CHAP. VI.] TRENCHING THROUGH ICE. 3^3 



June 21st came in with snow and a tempe- 

 rature of 30° + . At 5 h a. m., all hands were 

 employed in trenching through the mounds, and 

 cutting as low into the water as they could. 

 Saws unfortunately were altogether useless, on 

 account of the thickness of the ice, which being 

 measured with a line, as far down as a projecting 

 tongue, was found to be thirty-three feet, and 

 was conjectured to be, in the whole, between 

 forty and fifty at that particular place. Some 

 large calves rose up from beneath the starboard 

 floe piece, which indeed was the most vulnerable, 

 and we now marked out a line of work at three t 

 different places, which were ultimately to be 

 connected, so as to form an upper channel of 

 communication with the sea. I would willingly 

 have trenched down and cleared away the frozen 

 snow, which adhered so tenaciously to the after 

 part of the ship, but for the impracticability of 

 shoring her up, and the risk that must have 

 attended the disturbance of the shores on the 

 parting of the floe ; all that could be done, there- 

 fore, was to conduct a channel of water within 

 a few feet of the starboard side, to which she 

 inclined, in the hope that a severance might be 

 effected by some sudden jerk through the entire 

 depth below. By noon, we were rather nearer 

 to the east end of Charles Island, which was quite 

 bare of snow, except in fissures and ledges. The 



b b 3 



