BURNING OP THE SHIP. 408 



kedge anchor and this was thrown overboard. The valves 

 of the outward delivery were then opened to flood and sink 

 the ship, and from six to eight feet of water rushed into the 

 fore room ; but as the ship was aground by the stern the 

 water did not reach the fire. The ship at this time lay about 

 500 feet from the shore, surrounded by slush ice twenty 

 inches thick ; this ice was too soft to allow a man to walk 

 upon it, and yet too thick and heavy to row boats through. 



Meantime attention had been turned to the saving of 

 stores. Some of the men had been taken from the force- 

 pump, and had been working hard in attempting to get up 

 provisions and clothing, but with little success owing to the 

 smoke and a collection of carbonic acid gas below decks. 

 Holes were cut through the deck, and some powder from the 

 magazine and oil from the sail-room Avere passed aft to tho 

 quarter deck. All hands worked with almost superhuman 

 strength. 



At nine P. M. a boat was launched, but the ice was so 

 heavy that it could not be forced thirty feet from the ship. 

 A native skin boat was next tried, and two men succeeded 

 in reaching the beach carrying the end of a line. A larger 

 rope was then hauled ashore and made fast to a piece of 

 driftwood. 



At ten o'clock the flames had spread so far aft that it was 

 resolved to abandon the ship. The boats were accordingly 

 loaded with such articles as had been secured, and the crews 

 got into them and began warping them to land. This proved 

 to be very hard work, as the ice was rapidly thickening. 

 The sailors had to get on the gunwales and rock the boats 

 from side to side, which loosened the ice and enabled them 

 to work along a few inches at a time. At last it became 

 impossible to move the two rear boats, and their crews, after 

 fastening them to the warping line and cutting the line 

 adrift from the ship, were transferred to the other boats. 

 The two rear boats were hauled ashore by the men after 

 they landed. 



The Rodgers was abandoned at a quarter to twelve o'clock 



