50 NEAREST THE POLE 



Soon we opened up the Alert's cairn at Floeberg 

 Beach and could see a narrow canal of water ex- 

 tending close to the ice-foot, and at 7 a. m. the 

 Roosevelt, racing with the incoming pack, was driven 

 through a narrow stream of ice and fairly hurled 

 into a niche in the face of the ice-foot under 

 the extremity of Cape Sheridan [and made fast. The 

 ice was packed heavily against the point of the 

 cape and grinding past it. Before our lines were 

 made fast the ice had closed in upon us and the open 

 water behind us was rapidly disappearing. 



We were now about two miles beyond the Alert's 

 position, moored to the exposed face of the ice-foot, 

 with the nose of the Roosevelt pointing almost true 

 north. I felt now that the risks, the chances of the 

 voyage were past. The ship might be lost by being 

 forced ashore, for our position was an extremely 

 exposed one, but we were not likely to lose provisions 

 and equipment, and with these the remainder of the 

 programme could be carried out, and even should she 

 get no farther she would have done her duty and 

 achieved the purpose of her being. 



With my feelings of relief, was a glow of satis- 

 faction that by a hard-fought struggle we had 

 successfully negotiated the narrow, ice-encumbered 

 waters which form the American gateway and route 

 to the Pole; had distanced our predecessors; and had 

 substantiated my prophecy to the club, that with a 

 suitable ship, the attainment of a base on the north 

 shore of Grant Land was feasible almost every year. 



Previous to the Roosevelt, only two other ships, the 

 Polaris and the Albert, had completely navigated these 



