Year: 1875

CAPTAIN YoUSG's JOURNAL.


The following arc some interesting extracts from Cap
tain Youngs Journal -,


We are "a I deep blight IN the ice. All souhward one
rnbroyeu plek across from side 70 side. fltzroy Inlet
nm Beiiats straits packed close The spring tides
have passed away and thoTe no hope of getting fur


ther south tRis aetsoh of we NlAt.f ~ aEea4y ses
in with ihe usual accomplishment Of NllUs sleet and
snow and tAa Ice s rapidly forming ga the waters
am very 10th 10 turn back, and am struggl ng on
against hope II even to reach BnLi1ls straits,
whore We could hold on in comparative security


longer than we could possibly DO here Io remain
In present position Peel strait Is our ~ hc ques.
ton well as parposeless We are hourly n danger OF
being beset and once beset are tmprlaoued for the
winter without a harbor and position which would
leave Us pOWeress accomplish anything. From this
position we could merely follow by siedgfng in the
spring tho footsteps ofthat veteran explorer cCntock,
to King william Land, under The same conditions, with
hope 81 tGrther result and tn that case we shoudA
run the risk 81 the ship being released next
NOR and consequent autumn return probably ending
our hitherto successful voyage ia a disaster


/ cannot 0lnlt This opportunity "a expressing my
gratitude to my officers and crew who at hs critical
period Of The voyage were only TOO ANXIOUS 70 push
forward, and shared equally with myself their dsap,
pointment II the sudden arrest q eur progress ana
this crushcr 0 All our hopes "a making the Northwest
passage this season


we are running back under reeied sails out Of Peel
Strait The temperature Is tWenty-siX degrees, with
squalls ana snow We stop u sound ouay the IN
explored depths o tins sea- On which no ship has ever
been known t. sail and by the evening ot
tbo ttb ,g. ,gsre p,-sing around Idmestone Island
tho tenparnt4re falling y twenty degrees AS
we approached enormous pack which lies close 10
port hand ana threatens completely 10 cut on
retreat could just see at intervals between tho
storms ! small thread of water, perhaps hall
mile wide, and determined to a against time
with the Aok ana try 10 pass Cape Kennel before i
impinged completely on the land by the action Of the
northwest gale that blowing 1t was, in fact,
only chance OF getting out Of the Straits, Tor had
hestated or stood back 70 the southwest we should
certainly been shut in for the winter ind pushed
with the fast increasing darkness and gloom
Of the coming winter night It was a dreadful night;
no win uNr ed q a
sleet and binding drifts and threaded way
the dark, the white glare OF the pack hand, the
CLEAN OF the land on the other being our only
guide once only during me hlght s9Afy star shohe
out for hall an hour, giving the helmsmau point for
the direction Of the ship. AS the wind increased tho
temperature fell to eighteen degrees Fahrenheit and
the spray irozo over the ship as 1t fell aud By mid
night our decks were full of snow, which
whirled ny IN binding drifts rom the eddy WINDS
out Of the sails. We could from time 70 time judge
our progress along the coast by the excellent de-
scription Of Ross and McClintock in their spring
journey. Thus At ten r VI. passed the deep gorge
which separates tile limestone from the red sandstone
formation curious geological feature OF the coast
BY midnight on Cunningham Inlet, and by
three A. NJ Just in the position bad SO long
dreaded The ice pack had already impinged % Cape
Kennel leaving hot the slightest passage, and our
progress IN TINS direction was stopped Suaaehly q
snow storm that had been beating down upon the
whole night abated and disclosed the high preciptous
cliffs hanging immediately over US, presenting most
ghosty appearance the horizontal strata seeming Ike
the huge bars Of some gigantic iron cage and stand
ing out from tie snow lace. IN TACT, u was
the skeleton Of a clin, and we appeared to
be in It's very grasp For Few minutes
only we saw this apparition, and then All again
darkness. We barely had room TO round 10 between
this cliff side and the pack on the other, and
then hastily ranged about seeking some escape Most
providentay after three hours OF intense anxiety,
slight movement IN the pack was reported from aloL
giving indications OF weak place in the pack The
ship Instantly turned that direction, and even
tualy succeeded in forcing her through the weakest
place in this nip, only hope which was already
rapidly closing again with the formation of new lce


We have just passed through gale Win thc temper
ature down twenty eight degrees, and We were iced
all for the heavy beat upon us and froze as
they fell upon sides and decks and the Pandora be-
came one huge iccle. Anchors shrouds and rigging
sohd mass. II became serious question how
long could have manguvred the ship had the gallo
not abated vi had of Lancaster Sound, beat
ing up TO the Carey Isles where determined to make
further effort ind record OF the Alert and the
Discovery BY searching every sand o. the group
in detail, and failing in that, y al hazards
10 make a dash Tor Lttleton Island feeling how


ous the friends Of the expedition would b - hear news
OF their passage through The dangers of Melville Bay
In this was ully supported BY All my officers, who
appreciated the importance obtaining tidlngs Of
the expedition We reached the Carey Islands on the
10th OF September, beating up an the way against
strong norherly wind and hnaly reaching ne group
in the midst OF violent storm. The sea here,
and far could be observed 70 the norh where the
action OF tee Wnd was ie Ws qulte clear 81 lce, anu
although ics sun rapidly forming IN still water
/ think / could have been able % reach as far
north Litteton Island Ths time we hove 70 OIL the
Southeast Island the top Of which We perceived a
carn The Island, instead OF presenting view Of bare
stones VAS row covered with white mantle OF snow,
which had completely changed its appearance II was
700 eet 500 feet high, and very steep but the
snow served as a means of ascent IN place where
otherwise would have been impossible 20 get up.
Leutenants Livingston and Baynan went ashore and
for half an hour watched them climbing up the
steep face of the mountain. At last they reached the
carn where they remained only few minutes for We
them rapidly descending TO the waters edge
In few minutes they returned with tin tube con-
tanning packet addressed 70 the Admiralty evidently
left BY Captain Mares The Pandora was now moving
homeward AMI recrossed Melville Bay without Inci-
dent and lndng perfectly clear Of ice with heavy
rolling sea- which Is quite unusual IN the bay, we
reached Disco the Goth ofScptember where we re-
NAMED untl the 2Ith recruiting We again departed
and had favorable passage down Davis Straits but en-
counterou very heavy weather and violent gales IN
crossing Tie Atlantic the ship being battened down Tor
ave days and reached Portsmouth On the 18th