CRUISE OF STEAMER COR WIN IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. 17 



friendly, and invited us to visit his place, promising to sell us all tbe deer skins we needed if 

 we would do so. We bought some walrus tusks, and paid him in tobacco, of which he was 

 entirely out. His sou, about twenty-five years of age, who spoke some English, offered to accom- 

 pany us to Plover Bay, and act as interpreter. Thinking he might be of some use, and being 

 desirous of obliging the father, who appeared anxious to have his son visit Plover Bay, I con- 

 sented to take him. Although of some use as an interpreter, I had cause before long to regret 

 having done so. He became insane, and made a desperate attempt to commit suicide, and 

 gave us a great deal of trouble iu many ways. The wiud continued to increase till noon, when it 

 was blowing a strong gale. During the afternoon the bark Francis Palmer came iu and anchored 

 near us, and later iu the evening the brig Hidalgo came in and attempted to anchor, but her chain 

 parting, she stood off to the eastward again under short sail. The gale lasted until the evening 

 of the 6th, when it moderated, and we were enabled to clear the decks of the Tchuktchis. Several 

 boat loads had come on board as soon as we arrived, and the rapidly increasing gale had prevented 

 their return to the shore. We were glad enough to see them depart, as they are great beggars, 

 and of course, under the circumstances, we could not refuse them food. We gave them a lesson in 

 civilization by insisting upon their dividing everything given them with the women. 



On the morning of the 7th we got under way early for Plover Bay, which we hoped to reach 

 that night. We were, however, again doomed to disappointment, for a field of ioe extended from 

 Indian Point to Saint Lawrence Island, probably the same we had encountered before, having been 

 driven south by the gale of the last three days. Being unable to reach Plover Bay, we steered for 

 Saint Lawrence Island through heavy fields of drift-ice, arriving at midnight, and anchoring off 

 the northwest end, we had a strong northeast current during the day (east-northeast true 30 miles). 

 On the following day the wind was moderate, southwest, and the weather thick and snowing. 

 Large quantities of drift-ice passed to the northward along the west side of the island, at times 

 going at the rate of 2 miles an hour and then slacking its speed until its motion was hardly per- 

 ceptible. 



On the 8th we made an attempt to find the wreck of the schooner Lolito, reported by the 

 natives to be on the beach a few miles to the eastward of our anchorage. We hoped to be able to 

 utilize her rudder pintles. After searching several hours without finding the wreck we gave it up, 

 on account of the ice and thick fog, and returned to our anchorage. 



On the 9th the wind was still southwest aud snowiug, with large quantities of ice drifting past 

 to the northward. Occasionally a portion of the drift would swing arouud the point near our an- 

 chorage, ouce coming so close as to necessitate our moving nearer inshore to avoid it. The weather 

 beiug thick most of the time, a sharp lookout was kept on the movements of the ice, heavy banked 

 fires kept, aud the chains on the windlass all ready for getting under way at a moment's notice. 

 On the morning of the 10th, at about 4 o'clock, a large floe came directly towards the vessel. It 

 was snowing hard aud very thick at the time, so that the ice could not be seen until it was less 

 than a cable's length distant from the vessel. It came in like a solid wall, drifting directly towards 

 the shore aud extended each way as far as we could see aud looming up through the blinding snow- 

 storm, growing higher and more distinct as it came nearer until it seemed all ready to fall on and 

 crush us. On the other side the perpendicular cliffs of the island seemed almost directly overhead 

 and the discordant notes of the sea-birds perched on the rocks were becoming more and more dis- 

 tinct each moment as the narrow belt of open water between the bowlder-lined shore aud the in- 

 coming wall of ice grew gradually less. To be caught under such circumstances meant certain 

 destruction, and but one way of escape seemed possible, namely, to force the vessel into the floe 

 and take the chances of the nip in the ice, which was sure to follow. No time was to be lost and 

 whatever was to be done must be done promptly, as the vessel was beiug forced steadily towards 

 the rocks. The floe presented such a solid front aud our jury rudder acted so imperfectly that 

 we had difficulty in getting into it. After repeated failures to enter the ice head on, the jury 

 rudder was broken and had to be triced up across the stem. By backing full speed we sue 

 ceeded in forcing the vessel several lengths into the pack, the ice of which was so high as to 

 endanger our boats hanging to the cranes. Happily we received no other damage than the 

 breaking of the jury rudder, which was easily repaired. After several hours we were released. 

 The ice setting off-shore again and the weather having cleared, we steamed to the eastward 

 S. Ex. 204 3 



