On the 7th of July, 1841, the ships having been refitted, though very
little repair was found requisite, the expedition again left Hobart
Town to resume their task, and proceeded to Sydney and to New
Zealand, in order to extend the magnetic observations, and make
meteorological and other philosophical experiments.
On the 23rd of November they left the Bay of Islands, steering
towards Chatham Island. On the 25th they crossed the 180th degree,
and having, by sailing to the eastward, gained twelve hours, it
became necessary, on entering upon west longitude, to have two days
following of the same date, in order that their time might correspond
with that of England by the time they reached it, so as to lose the
time they were gaining as they sailed to the eastward. They had,
therefore, two Thursdays and two twenty-fifths of November in
succession.
On December 16th, the first icebergs were seen in lat. 58° 36' S.;
long. 146° 43' W.
Captain Ross now changed his course to due south, selecting this
meridian in the hope of discovering land, and wishing to approach the
great barrier by a route as widely different as possible from their
former one.
On the 18th they reached the main pack, much further to the north
than the year before, and at once ran into it, but finding it
heaviest to the south, they were obliged to steer in a westerly
direction, turning southward whenever an opportunity occurred.
On the 25th they were in lat. 66° S., long. 156° 14' W., closely
beset in the pack, and with a thick fog, in spite of which they spent
a very cheerful Christmas. Drifting about in a small hole of water,
they made the ships fast to a piece of ice, placed between them to
prevent a collision, a plan which was repeatedly practised during
their progress through the pack. They made but little way south, and
again crossed the Antarctic Circle on New Year's Day. As usual, a
complete suit of warm clothing was presented to the crews. They had
now advanced 250 miles through the pack without seeing any prospect
of its termination, boring through the ice at a very slow rate,
encouraged by the appearance of a dark water-sky to the west.
On the 17th a heavy swell came on, with a thick fog, followed on the
19th by a terrific gale, and the sea quickly rising to a fearful
height, and breaking over the loftiest bergs, the ships were unable
any longer to hold their ground, but were driven into the heavy pack
under their lee. Soon after midnight they were involved in an ocean
of rolling fragments of ice, as hard as rocks, which were dashed
against them by the waves with such violence that the masts quivered
as if they would fall at every successive blow, and it seemed
scarcely probable the ships could hold together against the
tremendous shocks they received. The rudder of the 'Erebus' was soon
so shattered as to be useless, and that of the 'Terror' completely
destroyed. Throughout the 28 hours during which they were in such
awful jeopardy the coolness, steady obedience, and untiring exertions
of each individual were every way worthy of British seamen. Each man
secured his hold, waiting the issue with resignation to the will of
Him who alone could preserve them in safety through such extreme
danger. At midnight the snow which had been falling thickly for some
hours cleared away, the wind shifted to the westward, and the swell
began to subside. On the 21st, the weather becoming calmer, they
drove the ships into the thickest of the pack for shelter, while the
rudders were repaired. In spite of the thumping they had received,
both ships were found to be nearly as tight as they were before the
gale, showing the admirable manner in which they had been fortified,
and partly to be attributed to the holds being so stowed as to form a
solid mass throughout.
The 23rd was Sunday, and in the course of reading the usual church
service in the morning, a practice which during the whole expedition
was scarcely if ever interrupted, the congregation failed not to
offer up their heartfelt thanksgivings to God for their late
wonderful preservation. The ships continued beset in the pack for
many days, often in great danger from the heavy swell, sometimes
making a few miles southward, then driven back with the pack to the
north.
At length, on the 2nd of February, they broke through the heavy ice
and foam which formed its edge, and reached the open sea, in lat. 67°
29' S., and long. 159° 01' W., after being involved in the pack for
fifty-six days. This was only ten days earlier than they had been
compelled to abandon further operations the year before, but they
continued beating along the pack edge which trended to the west, till
the 13th, when they were able to stand south, in a tolerably clear
sea. Here they met with fogs, and the cold was intense; and on the
19th an ice-blink was seen, indicating the proximity of the great
barrier, which was seen on the 23rd, on which they steered east,
hoping to turn its eastern extremity, and thus reach a higher
southern latitude. They were, however, stopped by the newly-formed
ice, and the next day the main pack was in sight, closely approaching
the barrier. The setting in of the winter now rendered it necessary
to abandon further researches, and to seek a more temperate climate;
and having had the satisfaction of tracing the barrier 130 miles more
to the east than the preceding year, Captain Ross resolved to take
the shortest course for the Falkland Islands, steering north to seek
for some opening in the pack.
On the 5th of March, after passing a chain of stupendous bergs, and
meeting with stormy weather, they recrossed the Antarctic Circle,
celebrating the event with much rejoicing. On the 12th, during a
strong breeze, they came upon a chain of bergs, and during the night,
a large one, previously concealed by the thickly-falling snow, was
suddenly seen directly ahead of the 'Erebus.' At the moment of
trying to weather it, the 'Terror' was seen running down upon her,
and as it was impossible for her to clear both the bergs, and the
'Erebus,' a frightful collision ensued. The bowsprit and other spars
of the 'Erebus' were carried away, and the ships entangled by their
rigging, and dashing against each other with fearful violence, were
falling down upon the weather-face of the lofty berg under their lee.
Providentially they separated before drifting down amongst the
foaming breakers, and the 'Terror' passed on and cleared the end of
the berg in safety. The 'Erebus' was left completely disabled, and
so close to the berg that the waves as they dashed against it threw
their spray over her. It was three-quarters of an hour before she
could be extricated from this awful situation, when another huge berg
was seen directly astern of her; she passed, however, in safety
through the narrow channel between these two perpendicular walls of
ice, and reached the smooth water to leeward. Having repaired the
damages sustained, they continued northwards, meeting with a storm
which lasted forty hours; and on the 6th of April, after being out of
sight of land for 136 days, they reached the Falkland Islands, where
Captain Ross proposed to pass the winter to repair the ships, and be
in readiness to make a third attempt to penetrate to the south at the
proper season.
On their arrival they learnt with great satisfaction that Commander
Crozier, Lieut. Bird, Mr. Smith, mate, and Mr. Mowbray, clerk in
charge of the 'Terror,' had received their well-earned promotion on
the day Captain Ross's Report of their first season's operations
reached the Admiralty.
The ships were hove up and repaired, and by the end of July were
again ready for sea, but the magnetic observations could not be
concluded till the end of August. On the 8th of September, the
expedition left Port Louis for the purpose of making observations in
the vicinity of Cape Horn, to be compared with those made during
their absence at the temporary magnetic observatory, which was placed
under the charge of Lieut. Sibbald. They as usual encountered severe
storms in their passage to Cape Horn, which they saw on 19th, and
passing it, the ships entered St. Martin's Cove the next day. The
observatories were erected, and the observations commenced on the
29th, and after making many interesting researches into the natural
productions of the country, they sailed again on the 7th of November
for the Falkland Islands, where all preparations were made for
resuming their researches in the South.