The Three Voyages of William Barents to the Arctic Regions (1594, 1595, and 1596)Veer, Gerrit de
History
The Three Voyages of William Barents to the Arctic Regions (1594, 1595, and 1596)
Veer, Gerrit de
Barentsz, Willem, approximately 1550-1597; Northeast Passage
The following is a short account of this very successful cruise.
The yacht Glow-worm left Hammerfest (Norway) on June 23rd, and made her
first ice on the 4th of July, being about twenty-five miles to westward
of Goose Land (Novaya Zemlya). The approach to the land was found to be
obstructed by solid icefields, but two days afterwards, Mr. Gardiner
succeeded in reaching the land-water, and shaping his course north, he
tried to get as far as Cape Nassau.
A continuance of westerly winds having blocked up the west coast
entirely, Mr. Gardiner, a few miles north of Matotschkin Schar, was
stopped by an impenetrable barrier of ice, which, closing upon the
land, stretched itself far away to the westward. Finding the ice
barrier which obstructed the entrance of Matotschkin Schar only two
miles broad, Mr. Gardiner, under steam and canvas, forced his way
through, and on the 20th reached the open water in the Straits. To his
great surprise he found the Straits perfectly clear of ice, which, so
early in the season, was a very unusual fact.
July 25th, his yacht reached the land-water along the east coast, and
shaping her course for White Island, Mr. Gardiner boldly penetrated
into the Kara Sea. Having got about thirty miles in that direction, his
ship was brought up by a heavy solid pack, which stretched away to the
eastward as far as could be seen. Judging that the westerly winds would
have cleared the east coast of Novaya Zemlya, Mr. Gardiner steered
north, with the intention of trying, if possible, to reach Barendsz
Yshaven.
The weather now became most trying. Continual fogs, numerous icebergs,
and, at intervals, ice all round, made the navigation in these almost
unknown waters very dangerous. The little ship for many days had to
grope her way along the coast like a blind man, but Mr. Gardiner, never
yielding to all these dangers and obstacles, had the well-earned
satisfaction of entering Yshaven at eight o’clock in the morning of the
29th of July. Finding the bay still filled up with fast ice, he
anchored outside of it.
Amidst fogs and snow-drift he, during three days, made the most careful
researches on and about the spot. He found the ruins of the Old House
fallen completely into decay; but, leaving nothing untouched, and
grubbing in every nook and corner, he gathered from under the ice a
most splendid and highly interesting collection of more than a hundred
different articles. Depositing a record of his having been there, Mr.
Gardiner, on August 2nd, shaped his course for White Island.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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