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)
Blowing frightfully. We have run in under the coast, and are partly
sheltered by it, and trying hard to find an anchorage. But for the
protection of the land we could not show a stitch of canvas. We are
about three miles from Sutherland Island, which lies close to Cape
Alexander, on its south side, but we have ceased to gain any thing
upon it. We can carry so little sail that the schooner will not work
to windward; besides, here under the coast, the wind comes only in
squalls. If we can only get in between the island and the mainland we
shall be all right. I have not been in bed since the day before leaving
Tessuissak, and during these six days I have snatched only now and then
a little sleep. If our anchor once gets a clutch on the bottom I shall
make up for lost time.
I ought to have been more cautious, and sought shelter sooner. A
heavy white cloud hanging over Cape Alexander (Jensen calls it a
"table-cloth") warned me of the approaching gale, but then I did not
think it would come upon us with such fury.
It is a perfect hurricane. My chief fear is that we will be driven out
to sea, which is everywhere filled with heavy ice.
August 29th, 12 o'clock, M.
There has been a dead calm under the coast for an hour. The
"table-cloth" has lifted from the cape, and there is a decided change
in the northern sky. The light windy clouds are disappearing, and
stratus clouds are taking their place. The neck of the gale appears to
be broken.
2 o'clock, P. M.
[Sidenote: A SEVERE GALE.]
My calculations of the morning were quite wrong. The gale howls more
furiously than ever. We are lying off Cape Saumarez, about two miles
from shore. Failing to reach Sutherland Island, we were forced to
run down the coast with the hope of finding shelter in the deep bay
below; but the wind, sweeping round the cape, drove us back, and we are
now trying to crawl in shore and get an anchor down in a little cove
near by, and there repair our torn sails. We are a very uncomfortable
party. The spray flies over the vessel, sheathing her in ice. Long
icicles hang from the rigging and the bulwarks. The bob-stays and other
head-gear are the thickness of a man's body; and, most unseamanlike
procedure, we have to throw ashes on the deck to get about.
I can now readily understand how Inglefield was forced to fly from
Smith's Sound. If the gale which he encountered resembled this one, he
could not, with double the steam-power of the _Isabella_, have made
headway against it. Were I to leave the shelter of these friendly
cliffs I should have to run with even greater celerity;--and, very
likely, to destruction.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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