Introduction. 43 



being crushed by ice presses. To guard against this the 

 vessel is said to be unusually strong, and of a special 

 form to enable her to rise when the ice presses against 

 her sides. This idea is no novelty whatever ; but when 

 once frozen into the polar pack the form of the vessel goes 

 for nothing. She is hermetically sealed to and forms a 

 part of the ice block surrounding her. The form of the 

 ship is for all practical purposes the form of the block of 

 ice in which she is frozen. This is a matter of the first 

 importance, for there is no record of a vessel frozen into 

 the polar pack having been disconnected from the ice, 

 and so rendered capable of rising under pressure as a 

 separate body detached from the ice block, even in the 

 height of summer. In the event of the destruction of 

 the vessel, the boats necessarily fully stored, not only 

 for the retreat, but for continuing the voyage are to be 

 available. This is well in theory, but extremely difficult 

 to arrange for in practice. Preparation to abandon the 

 vessel, is the one thing that gives us the most anxiety. 

 To place boats, &c., on the ice packed ready for use 

 involves the danger of being separated from them by a 

 movement of the ice, or of losing them altogether, should 

 a sudden opening occur. If we merely have everything 

 handy for heaving over the side, the emergency 

 may be so sudden that we have not time to save 

 anything. 



As regards the assumed drift of the polar ice, Nares 

 expressed himself on the whole at variance with me. 



