The Great Frozen Sea: A Personal Narrative of the Voyage of the "Alert"Markham, Albert Hastings, Sir
History
The Great Frozen Sea: A Personal Narrative of the Voyage of the "Alert"
Markham, Albert Hastings, Sir
Alert (Sloop : 1856-1895); Arctic regions; Nares, George S. (George Strong), 1831-1915
In the forenoon both ships were slightly nipped. We succeeded in
unshipping our rudder in time; but the "Discovery," receiving the
squeeze more astern, had her rudder very severely injured. She was
enabled, however, to patch it up sufficiently for temporary use and thus
avoid the necessity of shifting it. In the afternoon the ice began to
move to the eastward, enabling us once more to make a start. Hastily
shipping our rudders we got under weigh, and having bored through a few
streams of ice emerged into a fine lead of water extending between the
land and the pack. Passing Cape D'Urville, we opened a large inlet. At
its head was a deep ravine, containing two large glaciers which, running
respectively from N.E. and N.W., met and formed one terminal face. At 9
P.M. the southern extreme of Dobbin Bay, called Cape Hawks, was passed.
This is a magnificent promontory, which has, with some propriety, been
compared, in appearance, to the Rock of Gibraltar.
It was a beautifully calm night as both ships silently rounded this bold
headland, the water so still and unruffled that it was actually used as
an artificial horizon for the purpose of taking an astronomical
observation. The Cape itself towered over our heads as we steamed past,
its reflection in the still quiet water being clearly visible, whilst
deep ravines on either side stretched away apparently for miles into the
interior, until lost amid the snow-shining mountains in the far
distance. A large glacier at the head of the bay showed out prominently
as it glistened in the light of a bright midnight sun, the bay itself
being covered with an icy sheet, broken only by a few long low bergs,
generated, in all probability, from the selfsame glacier. The few clouds
that were visible in the almost cloudless sky presented an exquisite
iridescence rarely witnessed, exhibiting clearly defined bright
colours, extending in bands in a horizontal direction, the reflection
of which in the clear pellucid water materially enhanced the beauties of
the landscape. Such a scene, with all its surroundings, could scarcely
be equalled in beauty, certainly not surpassed, even in sunny Italy.
[Illustration: CAPE HAWKS.]
Making the ships fast to an iceberg, preparations for landing a large
depôt of provisions, similar to the one established at the Cary Islands,
were immediately commenced. A jolly-boat, obtained from the "Valorous,"
was also deposited here. We have now two large depôts, besides boats,
established in our rear, sufficient to sustain a large party for many
days, should any untoward accident befall our ship.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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