POLAR REGIONS. 



17 



iii a fresh g.ih-, veered in a moment from N.N.W. to 

 j:s.K. \\'e >t-t ri'd \>y tin- wind, after reefing sails, 

 about an hour and a half to the north-eastward, when 

 the snow began to abate, but the wind of a sudden be- 

 came so violent, that the utmost exertions of all the 

 rrew were but just sufficient to prevent the sails from 

 blowing to pieces. At length all was made snug ; a 

 rloM'-reefed main-topsail, and storm try-sail, were alone 

 A posed to the fury of the tempest. On the second day 

 of the storm's continuance, a heavy sea struck the ship, 

 and with dreadful violence mounted the deck ; it had 

 nearly precipitated a boat suspended from the weather 

 quarter, over the rail, it lifted and removed an eight- 

 een pounder carronade, filled two boats with water, 

 and stove or washed away the whole of the bulwark, 

 fore and aft. 



" During the whole of this gale, which lasted three 

 days, the barometer remained perfectly stationary. 



" On May 17, 1812, lat. ?G 7', long. 9^ E. the ship 

 which I commanded was immured among ice, and the 

 wind blew a hard gale from the N.N.W. The day fol- 

 lowing it subsided, and a moderate breeze prevailed, 

 veering from N.N.W. gradually to W., S M E., and fin- 

 ally settling again at N.N.W. after touching on every 

 point of the compass. The barometer, meanwhile, was 

 depressed. In the evening it was nearly calm. While we 

 were in the act of towing the ship through a narrow open- 

 ing between two floes, a heavy shower was observed in 

 the N.W. advancing towards the ship. On its approach 

 the vane at the mast-head whirled round, the sails were 

 violently shaken, and in a moment the snow enveloped the 

 ship in obscurity, and a violent storm of wind dashed 

 her, spite of every exertion, stern first, against a floe of 

 ice, which she was in the act of doubling. The concus- 

 sion, though violent, was prevented by the prompt ac- 

 tivity of the sailors, in getting out a rope to one of the 

 adjoining sheets of ice, from producing any particular 

 injury. After enduring considerable pressure from the 

 two floes, which, at the same instant collapsed, we 

 were enabled to make our escape from a situation of 

 the most perilous nature, and happily without any seri- 

 ous damage being sustained by the ship. 



May the 10th, 1813, the barometer indicated a 

 storm ; and the singular appearance of the atmosphere 

 strengthened the indication. After twelve or eighteen 

 hours of calm and variable weather, occasioned evident- 

 ly by conflicting winds, a sudden and impetuous storm 

 arose, which continued with little intermission for six 

 days. 



The approach of sudden storms, it has been observed, 

 is sometimes announced by a noise in the air. Captain 

 Scoresby, senior, once removed his ship from a most dan- 

 gerous bight in the main ice, where she would probably 

 have been lost, had she remained a few minutes longer, 

 in consequence of his having heard the rushing of a storm 

 in the air, when at the mast-head. Before the ship 

 was out of danger, a heavy gnle commenced ; but the 

 sails being set, and the ship under command, she was 

 extricated from the perilous situation. From this cir- 

 cumstance he imagines, that sudden storms frequently 

 commence at some height in the atmosphere, and gra- 

 dually descend to the surface. 



A phenomenon of a description similar to that of 

 sudden storms, and almost equally common, is intermit- 

 ting gales. The nature of these winds will be best ex- 

 plained by mentioning two or three instances. 



"April the 22d, 181 4-, latitude 73 29'," observes 

 Captain Scoresby, ' we had intermitting gales, snow- 

 showers, and high sea. The squalls continued from five 



VOL. XVII. PART I. 



minutes to half an hour at a time; and the intervals of 

 calm weather were a little longer. During the squalls 

 the ship could only bear close- reefed topsails and course*, 

 but in the intervals she might have carried royals. 

 Thin kind of weather prevailed from 8 A. M. until 3 

 P. M. when, in a shower of snow, a sudden calm occur- 

 red, and continued for an hour. The gale then *ud- 

 denly recommenced with increased severity. At 9 P.M. 

 the wind veered at once from N.N.W. to E.N.E. and 

 then subsided. From 9 to 12 P. M. a thickness of six 

 inches of snow fell upon the deck. 



"The morning of the 18th of April, 1815, in the 78th 

 degree of latitude, near Spitzbergen, was beautifully 

 clear and serene. At 11 A.M. clouds began to obscure 

 the face of the sky, and soon afterwards much snow 

 fell. In the evening we experienced fresh gales from 

 two or three quarters, with intervals of calms, in the 

 space of an hour. North, east, and south gales alter- 

 nately prevailed, in rapid but irregular succession, dur- 

 ing several hours. The winds not being dangerous, 

 the phenomena were uncommonly interesting." 



The following examples of local storms will afford 

 a good illustration of the partial winds of the polar 

 seas. Captain Scoresby, senior, when commanding 

 the ship Henrietta, was on one occasion navigating the 

 Greenland sea during a tedious gale, accompanied with 

 snowy weather. 



" As the wind began to abate, a ship appeared in 

 sight, under all sails, and presently came up with 

 the Henrietta. The master hailed, and inquired what 

 had happened, that the Henrietta was under close- 

 reefed topsails in such moderate weather. On being 

 told that a storm had just subsided, he declared that 

 he knew nothing of it ; he observed, indeed, a swell, 

 and noticed a black cloud a-head of his ship, that 

 seemed to advance before him, until he was oversha- 

 dowed with it a little while before he overtook the 

 Henrietta ; but he had had fine weather and light winds, 

 the whole day." 



The last example we shall give occurred in the same 

 seas in 1817. 



" At noon of the 4th of May, the ship Esk under 

 my command," observes Captain Scoresby, junior, 

 " was in latitude 78 55', near the ice, with a brisk 

 breeze of wind from the E.S.E. In the evening we 

 stood to the southward, experienced a considerable in- 

 crease of wind, and at midnight tacked. We then 

 steered under a brisk sail to the N.E. as high as latitude 

 80 10', finding less wind and clearer sky as we went 

 to the northward ; while dense clouds appeared in the 

 southern quarter, and a heavy swell from the same di- 

 rection pursued us. The wind was light in the even- 

 ing of the 5th ; tacked at the edge of the northern ice, 

 and returned to the south-westward. During the whole 

 of the next day, we continued our coarse, under ail 

 sails, having a fresh breeze of wind at S.E. heavy sou- 

 therly swell, and a constant fall of snow, consisting of 

 the most beautiful crystals I ever saw. The day follow- 

 ing we joined several ships, when the weather was 

 calm and the sea fallen. We now were informed that, 

 while we enjoyed fine weather in the latitude of s 

 the ships in the 79 ln degree of latitude, during two 

 clays, had experienced a most tremendous storm; in 

 consequence of which, some whales that had been kill- 

 ed before the gale came on, were lost, and four &hips 

 that were driven into the ice were \vrecked." 



Such partial a'.id sudden storms seldom occur after 

 the middle of the month of May. In June P ^d July 

 the weather is generally moderate or clr j but in 

 C 



