X.] THE ICE ROUND THE VESSEL. 351 



already stated, was covered with newly formed ice, too thin to 

 carry a foot passenger, but thick enough to prevent the passage 

 of a boat. In the offing lay, as far as the eye could see, closely 

 packed drift-ice, which was bound together so firmly by the 

 newly formed ice, that it was vain to endeavovir to force a 

 passage. Already, by the 2nd October, it was possible, by 

 observing the necessary precautions, to walk upon the newly 

 formed ice nearest the vessel, and on the 3rcl October, the 

 Chukches came on board on foot. On the 10th there were 

 still weak places here and there between the vessel and the 

 land, and a blue sky to the eastward indicated that there was 

 still open water in that direction. That this " clearing " was at a 

 considerable distance from the vessel was seen from an excursion 

 which Dr. Almquist undertook in a north-easterly direction on 

 the 13th October, when, after walking about twenty kilometres 

 over closely packed drift-ice, he was compelled to turn without 

 having reached the open water. It was clear that the Vega was 

 surrounded by a band, at least thirty kilometres broad, of drift- 

 ice fields, united by newly formed ice, which in the course of 

 the winter reached a considerable thickness.' 



In this immense ice-sheet there often arose in the course of 

 the -winter cracks of great length. They ran uninterruptedly 

 across newly formed ice-fields, and old, high ground-ices. One 

 of the largest of these cracks was formed on the night before 

 the 15th December right under the bow of the vessel. It was 

 nearly a metre broad, and very long. Commonly the cracks were 

 only some centimetres broad, but, notwithstanding this, they 

 were troublesome enough, because the sea-water forced itself 

 up through them to the surface of the ice and drenched the 

 snow lying next to it. 



The causes of the formation of the cracks were twofold. 

 Either they arose from a violent wind disturbing somewhat the 

 position of the newly formed ice, or through the contraction of 

 the ice in severe cold. The formation of the cracks took place 

 with a more or less loud report, and, to judge from the number of 

 these reports, more frequently than could be observed from the 



^ When it had become evident tliat we could make no further advance 

 before next year, Lieut. Brusewitz occasionally measured the thickness of 

 the newly formed ice, with the following results : — 



