1875 CAUGHT IN THE PACK. <0 



After seeing them secured in a fairly large pool of 

 water, I had just entered my cabin when the officer of 

 the watch following me stated that the ice was closing 

 in on every side. On reaching the deck I found that 

 the ' Alert ' was surrounded by the ice and drifting 

 towards an iceberg only a quarter of a mile distant. 



Signalling to Captain Stephenson, 'Take care of 

 iceberg,' he was able to haul the ' Discovery ' a hundred 

 yards ahead ; but his ship was then similarly caught in 

 the pack, and immovable either by manual labour or 

 by steam power. 



Both ships were immediately prepared for a severe 

 nip ; the rudders and screws were raised, the boats 

 turned inboard, the yards braced fore and aft, and all 

 possible precautions taken. 



At first the ' Discovery ' was apparently in the 

 more dangerous position ; but shortly the ice by 

 wheeling round brought the ' Alert ' directly in the 

 path of the iceberg, against the side of which the inter- 

 mediate surface ice was piling itself up as it forced its 

 way past it. Had the pack consisted of ordinary 

 ice from four to six feet in thickness, which would have 

 crumbled up against the side of the berg, the danger 

 would have been even more imminent, but the great 

 thickness of the floe to which the ships were secured 

 proved their safety ; for on its advanced edge reaching 

 the iceberg, it withstood the strain without splitting and 

 for the moment checked the main drift of the pack. 

 Yery shortly afterwards the accumulating pressure in 

 the rear, exerting its force alternately on either side of 

 the floe as it hung unequally balanced across the face 

 of the berg, broke off large pieces, some of them one 



