SHERIDAN TO ETAH
July 30th and 31st the weather was fine, the channel pack surging back
and forth with the tides close alongside, and every now and then large
pieces crowding in against us, necessitating shifting the _Roosevelt_ by
the lines to avoid them. The channel pack consisted of very large floes
packed closely together and showing no signs of leads throughout the
entire width of the channel and as far north and south as could be seen.
The ship’s people assisted by the Eskimos worked night and day to
complete the finishing touches to the new rudder so that we could take
advantage of the first opportunity to get away from this exposed and
dangerous position. From the Captain I learned the story of the
_Roosevelt’s_ experiences after the ice opened at Cape Sheridan. She had
had a crucial trial which few if any other ships would have survived,
and twice everything had been landed from her in the belief that she
would never leave her present position.
The Captain was enthusiastic over the model of the ship and the ease
with which she rose when nipped.
The Chief was enthusiastic about the size and strength of her shaft
which at one time during the nip that did her so much damage, held the
entire weight of the after part of the ship.
About 6 A. M. of the 31st, the ice loosened close along the ice-foot
towards Lincoln Bay, but before our lines could be cast off it had
closed in again. From here I sent five Eskimos across overland after the
skins of some musk-oxen which had been killed earlier in the season.
About breakfast time Sipsu and his wife came in from Conger. He was
dressed out in cavalry officer’s uniform, and he and his wife and his
one dog were loaded with pots and pans and packs and bundles of every
description till they looked like a troupe of tramp pedlars.
At 5 P. M. the ice eased off along the ice-foot again and we got under
way. The _Roosevelt_ was very light and in excellent trim for escaping a
nip, but she was leaking a good deal about the stern, and her twisted
stern-post made her very difficult to steer. After running into the
ice-foot two or three times she managed to work her way around the point
into Lincoln Bay, along its north shore to its head, and across to the
south side where she was made fast in a comparatively sheltered place.
Her position was a vast improvement upon her previous one where the
caprice of a big floe might at any moment force her high and dry on the
shore. As soon as we were fast, I sent one man back to Shelter River to
wait the return of the five men, five others out after hare, and two
others south to assist Ootah, the other Conger Eskimo who was in camp at
Shift Rudder Bay, his wife having given birth to a boy while _en route_
to the ship. Here for the first time since June 1st, I undressed and
went to bed like a civilised man. It seemed a bit strange. At 2 P. M. we
got under way again (one of the crew enlivening this occasion by falling
overboard and narrowly escaping drowning), and worked along the ice-foot
to the northern point of Wrangel Bay. Here a floe several miles in
diameter delayed us for an hour or more until it moved enough for us to
squeeze between it and the point into the bay which was full of slack
ice. Forcing a way through this into the head of the bay, we dropped
anchor in water so shoal that it was thought it would keep all heavy
pieces of ice away from us. I was very glad to reach the shelter of this
bay. The stretch of coast between Wrangel and Lincoln bays is one of the
worst places in this region for a ship to be caught. The _Roosevelt_
steered a little better than the day before, but it still required very
careful management to get her along.
The ice offered no opportunity for leaving the bay during the 2d, and
about midnight it filled the bay so completely that it forced the
_Roosevelt_ ashore. She was pulled off during the 3d, but was again
pushed ashore late in the evening. All the Eskimos including the family
from Shift Rudder Bay came in on this date. Very early on the 4th an
unsuccessful attempt was made to get around Cape Beechy, the ice
crowding in upon us and compelling the _Roosevelt_ to retreat at full
speed. During the 5th we remained inactive, the ice densely packed
everywhere. During the night of the 5th a reconnaissance from the peak
of Cape Frederick VIII showed water under the Greenland shore and early
in the morning of the 6th, the _Roosevelt_ for the third time essayed
the crossing of Robeson Channel through the dense pack, this time
heading for Thank God Harbour. The ice encountered was very heavy, but
the _Roosevelt_ kept moving slowly until about 2 A. M. of the 7th, when
she was somewhat east of the middle of the channel and a little south of
Cape Beechy. At this time the ice ran together with the turn of the tide
preventing further movement, so we made fast to a big floe and began
drifting southward with the pack. Soundings in the centre of the channel
gave depths of from 298 to 339 fathoms. During the 7th, 8th, and 9th we
drifted southward, and some big floes jamming across the channel from
Cape Lieber to Joe Island, we were shunted into the mouth of Lady
Franklin Bay on a line between Cape Baird and Discovery Harbour.
Here we remained without motion for eight days, parties of Eskimos going
ashore every day both to Cape Baird and Distant Cape and Bellot Island.
These hunting parties secured some hare, a square flipper seal, a common
seal and on two or three occasions came near getting a narwhal.
[Illustration:
ESKIMO FAMILY GOING ASHORE AT LADY FRANKLIN BAY FOR WINTER AT FORT
CONGER
]
[Illustration:
TAKING SOUNDINGS IN KANE BASIN
]
On the morning of the 18th the ice in which we were imprisoned began to
set into the bay again, doubtless owing to pressure from the northward.
This motion continued throughout the day, and, toward midnight the
_Roosevelt_ was subjected to severe pressure which forced her up on to
the heavy floe to which we were moored, twisted her stern-post over to
the port side, and for a time threatened to tear another blade from her
propeller. We were now in the centre of the Bay about six miles inside
of Cape Baird, and opposite the western entrance of Discovery Harbour.
Motion continued during the 19th, and at night the _Roosevelt_ was again
subjected to pressures, which increased the leak and it was necessary to
keep the pumps going continually. In this new position we remained
motionless until the 24th. During this time the hunting parties to the
shore were continued, obtaining more hare, two additional square flipper
seals, one common seal, and nine musk-oxen. Eight families of the
Eskimos also, who believed that the _Roosevelt_ would not get south this
season, went ashore with all their belongings in order to begin hunting
for their winter food supply as soon as possible. I was not at all sorry
to have them go and fitted them out with guns and ammunition, for if we
did get away they and their families would be so many less to look out
for during the southern voyage, and if we did not, their work ashore
would count toward the winter supplies of the entire party.
I confess that, though not admitting it, I was myself doubtful as to our
escape as the days wore along. The _Alert_ and _Discovery_ got away from
Discovery Harbour August 20th, and the _Proteus_ on the 26th and they
were much nearer to possible avenues of escape than we, located as we
were in the depths of the bay. The weather and our surroundings also
reminded me altogether too strongly of our experience at Cape D’Urville
in 1898.
The outlook for our escape became so doubtful that I made plans for
another year’s enforced delay, the programme contemplating the scouting
of the entire region from Cape Desfosse to Lincoln Bay, and west through
the drainage basin of Lake Hazen, by several hunting parties working
simultaneously; and the establishment of colonies at Conger, Lake Hazen,
and the head of Archer Fiord.
About noon of the 24th the ice slackened a trifle, and we were able to
work about three miles toward Cape Baird, then the ice and the fog both
shut down on us. After this we drifted eastward very slowly until
midnight, remained motionless during the 25th, and on the 26th lost it
all and settled back into the bay again. At 4 A. M. of the 27th, a very
light air out of Lady Franklin Bay began to drift us almost
imperceptibly eastward. At 5:30 the ice slackened slightly, and we began
to hammer our way eastward for freedom and the water under the Greenland
shore. At first progress was fearfully slow, but improved later and we
worked across toward Cape Tyson, then rounding an enormous floe were
able to work down along its eastern side and squeeze between it and Joe
Island.
Whatever else might be in store for us there was no longer any danger
that we would be pocketed in Lady Franklin Bay for another year, or that
we would be smashed against the savage cliffs that line the shore of
Daly Peninsula from Cape Lieber to Cape Desfosse. From this time the
_Roosevelt_ made very satisfactory progress until 6 A. M. of the 29th
when she was stopped by impenetrable ice south and east of Hayes Point.
[Illustration:
BRINGING THE BEAR TO THE SHIP
]
[Illustration:
SITTING FOR HIS PHOTOGRAPH, WITH KOOLOOTINGWAH, PEWAHTOO, AND
TEDDYLINGWAH
POLAR BEAR KILLED IN KANE BASIN
]
[Illustration:
THE SHIP BEACHED FOR REPAIRS AT THE HEAD OF ETAH FIORD
]
From Joe Island to Hans Island our course lay close to the Greenland
shore among very large and heavy floes. We passed east of Hans Island,
and from Hans Island to Cape Calhoun had practically open water. From
Cape Calhoun until we came to a stop heavy floes were encountered again,
becoming more and more closely packed as we advanced. While passing
Franklin and Crozier Islands a fresh northeasterly wind enabled us to
set foresail, mizzenspencer, and forestaysails, and for a little while
gave the _Roosevelt_ a speed of ten knots. From the afternoon of the
29th until 6 P. M. of September 5th we were unable to move, the ice
which held us drifting slowly but steadily to the southwest and packing
against Bache Peninsula and into Buchanan and Princess Marie bays.
During most of this time the weather was fine and numbers of seals were
observed upon the ice, several of which the Eskimos secured.
In the evening of the 8th, the ice slackened to the southeast, I
abandoned the idea of picking up my Victoria Head Depot, and the
_Roosevelt_ was headed for Cairn Point on the Greenland coast. From the
evening of September 5th until midnight of September 7th, we were able
to make intermittent runs of a few hours duration, the sum total of
which placed us somewhat more than half across Kane Basin. During the
8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th we lay imprisoned among very heavy old floes
close to a group of four icebergs, a position which caused me
considerable uneasiness, particularly as a strong southerly gale was
blowing during two days of the time.
At 7 P. M. of the 11th we made another short run and during the five
following days we worked southeastward at every opportunity, gaining a
mile or two at almost every tide, then being nipped and crowded (wedged
is the better word, perhaps) southwestward toward Sabine, by some huge
field of ice forging down along the Greenland coast.
The weather was getting very sharp now, the young ice formed and became
extremely tough with great rapidity, and while this time I had at heart
no doubt of our eventual escape unless some unforeseen event occurred,
still the lateness of the season and our surroundings were such as to
make a repetition of the _Polaris’s_ experience, and a winter’s drift in
the pack by no means impossible.
The unforeseen contingency seemed to have arrived when it was reported
on the 14th that the propeller was loose, and if we did any backing we
would lose it. Such a loss would of course mean a certainty of wintering
in the pack. Much to my relief an examination of the propeller showed
that only the nuts holding the blades in place were loose, and these
after nearly two days of effort were with much difficulty tightened up,
and this danger, for a time at least, averted. During the night of the
14th a floe not less than eight or ten miles in diameter, crowding south
on the ebb-tide, wedged us and the ice about us over to within ten miles
of Cape Sabine. In return, however, for this apparent injury it gave us
a bear, the first seen by the Expedition, and left along its northern
edge a line of cleavage through which we were able to butt and squeeze a
passage eastward once more, and reach a series of areas of young ice
from three to five inches in thickness. To many a ship this ice would
have been as impracticable as the heavy floes through which we had been
working; but to the fine bow of the _Roosevelt_, which Captain Dix had
so carefully moulded, it proved no obstacle, and she walked steadily
through it in spite of her crippled propeller and reduced boiler power.
And when after rounding the northeastern angle of the floe and heading
more to the south, it was possible to set the sails to the fresh
northerly wind, she trod the ice under her fore-foot with a steady roar
at a four or five knot pace. Finally after one or two temporary delays
where the corners of big floes locked together, the ship, at 4 A. M. of
the 16th, pushed her nose into open water somewhat north of Littleton
Island and steamed into Etah, thus ending a most gallant battle with the
ice which had begun on July 4th and lasted for seventy-five days.
During the crossing of Kane Basin six seals, one bearded seal, two hood
seals, and one polar bear were obtained. Soundings made by Marvin at
various points across the basin, showed a very regular bottom, and
depths much less than in Robeson and Kennedy Channels or between Sabine
and Littleton Island. These soundings ranged from 101 to 139 fathoms.
At Etah I found not only the Eskimo families whom I had transplanted
there the summer before, but others who had come since with a view to
meeting the ship on her return. They had given up hopes of our return
this season until some three days previous when active old Ahmah,
Merktoshah’s wife, walking overland to Anoritok had seen our smoke far
out in Kane Basin. From these natives I learned that the season had been
an unusual one, the ice everywhere remaining until very late. As soon as
we arrived the heavy anchor and cable which we had left here the year
before were taken on board, and Captain Bartlett reconnoitred several
places in the vicinity looking for a suitable place to beach the
_Roosevelt_ and repair her stern and propeller. Nothing satisfactory was
found and we steamed up to the head of the fiord in the northeast corner
of which was a place that could be made to do. Here the stern of the
_Roosevelt_ was warped close inshore at high tide, and during the next
few tides the stern was calked, the stern-post, which had been twisted
back and forth by the ice so many times that it was now only a menace to
the propeller, was cut away, and the nuts fastening the propeller-blades
set up again. Some ballast was also taken on board between times. During
all this time the wind was blowing strongly from the north and Smith
Sound seen out through the mouth of the fiord was a cauldron of whirling
clouds, fog and snow. When this work was completed we steamed back to
Etah and took on board the coal. This work was greatly hampered first by
the strong wind which on one trip swamped our boat raft, and afterwards
by the young ice through which it was at times almost impossible to warp
the raft back and forth between the ship and the shore. The lower
portion of the coal also was frozen and had to be loosened with
dynamite. Late in the evening of the 20th, the _Roosevelt_ steamed out
of Etah leaving about half of my Eskimos there.
[Illustration:
VIEW OF THE STERN
]
[Illustration:
ESKIMO HOUSES AT KOOKAN
]