could not say for
certain, as he just picked it up when
II was in communication with some
other station withOalt hearing its sig
nature. This gave US position north
of Diomede Island. But as we were
not certain which station it was, we
could not rely upon it. We, however,
set our course from this position for
Cape Prince of Wales.
Very soon we got out over open
water, which aroused our suspicion,
as we did not believe there would be
open water so early so high up the
St!tl w Z iilGIl JliSL as N'il pt- Va
the outside of the strait. and with
that course of ours, heading for the
Aleutian Islands
Ice Forms Again OH Airsllip.
The visibility was very bad. If we
did not keep the sGip dangerously
low down, we could not see at all.
Then an ice crust began TO form
again and Mobile announced that the
ship had TO be brought in the quick
est possible time to the nearest land,
whicl.ever land IT was. The ship was
consequently headed into the wind,
making Il course TO the east.
1t was very long before we sight
ed land, and when we came TO it, 1t
was impossible. under the conditions
as to visibility, TO make out whether
we were north Of kotzebue Sound OR
over the east shores Of Norton Sound.
There was nothing else 20 do but go
up over the clouds again and get a
latitude observation. the sun being
now nearly south.
We got up in sunshine and had to
take the observation from the top OF
the ship. as the sun on this latitude
was SO high that ii was hidden by the
envelope in whichever direction the
ship pointed.
degrees 80 meters. We were north of
K0tZebue Bay. We then went down
again through the coluds and found