The Open Polar Sea: A narrative of a voyage of discovery towards the North pole, in the schooner "United States"Hayes, I. I. (Isaac Israel)
History
The Open Polar Sea: A narrative of a voyage of discovery towards the North pole, in the schooner "United States"
Hayes, I. I. (Isaac Israel)
Arctic regions; United States (Schooner)
The sea below Cairn Point was filled with loose ice, evidently broken
adrift by a very recent gale. By keeping to the land-ice we managed
to work our way down the coast, and got around Cape Hatherton; but,
below this, the ice-foot, too, was gone, thus obliging us to take to
the land. To cross the mountains with our sledges was, of course,
impracticable; so we were compelled to abandon them until such time as
we could come for them in a boat.
The land journey was very tedious and tiresome, exhausted and foot-sore
as we were already; but we managed better than the dogs. Most of them
sneaked away as soon as loosened from the sledges, and would not follow
us; and when sought for could not be found. I did not feel apprehensive
for them, as I supposed they merely needed rest, and would follow
our tracks to the vessel. Three of them only stuck to us. One is the
noble old beast, Oosisoak; another is his brave queen, Arkadik; and
the third Nenook, the finest of Kalutunah's dogs. Three others have
come in since; but four are yet missing. I have sent out to seek them,
without success. I much fear that they will not have strength to drag
themselves on board.
[Sidenote: A NEW SOUND.]
And so my journey ended. If it has had its disappointments, it has had,
too, its triumphs and successes. It was unfortunate that I did not get
the boat over the Sound, together with a good supply of provisions;
but, failing in this, the failure of the foot-party was of little
moment. No amount of assistance could, with sledges alone, have helped
me further north; or, if I had got further, could have ever got me back
again.
June 8th.
I have finished the plotting of my chart, and I find, as I have already
had occasion to observe, that the coast-line from Cape Sabine to Cape
Frazer differs somewhat from that shown from my journey in 1854,
which was made under the embarrassments of partial snow-blindness
and a vapory atmosphere. The most important feature in connection
with this old survey is the fact that the Sound opening westward from
Smith Sound, above Cape Sabine, formerly escaped my observation. The
existence of this Sound was abundantly confirmed during my return
journey; and my materials, now reduced and put on paper, give me the
correct conformation of the coast. The Sound is somewhat wider than
Smith Sound, narrowing, however, steadily, from a broad entrance,
something like Whale Sound. Whether it continues to the westward,
parallel with Jones and Lancaster Sounds, separating the Ellesmere
Land, of Inglefield, from the Grinnell Land of my former exploration,
of course, remains to be proven; but, that such is the fact, I have no
doubt.
[Sidenote: NOMENCLATURE.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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