IN HIGH LATITUDE. 09 



could reach. A retreat into open water was effected, and 

 the pack ice was skirted to the eastward. 



On the 17th another lead was entered, and the ship forced 

 its way through floating ice for fifteen miles, when, at five 

 p. M., a dense pack was again encountered. As darkness 

 came on the ship was secured to a floe. During the night 

 the temperature fell to eight degrees below freezing, and 

 new ice, from one to three inches thick, was formed, cement- 

 ing the floes together. 



At three A. M., 18th, the ship was cast loose, and, after 

 steaming for more than an hour through the ice which had 

 closed around it, a lead was reached which brought the 

 explorers to open water. Another lead was entered and 

 followed to its end on the 19th. 



Having now reached latitude 73 deg. 44 min. north, longi- 

 tude 171 deg. 48 min. west, without discovering any traces 

 of land; and, finding that the main pack from that point 

 trended well to the southeast, Lieutenant Berry returned to 

 Wrangel Land, and, on the 22d, succeeded in picking up 

 the abandoned whale-boat. He then headed to the north 

 and west, and reached a position, the latitude of which is 

 7^5 deg. 28 min. north, and the longitude 179 deg. 52 min. 

 cast. 



It was now late in the season, and, as a longer stay would 

 have endangered the ship, Lieutenant Berry turned south to 

 search for winter quarters. The Siberian coast was sighted 

 just east of Cape Jakan; but a strong northwest wind was 

 blowing at the time and a heavy sea running, so that it was 

 not possible to send a boat on shore. Berry then coasted to 

 the eastward, examining the shore from the ship. Toward 

 evening the wind freshened, and falling snow shut out the 

 land altogether. 



After standing off from the coast and laying to for forty- 

 eight hours without any improvement in the weather, Lieu- 

 tenant Berry gave up the attempt to examine the shore at 

 that place, and headed for Tiapka Island, situated about 

 twenty iniles west of Cape Serdze, where he succeeded in 



