Farthest North: The Life and Explorations of Lieutenant James Booth Lockwood, of the Greely Arctic ExpeditionLanman, Charles
History
Farthest North: The Life and Explorations of Lieutenant James Booth Lockwood, of the Greely Arctic Expedition
Lanman, Charles
Arctic regions; Lady Franklin Bay Expedition (1881-1884); Lockwood, James Booth, 1852-1884
By cutting steps in the snow they gained a considerable elevation,
but, on looking round a point of rocks, the height beyond was so
much greater and worse than they expected, that they could not
proceed. All along shore was the crack of open water about a yard
wide, with young ice beyond, through which a stone or fragment of
ice might be thrown. Dense water-clouds appeared in many directions.
They returned to camp, and, after enjoying some tea, Lockwood gave
Jewell the tidal rod to make observations, while with Brainard he
started out again, this time to the south and up a stream-bed, at
whose mouth they were encamped, hoping to find a route back of the
cliffs overland. They soon found themselves in a ravine with high,
rocky sides, and encountered a steep snow-drift. Beyond was a small
hole in the snow, which seemed to be a cavern or grotto formed of
snow and ice, and probably running down to the bed of the stream—if
that may be called a stream which has no water. Beyond this were
exposed rocks under foot, and they saw ptarmigan-tracks, where the
birds had used their wings in getting down a snow-drift. Finally,
they came to a branch ravine from the southeast, the main stream
leading off toward the south. They turned up the branch, and kept on
for a while, when the high rocky sides seemed to come to a formation
of ice like a glacier, a hundred feet high, at least, and very
steep. The crest was perpendicular. The route thus far was difficult
yet practicable, but it was clearly impossible for a dog-team to
haul an _empty_ sledge up this place, and yet it was the only place
where there was anything else than an inclined plane of rocks. The
glacier was covered with snow, but in many places the ice could be
seen cropping out, the snow being only a thin covering. Some
ice-grottoes were also seen. They clambered up the rocks to the
left, and found themselves on a stony plateau. Off to the east was
an elevated ridge or knoll, toward which they traveled about a mile
and a half. On gaining it, the barometer showed an elevation of
thirteen hundred feet. Toward the south was a chain of mountains
running east and west, through the western extremity of which the
main stream-bed they had ascended seemed to break, about six miles
from the sea. The branch appeared to end at the glacier; but to the
east of it the land sloped north and south, and formed a
surface-drain which, running east, soon narrowed into a gorge, and,
bending to the north, reached the sea just west of Rest Gorge, as
well as they could make out. At the bend was a large formation of
ice or snow.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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