THE LADY FRANKLIN BAY EXPEDITION. 169

APPENI)ICES

THE LADY FRANKLIN BAY EXPEDITION. 169

was blowing from the southeast, with but little intermission, temp. being as low as - 39.

0 [-39.40 C.]. During the night of the 23rd to 24th, the thermometel had registered -56•2

[-49.

0°

C.]

Distance travelled, I I miles. Hours travelled, from 10·3° a. rn. to 4·3° p. rn, March 27

We started for the tent by fair and calm morning, the thermometer gradually rising, 10 a. m., _23°

[_ 3°.6^°C.]. The barometer showed an extraordinary fall.

The sledge being heavily loaded our progress was slow and tedious, without any more charms of novelty. At noon a fresh breeze sprung from the northeast, and when we entered the tent its velocity had reached about 30 miles per hour (about 13^mper second].

Temp. at 6 p. m., _ rr. 5 (_ 24.

2°

q.

Distance travelled, I lmiles. Hours travelled, from l oa. p. m., -25.0 [-3During the night, the wind having abated in the morning of the 28th, we took a second load of pro-¹

.,°

^C.].

visions to Black Cape and returned to the tent. Our mythical northern line had disappeared.

Distance travelled,8 miles. Hours travelled, from 8.30

a.m,to 8 p. m.

.'lIarch29

ih-Temp., min., during night, -43.0 (-41.7'Co]. Observed, ro a. m., - 33.

0 [- 3

6•1 C.];

3p.m., -29.0[-33'9° C.]; 7 p.m., -36,5[-38. t o C.].

We proceeded againto Lincoln Bay, with empty sledge, and, in places, riding in turn. The wind had ceased blowing and the atmosphere was remarkably clear. For the first time the influence of the sun upon the snow, glazing its surface, while the temperature stood as low as -36•0

[-37.8'

C.], was observed. When on the march the weather seemed too warm to wear sealskin jumpers; we discarded them and travelled in

gnernseys. From the foot of Cape Union I could, for the second and last time, see to the northeast the coast of Cape Brittania [Britannial, Beaumont Island, and some of the adjoining land. To the south the faint ontline of Cape Constitution evoked reminences (reminiscenses] of "The good Christian knight, Elijah Kent Kane," and set my mind pondering over the now old and nearly forgotten fable of an

Op'"

po"'r

SM.

I was standing on the extreme point reached by the poetical vision of Hayes, at the threshold. of a once great mystery, that in younger days had so profoundly moved my imagination. Instead of a promIsed sea I conld view nothing but the stem and cold reality of a impenetrable ice pack.

Distance travelled, ^{I I} miles. Hours travelled, from--March 3

0ih.-Temp., min., during night,

~

^{52.0 [-46.}

^7'

^C.]. Observed, 12m., - 15-° (-26.I 'C.]j

3p, m., -8.5 [-22.5° C.]; 7 P:m., -10·5

r

-z3·6

C.l· . .

I decided that the day would·be one of rest for the dogs, with an extra allowance, of food. ?nr decision proved wise as the day turned out stormy. The snow drifted with such abundance in

~he

vestibule of our igloo that

J

ens and Rice were several times obliged to use the shovel. The double ration had been a

God--*o;i~~ion

in original. A.

w.<:i

,.

THE LADY FRANKLIN BAY EXPEDITION.

169

170

^{THE LADY} FRA:~TlU~INBAY EXPEDITION.

send to our poor animals, curled up and covered with snow. . I _\~ouldwill.iugly add the word chilly, if after our experience of last winter it was not still doubt~ul in my. mind If an .Esklmo dog reallyev~rsuffers of cold.

The temperature from -52° [-46.7° C.] during the mght had raised to -8.5 [- 22.5 C.]. ~Ve o~er

hauled our baggage, and

J

ens dried and mended our boots and gloves. ~t6 p.m, thest~rmwas stillra~mg with fury over our snow-bank, where inside, cosily muffled up in my sleepmg-bag a~ the light of an Eskimo lamp, I wandered with an interesting traveller through the deserted halls of the ruined palaces ?f theonc~

imperial Delhi, under the warm and blessed sun of old India. Rice read, lying on theto~of hISb~g,until midnight. jens, or the little man as he is generally designated with us, is perhaps dreaming of a rich land of seals and blubber.

March3ut.-Temp., min., during night, -15.0 [-26.1° C.]. Observed, 6 a. m., -12.5 [-24.7°C];

8 a. m., -14.0 [-25.6°C.]; ^I p. m., -17.0 [-27.2° C.]; 4 p. m., -27.0 [-32.8° C.l.

In the morning the Eskimo was obliged to dig his way out of the house; the weather was clear, the atmosphere calm, and the temperature mild. At 8,3° a. m, we started, reached the tent at 1 p. m., and at 3.30 p. m, were back at Lincoln Bay.

Distance travelled, 123/z miles. Hours travelled, from 5.30 p. m, [8'30 a. m.] to 12 a. m. [3.30 p. m.].

Aprilut.-Temp., min., during night, -35 [-37.2° C.]. Observed, 12 m., -3°.0 [-34.4° C.]; 4P:

m., -38.8 [-39.3° C.].

I decided now to begin night travelling, on account of the snow being in places so soft during the day as to render the pulling of the sledge very laborious. The work had lately been so trying on the dogs, that last night, notwithstanding another extra ration of food, some of our brutes had entirely devoured their harness. Since this date the lashings of the sledge were at night carefully covered with snow, the traces taken in the tent, and the dogs unharnessed so the noses of the worst delinquents firmly secured with a thong of sealskin. At 5·30 p. m., after a last visit to the English cache, we started. The weather was calm, clear, and cold - 38•8 [- 39.3° C.]. The snow had hardened and, notwithstanding a very heavy load, our dogs were walking at a brisk pace.

Everything seemed to be complying with the best of our wishes, when at a quarter of a mile south of Cape Union, at a place where to double the cape we had been obliged to leave the foot, and where we passed so many times without considering any extra care to be necessary, the right runner of the sledge broke longitudinally through the line of holes bored for the lashings. 1

will

certainly not try to describe my feelings, but will briefly state that Rice on the spot offered gallantly to start for home after a new runner.

I at first obj:cted, but it being impossible to mend the sledge we afterwards agreed that he would take Jens and make hIS way to Ft. Conger the same night.

ApriI2nd.-T~mp.,.min.,duro night, -56.0 [-48'9° C.]. Observed, I a. m., -4_{2 •0} [-41.10C.].

. The sledge being lightened of nearly all the provisions, and the broken runner temporarily fastened WIth a rope, we returned to the snow-house. At 1 p, m., after eating, but without taking any rests,mybrave traveller started. The thermometer registered • _ _, and fell during the night to _ 56•0 [-48'9° C.]. They were to b: absent four or five days. Left alone and without a watch (my chronometer, affected by cold, had stopped sincethe 2JSt of March), it needed the greatest vigilance on my part to keep record of time. In the emer?ency the b?ld Cape of.

Fre~erick

^VII became a rough sort of sun-dial.

Ap^{n I3}rd.-I

climbed the high hills and mountains that overlook the surrounding country and marched for20hours. My object was to see if an inland route could not be found allowing a party to travel in the fall from:Vrangel Bay to

~he Aler~winter

^quarters. At the highest point reached, that 1estimate to be 2,000 feet [610 ),.1had a

ma~ll1ficent

VIew especially overland. From the end of Lincoln Bay several valleys could be seen, ,,:hl:h, succeedmg to

e~ch

other, appeared to lead towards Wrangel Bay. In another direction (N.E.) I could dlstmctly see a succession of sloping hills, cut with ravines and valleys by which I think it is possIble

to reach the coast at the entranc f f h . '

Th . e 0 some0 t e numerous opemngs near Floeberg Beach.

b hi e weather was magmficent, and for the first time this year I could see the sun disappear but a moment k ind the long and snowclad line of the United States Range. Between these and a lower chain of hills, ^I' c

~ser

^to

t~e

coast, the distribution of light and shade showed plainly that a large and extensive valley must exist, runnmg from NE. to SW.

I h dro myretuhm clouds had gathered in the east and south and masked to the view the Greenland coast.

a roreseen t e approach of the st rm d ki d ·[ting

thi k . . 0 ,an rna mg haste1reachedmyburrow just as the snow was n

~.:~.tohIde any object 100 feet ~3.~~J :~~ad. ^_

*Omission

h;;igi~;i:~A:-W~a:---April6th.-Temperature observed 9.30 p. m., - 30.0° [- 34-.4°C.]. I n the morning of the 6th Jens and Rice returned, carrying a new sledge-rnnner. They had a remarkable but tiresome march of

* -

^hours

going and of

* _

hours returning, by a temperature of, at one time, -56.0[-48'9°],

making at least'-geographical miles.Among the thousand and one items of news brought from home was a letter, in which you instructed me. to look for a depot of 9" lbs. of pemmican left by Commander Markham near View Point, and to supplymy party with the amount that I would judge necessary.

'This unexpected help decided me to leave behind the cache of Wrangel Bay that, on his return, Rice had visited and found in good order. At 9 P: m., my two travellers having rested all day, we left Lincoln Bay

and made the tent at 4.30 a.rn, Distance travelled, 1 I miles.

ApriI7th.-Temp.,min., during day, -26.5[-32.5°C.]. Obs., 5 a. rn., -26.0 [_3²• 2

°C.]; 8 p. m.,

_ 26.0(We now generally travel during the night.] To guard the sledge against any accident we divided our[-32.20C.].

heavy cargo into three small loads, and with two crossed over the roughest part of the ice-foot to Cape Union, but the strength of the wind, at times 25 to 30 miles per hour [11 to 13'" per second], compelled us to return into camp 'at 3 a. m.

Distance travelled, 8 miles. Hours travelled,

from--April8th.-Min., duro rest, _ 13.0 [_ 25.0° C.]. Obs., 12.30 a. m., -12.0 [- 24·4° C.]; 4 a. m., - 14.

0 [-25.

6°C.]; 7 p. m., -4.0 [-20.0° C.]; 8 p. m. +4.8

[

_'5.

¹°C.].

Itwas only at 7 p. m., of the 8th, that (the wind having abated some) we could start. The part of the load that was intended for a third trip, the preceding evening was transported at Cape Union Peak. We returned again at '0 p. rn., took the tent, sleeping gear, etc., and started for the last time from Cape Union.

The fact that we had, in places, to carryall the articles, to unhitch the dogs and drag the sledge, will shOW what must have been our labor and the difficulties that encumbered the road. The previous day the sledge had upset but once. At Cape Union Peak, having passed the worst part of the ice-foot, we increased our weights considerably, leaving behind about 400 lbs. of English beef, reserved for dog food. The wind, that since the morning of the 7

th had not ceased, was then blowing such a gale, perhaps 3 6

to 4

miles [16 to ,8'.per second] that in places, over good ice glased [sit] by the sun, it pushed the sledge faster than the dogs could run, and, at times, threatened to break it against the hummocks of the road. Two of us only could keep behind and steer; the other followed, being often compelled to stop and sit down to save himself from

falls or slides. We alternated with Rice, and reached Black Cape April 9th,

at 3 a. m., having managed to escape with only half a dozen falls.

Distance travelled, 5 miles. Hours travelled, from 8 P:m,to 3a.m.

ApriI9tlt.-Temp.,7 a. m., +6.5 [_14.2

°C.].

The temperature was about zero [ _ '7.8°C.], but the strength of the wind made us fully appreciate the advantage of a colder weather with a calmer atmosphere. Itwas with difficulty that we could pitch the tent.

As I was cooking supper-or breakfast-(we now could never agree on the order of our meals), Rice com-menced digging for a house. The wind blew all night with fury, shaking so much our tent that we scarcely slept. Up early, I prepared breakfast in haste. Rice and Jens finished the house, and when in the very act of moving in our new quarters a last gust of the gale blew the tent partly down, scattered many of our 'goods, and, as an immense arrow, lifted the sledge and buried the front part of its runners in a snowbank

fully 5

00 yards [457'"] distant. Itwas then 3 a. m. of April roth.

April lotlt.-Temp.At 5 a. m. we started, the wind still blowing a strong gale.5a. m.,o.o [_11.⁸⁰C.]. As we could but with difficulty pass around Black Cape, for the accumulated pieces of berg, we took to the ice, notwithstanding its hummockyappear-ance. At 8 a. m. we were again on the foot, and at r o a. m. at Cape Rawson, were [where] we found ourselves detained for

* _

hours by the violence of the storm, blowing now at least at the rate of 45 miles

* an hour [20

per second]. -It was not only dangerouS, but nearly impossible, to proceed further. J1Ist at the Cape, 4

feet [12

] above the sea level, and badly sheltered behind blocks of paleocrystic bergs, we entered the sleeping.bags, and, drawing the flaps over our heads, stood very comfortably the assaults and drifts of a most terrific gale. Velocity of the wiod, 45 to 50 miles [20 to 22· per second].

Distance made,

s3i'

^miles. Hours travelled, from 5 a. m. to 10a.m.

AprilI1th.-Temp. 3 a. m., +'0.0 [_12.2· C.]; r p. m., +12.⁰ [ -Il.,oC.]; 2 P: m., +'7.

0°

[-8.3 C.].

---:----_

^..

^_---_.

^__^._-^_^.._._--_._---_...._----_._----_^..

_---*Omiss ion in original. A. W. G.

THE LA.DY FRA.NKIJIN BAY EXPEDITION.

171

At 3 a.m.,having been with

J

ens to look at the state of the ice, and finding it really worse than thefoot, we carried our load, piece by piece, lor a distance of over 1,000 yards [914mj- After taking a cold lunch (made out of some English pemmican, found the preceding day at the cape), we started. The sky was

cloudy, the drifting still heavy, and the wind blowing with a velocity of 30 to 35 miles [13 to 16mper second].

From Cape Rawson the coast slopes more gently to seawards, and from Floeberg Beach to Cape Sheridan, and perhaps to Harley's Spit, can always be travelled by the bays in the fall. At six P:m., we turned around asmall point of the coast and descended from asnowy slope on the shore of Floeberg Beach. The storm had ceased since an hour, leaving in its stead the weather uncomfortably warm. A heavylead-coloredsky, contrasting fearfullywith the whiteness of the freshly drifted snow, lent to the surrounding landscapea gloomy appearance. From a distance we could see a large cairn on the top of the Alert's lookout, and lower, on the brow of a smaller hill, some dark object that at first we took for a cache,but was soon found to be the tomb of Petersen, Beneath the large stone that covers the remains of the Danish interpreter a hare had taken lip his residence, strangely associating the fact of his presence with the words of the epitaph engraved on a copper plate at the head of the tomb: "He shall wash me and I shall be as white as snow."

From this hill our hopes of finding a sea free from paleocrystic floes, had vanished. About a mile and a half from the coast, against which was pressed the thickest agglomeration of hummocks that we had yet seen, and as far as the view could extend (by somewhat thick weather), perhaps ten or. twelve miles, the ice was nearly of the same character as the pack described by the officers of the Alert. Few days later we were unfortunately destined to make a closer acquaintance with these unmerciful floes. The comparatively narrow band of heavy and tightly pressed hummocks, of whichI have just spoken, bordered the shore from Cape Rawson to Cape Sheridan.

Certainly, in this neighborhood the floes had been broken up and the coast perhaps navigable at some time in thesummer or fall, but at what risk, and with how much danger, it is difficult to say. Aship tossed byanortheast storm on thi1 exposed shore, without a harbor, and pressed between such piles of ice, willrungreatrisks,

, Captain Nares, somewhere, speaks of a line of grounded bergs that served as a harbor and shielded theirshipfrom the pressure of the pack and perhaps from total-destruction. This spring no floe-bergs could

~eseen around the place where theAlertmust have dropped her anchor in 1875. No signs of paleocrystic

IC~[were observed] closer than about a mile and a half from the coast. After taking a good survey of the 11elghborhood we resumed our march. The weather seemed so warm that when travelling, even in shirt sleeves, our foreheads were wet with perspiration. Along the coast we found many indices of the British stay-:-here an, en:pty barrel, there a piece of wood stuck in the ground, and, near Cape Sheridan, the hoops forming the binding of a flower corbeille showed the spot where their garden had grown. \Ve were struck bythe abundance of snow that covered the surrounding country.

At Cape Sheridan three barrels superposed, and a small boat-mast to which was still attached a halyard, marked the place of the highest flagstaff from which had ever floated aUnion Jack. Here we left the shore and tr~velledtowards Harley's Spit over apparently continuous paleocrystic ice.

Ihst~nce^travelled, 10~^miles. Hours travelled, from 3a. m, to I p. m.

AP:".

Izth.-Temp., min.,during rest, - 2 . 0 [ _18'9° C.]; I a. rn.

+

^3.5 _[-15.8°C.]; 6.a. m.,0.0

[- 17.8 C.]; 9a. m.,

+

^4.0 l-IS.6° C.]. .

The reth ofA?ril,the weather having beenJ:lear in the morning we had a good but distant, view of Cape Henry,Rawlins Bay, Marco1)010Hay, and Depot Point. At 2'45 a 111 leaving the tent pitched, we

started for Black Cape after an t I l l f . . . . . , d th

h ^< ⁰ ier oac 0 prOVISIOns. TheAlertquarters were passed at 6a. m.an e snow ouse of Black Cape reached at 9a. m.

During OUf absence the sto m th t e l 'e

d ] bl

k · ' r a at ape Rawson had drove [driven] us to our bags, must iav

rage iere, oc admg the entrance oftl •h . . . ds

[ nI]

r

b h' d < re ouse and scatteringour effects and prOVISIOns nearly 500 yar 4t57 }Oll~ ^{fie in} ^the ~ockwhere they had been cached. The icefoot was covered with large and small.

stones ra mg rom the cliffs At the 1 f I te

F C U ' • . . very same p ace where our tent stood laid several heavy blocks0 s a . •

rom . apc rnonto FloebergBeach ti 1' . 1 ^r.11 of

. '1, par restrave hng by windy days are continually exposed to tre ia

proJect. es from these ragrved andd ' I [ ild

all 1 . /:)' esmgragate( disintegrated] tops. The weather was now really so 1111

)( so peasant that RIce and

J

^{ens sle} ^t ^td ^' ^. J

ApI IJ P ou oars111 their bag; I still remained faithful to the snow rouse . . 13f.^l.- T emp ., I I a. m.,

+

^6'5

r-

14.2°C.].

had Apt

I?

^p·1m.,

A~ril

r ath, [13 th] we leit Black Cape for Harley's Spit with a lighter load than the one we reVlOUS yearned. "Then at Floeberg Beach, we ascended the Alert's lookout to take copy of the

172

THE LADY FRANKLIN BAY EXPEDITION.

~ritish

record and to dep?,it our own. This cairn, a solid mass of piled up stones, ten feetl3

j high by eIght [2.4'"J wIde-that will stand the storm of many winters-is of an imposing aspect.

About five feet [1.5'''J from the ground a large, iron cylinder, sealed probably by the engineers of the ship, and in which are secured the documents of the British expedition, is so firmly held by all enormous weight of stones that it would be necessary to tear down half of the monument to get at its contents. Being wanting in tools to cut through thick iron, and scared at its probable weight, we contented ourselves with leaving our record in an air-tight rubber match-box well secured by heavy rocks on the side of the English document.Distance travelled, 16 miles. Hours travelled, from 245 a. m.to 9 a. m." - ,

ApriI14tk.-Temp.,3 a. m., 0.0 [_'1.S^oC.J; 2r- m.,-5'0 [-20.6° C.J; 3 p. m.,-IO.O [-'3'3° C.J;

7p. m.,-13·5 [-25.3°Our hours of tlavelling had been lately so much interverted by ball weather, few long marches, and someC·l·

oversleeping, that the 13

th of April we were again traveUing during the day. The weather was beautiful, the temperature high, and not a breath of wind was stirring. From Cape Sheridian to View Point, the ice

was a real paleocrystic pack, extending as far as the view could reach. Until loa.

m. the travelling was fair, but afterwardsit became so tiresome, through deep and recently fallen snow, already softened by the sun, that at I P:m,we stopped, and, withuut pitching the tent, waited until 9.05p. m. to start again, At " a. m.

the hauling of the sledge being still too hard on the dogs and the progress made very small, we unloaded

Im Dokument PROCEEDINGS OF THE UNITED STATES EXPEDITION (Seite 192-196)