2 76 NEAREST THE POLE 



and a ^-'inch diameter steel- wire cable; on the star- 

 board bow our i^-inch light-house-test chain cable 

 made fast to a projection of the solid ledge on shore, 

 and two 4-inch manila lines; on the starboard side of 

 the waist four 3^-inch lines; on the starboard quarter 

 four 3^ -inch lines, and a chain cable attached to a 

 ring-bolt ashore. 



With all these moorings the ship surged back 

 and forth so violently as to break several of the smaller 

 lines, tear out two of the ring-bolts let into the rocks, 

 and break off the stock of our 2,200-pound anchor. 



Bartlett's unremitting efforts, however, kept her 

 from going ashore. Each mooring as it parted was 

 replaced by another in spite of every difficulty. 



From Battle Harbour, the voyage was a series of 

 head winds and sea and innumerable delays of one 

 kind and another. 



At early dawn of November 23d the Roosevelt 

 steamed into Sydney harbour and dropped anchor, 

 over four months and a half from Cape Sheridan. 



This homeward voyage was the most wearing and 

 annoying part of the entire expedition, compensated 

 for, in part at least, by the return of every member of 

 the expedition in as good or better condition than at 

 starting and the return of the ship with injuries of but 

 a temporary nature. 



From Sydney, the ship as the weather permitted 

 crept down the coast arriving in New York Harbour 

 Christmas Eve. 



The relations of the personnel of the party were 

 particularly happy. Personally, I never spent a year 

 in the Arctic regions so entirely free from the petty 



