76 THE JEANNETTE ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 



Wadleigh could see no opening to the north or northeast, 

 and, after moving up and down the edge of the pack for a 

 few hours, he turned back and anchored near Dane's Island, 

 off the northwest coast of Spitzbergen, August 6th. "Dur- 

 ing the second day of the stop at Dane's Island loud noises 

 were constantly heard, which reverberated through the val- 

 leys inland and over the great interior sea of ice, until lost 

 in the distance. The lirst noise was like the rattle of artil- 

 lery, and then it boomed along to thunder loudness, and so 

 decreased again. Investigation proved that the noise pro- 

 'ceeded from the great glaciers abutting into .South Gat, and 

 those around in Smeerenburg Bay, twenty miles away. The 

 third day of the stop here, in addition to other excitements, 

 afforded one from danger of being run into by icebergs, that 

 came rushing down with the swift current through the Gat. 



"The Alliance remained in South Gat until the 12th, 

 when, having completed the collecting of 'specimens' 

 and done much dredging for deep-sea organisms, Com- 

 mander Wadleigh weighed anchor and sailed north again. 

 For six weary days we groped about in the fog, which came 

 down upon us as soon as we were off shore, occasionally 

 meeting great isolated ice-floes, which caused considerable 

 anxiety. On the seventh day out the 19th of August we 

 encountered the first heavy snow-storm, accompanied with a 

 brisk breeze and considerable floating ice. 



"The 21st came clear and bright, with a cloudless sky 

 and warm sunlight, and from the crow's nest the ice-pack 

 could be seen far away on the northern horizon. Com- 

 mander Wadleigh resolved to make for the ice again; and 

 during the afternoon we fell in with the advance floes just 

 south nl' the eightieth parallel. Several promising openings 

 appeared, however, and, as it was suggested by the ice pilot 

 that there was open water beyond this belt to the north, the 

 captain resolved to make an attempt to reach it. He only 

 succeeded in making twelve miles through the ice, however, 

 when the way was bloeked again by the solid pack, in which 

 not an opening could be .seen. Far as the eye could reach 



