Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-28

This part of her many duties she
eventually delegated to Attua, who
worked at 1t overtime, much to the de-
light OF the natives and the aggran-
diZement of Attua himself. Even the
baby, who might have reasonably ex-
pected to protest at so much handling,
seemed to enjoy 1t. and Attua was al
ways able to quiet his crying when even
his mother failed
Mrs. Johnson of great deal of work,
and she begged to be allowed to take
the boy on the schooner for the trip to
Chaun Bay and Kolyma. In addition
TO caring for the baby, he undertook to
act as cabin boy and to make himself
generally useful, SO we added him to
the crew.
THE Iskum left the Kaluchin Station
- at Z In the evening, headed for
Cape Nord. The following day the ice
began coming In again-great floating
cakes of 1t, which soon collected so
thickiy about us they threatened an
other impossible blockade.
By that afternoon 1t was raining,
and skies and seas alike were gray and
gloomy. The Ice continued to grow
heavier, and the spirits Of all on board
experienced a slump from the gayety
and hustle of our departure from Kalu-
chin, to sort of wordless depression.
The schooner hammered at the Ice all
through that night and the following
morning, making Roadway very slowly.
BY evening she had reached point
where we could proceed no farther. Ac-
cordingly. We put line on berg, and
tied UP for the night. Our old friends
In distress, the American Schooners,
Blue Sea and Eagle, had followed us on
our Journey westward, and we saw them
not far of, blocked like ourselves.
They, too, had tied up to the ice and
were waiting for another day. 1t was
family consoling to know that they had
not beaten US yet In the race to
Kolyma.
In the morning we could see open
water showing to the north and east,
anxious to break through to it If pos
sible. If we could find leads to that
open stretch of sea, We might be able
to work back on our course by making
a wide detour that would carry us past
the western end of Wrangell Island.
Our earlier experience in that vicin-
ity had shown us that there was large
field of Ice to the west OF Wrangell,
which apparently extended as far south
as Cape Nord, and on to the west from
the cape itself. However. there might
be leads through it; and 1t seemed our
one chance of getting through.
A promising lead being discovered
from the crows nest in the direction
we wished, we decided to take the risk.
and, leaving the other schooners fast
in the ice behind us, battered our way
through the strip of intervening ice
and entered the lead
We had not proceeded half mile
along this narrow waterway, when we
observed to our dismay that the head
Of the lead was closing up rapidly. We
Just got out-but 1t was a close call.
We had to back the schooner a large
part of the way as the lead was too
narrow to turn her about. This little
episode left us all rather chastened for
hours afterWard.
lust how dangerous our situation had
been was demonstrated later when
we learned that the other schooners
then marooned near us, the Eagle and
Blue Sea, had decided to work through
a new lead that opened near them.
The Eagle entered first, but had not
gone far before the lead closed up so
suddenly she was unable to back out.
Equally helpless in the grip of the
ice, the Blue Sea had to stand by and
watch the other schooner caught and
crushed to matchwood before her crews
eyes. In a case of this kind, the inter-
val between the crushing of the ship
and her actual sinking, Is almost nil,
as the heavy machinery In the engine
room will sink her like plummet.
The crew of the Eagle were fortunate
enough to save their lives by leaping
oversize to the solid ice of the field.
But there was no time to save food,
extra clothing or stores of any kind.
Naturally the crew of the Blue Sea
did what they could to relieve the situ-
alton for the shipWrecked men, giving
them provisions, blankets and such
heavy garments as they could spare.
The crew of the Eagle comprised
Capt. Hansen, master and owner, and
two men. One of them lost a large
sum in currency that was in his wallet,
not more than Is feet from him when
the crash came. He had no time even
to reach for it. Such is the speed with
which disaster can arrive in the Arctic!
The point at which the Iskum was
now so hopelessly blocked again was, we
calculated, about five miles to the east
OF Cape Nord. This proved to be mis-
taken estimate, for the real distance
was somewhere between IL and IA
miles. At the time, we believed, opti-
unsteady, that the cape was but a
short tramp over the ice. However,
long or short journey as it might be,
here was the schooner once more fast
in the pack Tn spite of our constant
and heart-breaking work fighting the
ice for the past "a hours and here