298 THE VOYAGE OF THE JE ANNETTE. 



indicated by large quantities of escaping vapor, suc- 

 ceeded by a water-sky. I am inclined to think that 

 much if not all of the water-skies we read about dur- 

 ino- winter, spring, and fall, instead of indicating water 

 spaces at that moment indicate where open water has 

 been. For, when openings occur at a time at which the 

 temperature of the air is below that of the uncovered 

 water, such masses of vapor are given off that the air is 

 filled with them in their immediate locality. When the 

 young ice forms on the surface, the escape of vapor 

 cease's. The color of the new ice is dark green or dark 

 blue until the efflorescence occurs, and it is this dark 

 space reflected in the sky as in a mirror (in broad con- 

 trast to the dead whiteness of the reflected ice-field) 

 that gives rise to the reports of extraordinary continu- 

 ance of open water. 



In digging away the ice under the stern we suc- 

 ceeded in uncovering the upper part of the propeller 

 frame, and then had to stop lest we should make the 

 remaining layer of ice too thin for the pressure of water 

 from below. No sign of any damage was apparent. 



We are extremely fortunate in lying here so long 

 without having serious disturbance. Since the lOtli of 

 January, when we were injured, we have had no serious 

 conflict with our enemy. Every new and full moon, 

 however, the ice has opened, and the horrible grinding 

 and crashing has gone on, but at such distances from us 

 as to be inoffensive. Almost every day somebody has 

 seen the result of pressures, — great confused masses 

 piled up thirty and forty feet in height. Sharvell came 

 in the other day and said he saw, about five miles north- 

 west of the ship, ice piled up as high as our mast-head. 

 He evidently regards our destruction, bj^ reason of our 

 reaching; that mountain of ice, or that mountain of ice 



