SHERIDAN TO ETAH 249 



this occasion by falling overboard and narrowly 

 escaping drowning) , and worked along the ice-foot to the 

 northern point of Wrangel Bay. Here a floe several 

 miles in diameter delayed us for an hour or more until 

 it moved enough for us to squeeze between it and the 

 point into the bay which was full of slack ice. Forcing 

 a way through this into the head of the bay, we dropped 

 anchor in water so shoal that it was thought it would 

 keep all heavy pieces of ice away from us. I was very 

 glad to reach the shelter of this bay. The stretch of 

 coast between Wrangel and Lincoln bays is one of the 

 worst places in this region for a ship to be caught. 

 The Roosevelt steered a little better than the day be- 

 fore, but it still required very careful management to 

 get her along. 



The ice offered no opportunity for leaving the bay 

 during the 2d, and about midnight it filled the bay so 

 completely that it forced the Roosevelt ashore. She 

 was pulled off during the 3d, but was again pushed 

 ashore late in the evening. All the Eskimos including 

 the family from Shift Rudder Bay came in on this date. 

 Very early on the 4th an unsuccessful attempt was 

 made to get around Cape Beechy, the ice crowding 

 in upon us and compelling the Roosevelt to retreat at 

 full speed. During the 5th we remained inactive, the 

 ice densely packed everywhere. During the night of 

 the 5 th a reconnaissance from the peak of Cape Fred- 

 erick VIII showed water under the Greenland shore and 

 early in the morning of the 6th, the Roosevelt for the 

 third time essayed the crossing of Robeson Channel 

 through the dense pack, this time heading for Thank 

 God Harbour. The ice encountered was very heavy, 



