LEIGH SMITH AND THE “EIRA”
Not a little of our knowledge of Spitzbergen and Franz Josef Land is
due to the exertions of that able yachtsman and hunter, Leigh Smith,
of whom mention has already been made in connection with his rescue
of the unfortunate Swedes at Mussel Bay. Leigh Smith first comes into
the story of Arctic Exploration early in the ’seventies, when in a
series of three voyages, he examined the coast of Spitzbergen and
corrected several errors which then obtained credence concerning the
outline of North-East Land. Valuable as were the scientific results
of these voyages, however, we need not concern ourselves particularly
with them, and it is not until 1880, when he paid his first visit to
Franz Josef Land, that we have to enter into the story of his doings
in any detail.
Experience had taught him that discoveries could always be made
in the icy seas by perseverance and by promptly seizing any
opportunities that might arise, so, when he decided to make another
expedition northward, he made up his mind to sail for the Spitzbergen
seas, to conduct a careful examination of the ice over a large area,
and then to prosecute his researches in the direction which seemed
most promising. With this end in view, he had built for himself a
steam yacht of 360 tons burden and 50 horse-power, which he named
the _Eira_, and with a company of twenty-nine, he set sail for the
north in June 1880.
His first objective was Jan Mayen, but he was prevented from
examining that interesting island by the fact that it was, as usual,
enveloped in a thick mist. He next turned his attention to the east
coast of Greenland, which, of course, still offers a splendid field
to the adventurous explorer, but here again he was foiled, for the
coast was so encumbered by ice that it was impossible for him to
approach it. He then shaped his course for Spitzbergen, but falling
in with the two famous whalers, David and John Gray, he learnt that
the ice was equally bad in that direction. Accordingly, he determined
to try his luck in the Barents Sea, and to discover once and for all
whether there was a practicable sea-route to Franz Josef Land. Payer
and Weyprecht had, of course, found their way thither in 1871, but as
we have seen, they had been drifted there with the ice; a Dutchman
named De Bruyne had actually sighted its high land in 1879, but he
had not succeeded in reaching it; while, in the same year, Captain
Markham, in his little yacht the _Isbjörn_, had pushed as far north
as lat. 78° 24´, and had come to the conclusion that a steamer ought
to be able to make its way through the loose ice with which the sea
was cumbered without very much difficulty. There was, therefore,
every reason for Leigh Smith to hope that he would be able to reach
those shores which had never been visited since they were first
discovered.
Though the sea was covered with ice and dense fogs were of frequent
occurrence, he succeeded in bringing the _Eira_ through in safety,
and on August 14 she was lying at anchor off May Island, which is
situated just to the south of Hooker Island. Continuing her journey,
she steamed past Barents Hook, round the southern shore of Northbrook
Island, and up to Bell Island, between which and Mabel Island an
excellent anchorage was found and named Eira Harbour. Making that his
base, Leigh Smith surveyed the coast-line in all directions, adding
about 110 miles to the maps, and forming an interesting collection
of the flora and fauna of the country. Towards the end of August the
weather became threatening, so he determined to bid farewell to Franz
Josef Land for that year, as he was not prepared to spend a winter
there.
With a view to convincing doubters that the voyage to Franz Josef
Land would be practicable in any year, he set out on his second
voyage thither in the following summer. The _Eira_ was more hampered
by ice than had been the case before, but on July 23 land was
sighted, and Leigh Smith set his course for Cape Ludlow. After
exploring much of the coast-line which he had been unable to reach
during his previous visit, he made for Bell Island, off which he
anchored on August 6.
He had just finished examining Cape Flora and was thinking of
turning eastwards, in the hope that he might pick up some traces of
the lost _Jeannette_, when a calamity took place which completely
upset all his plans. For one fine Sunday morning, when the weather
was beautifully calm, and there seemed to be nothing to fear, the
pack-ice suddenly came down with the tide, and the _Eira_ was caught
between it and the land floe. She was protected by a grounded berg,
and for a while no injury was done to her. Then, without any
warning, the berg gave way, the _Eira_ heeled over, and the water
came pouring into her hold, probably through a hole made by a tongue
of ice. The pumps were tried, but without much effect, so all hands
were set to work, passing provisions and anything else that they
could save out on to the ice. Within two hours she was at the bottom,
in eleven fathoms of water.
There was now nothing for the men to do but to make the best of a bad
business, and to set about preparations for the winter. Fortunately
the land abounds with bears and walruses, and thanks to the united
efforts of the crew and of Bob, their retriever, the larder was soon
filled with a sufficient store of meat to last them comfortably till
the spring. Bob seems to have been a veritable Nimrod among dogs, and
to have combined an enthusiasm for hunting with an unusual degree
of sagacity. On one occasion, while out for a constitutional by
himself, he came upon a herd of seahorses, and succeeded in conveying
the intelligence to his human friends, to the great benefit of the
larder. On another occasion, he decoyed a bear right up to the door
of the hut, where it was promptly shot, while he once nearly died a
sportsman’s death in the embrace of a moribund bear, which, in his
zeal, he had approached rather too closely.
All the boats had fortunately been saved, and the winter was spent
in making preparations for a voyage to Nova Zembla, where, it was
hoped, succour would be found. This hope was amply fulfilled, for, on
reaching their goal after six weeks of very hard work, they fell in
with the Dutch exploring steamer, the _Willem Barents_, and later
on with the _Hope_, which had been sent out to their relief by the
British Government, and by which they were conveyed home none the
worse for their experiences.
Leigh Smith’s voyages were valuable not only scientifically but also
commercially, for he showed that walruses abound in those seas, a
piece of knowledge of which hunters have availed themselves to the
full.