88 THE GERMAN AllCTIC EXPEDITION. 



we towed the ship in a calm towards the coast. To-day 

 the Hansa reached its nearest to Sabine Island. The 

 vessel lay due west 5° N., thirty-five nautical miles off, 

 in 74° 30' N.L. and 16° 40' 5" W.L. On the 25th and 27th 

 the ship underwent pressure by the ice, but remained 

 undamaged. According to the report of the Germania's 

 voyage, she anchored after a journey to Shannon Island 

 on the 27th of August in the evening, and was at Little 

 Pendulum at eleven o'clock. At this time we were in 

 about 74° 20' N.L. and 16° 50' W.L. ; so that at the 

 utmost the ships were not more than thirty-four nautical 

 miles distant from each other ! Much colder these last 

 few days : 23° to 16° F. August 28th : the first and only 

 time we had a brisk north-west wind ; drifted with a large 

 ice-field considerably southward. 



Taking into consideration the strong ice pressure to 

 which the ship was continually subject, we made ready 

 the boats and divided the fur clothing. We saw before us 

 the imminent prospect of being obliged to pass the winter 

 off the coast. We began seriously to talk of using our coal- 

 bricks to build a house on the ice to which we might fly for 

 refuge in case the ship were lost. September 2nd : rain 

 and storm from the south-east. Morning of the 5th, fine 

 weather, light south-east wind ; sailed twenty nautical 

 miles in a north-westerly direction, partly by the side of 

 an ice-field fifteen nautical miles long, until eight in the 

 evening, when calm, fog, and ice brought us once more to 

 a stand. This was our last sail. Had we had steam we 

 should most likely have reached the open water, which 

 we saw along the coast. 



The next day we laid the Hansa between two pro- 

 montories of a large ice-field, which eventually proved a 



