DANGERS OF THE FISHERY.— ANECDOTES. S49 



of a heavy gale of wind. May 11. 1813, fourteen 

 men put off in a boat from the Volunteer of Whit- 

 by, with the view of setting an anchor in a large 

 piece of ice, to which it was their intention of 

 mooring the ship *. The ship approached on a 

 signal being made, the sails were clewed up, and a 

 rope fixed to the anchor ; but the ice shivering with 

 the violence of the strain when the ship fell astern, 

 the anchor flew out, and the ship went adiift. The 

 sails being again set, the ship was reached to the 

 eastward (wind at north), the distance of about two 

 miles ; but in attempting to wear and return, the 

 ship, instead of performing the evolution, scudded a 

 considerable distance to leeward, and was then reach- 

 ed out to sea ; thus leaving fourteen of her crev/ to 

 a fate the most dreadful, the fulfilment of which 

 seemed almost inevitable. The temperature of the 

 air was 15" or 16'^ of Fahr. when these poor wretches 

 were left upon a detached piece of ice, of no consider- 

 able magnitude, without food, without shelter from 

 the inclement storm, and deprived of every means of 

 refuge except in a single boat, which, on account of 

 the number of men, and violence of the storm, was in- 

 capable of convepng them to their ship. Death 

 stared them in the face whichever way they turned, 



* The " ice-anchor" is represented by fig. 2, and 3. PI. 21. 

 and the " ice-axe," with which the hole is made, by fig. 1. 

 Sometimes an " ice-drill" fig. 4. PI. 19- is made use of for this 

 pui-pose. 



