1902] COLLISION WITH AN ICEBERG 145 



was not reassuring, especially when amongst the floes there 

 appeared two or three small icebergs. One of these bore 

 down on the ship before we had sufficient steam to move her, 

 and by the few on deck it was watched with very anxious eyes. 

 As it approached we breathed a sigh of relief, imagining that 

 it would just clear our side by a foot or two, but on coming 

 abreast of us it slowly turned and a small projection on it 

 caught and grazed our side. As far as the berg was con- 

 cerned it was the merest glancing touch, but, wrenching a 

 large piece out of the solid oak covering board, it gave the 

 ' Discovery ' a squeeze which caused every beam and frame to 

 groan, and brought all hands on deck with scared faces. This 

 berg was not more than twenty yards across, and its top, which 

 was irregular and pinnacled, was nowhere more than twenty 

 feet in height, nor was it travelling with any great speed ; yet 

 the shock of a mere graze from it was great enough thoroughly 

 to alarm everyone below, and there can be little doubt that 

 had it met us fair and square the consequences might have 

 been most serious. It is difficult to realise what an over- 

 whelming force even a small berg may represent, until 

 one remembers that it is, perhaps, barely one-sixth of its 

 mass that is visible, and that there must be always 

 thousands of tons submerged to support the hundreds which 

 are seen. 



Even with this knowledge, after beholding the stupendous 

 masses of ice which are borne high on the great flat-topped 

 bergs, we had been perhaps inclined to pay too little attention 

 to the more insignificant-looking ones, but we learnt now that 

 an iceberg of any dimensions is not to be trifled with, and it 

 can be imagined that whilst we remained in the inlet we had 

 steam at very short notice as well as a bright look-out. On 

 the following morning our berg, as well as the pack-ice, took 

 its way out to sea again, clearly showing that there is a regular 

 tidal stream in this region ; and as, in spite of this, we and the 

 barrier-ice about us rose and fell together, there was no doubt 

 that at least this part of the barrier was afloat. 



At an early hour on this day, February 4, we commenced 



VOL. I. L 



