Navigation of Hudson's Bay and Strait. 261 



piled into huge heaps and thrown one upon the other. In these 

 conflicts, " rafting " often takes place, and one pan is frozen 

 upon another, so that a thickness of ten or twelve feet may be 

 produced. This rafted ice is seldom seen in Hudson Strait, though 

 it undoubtedly exists there in the winter season. 



There is probably no season of the year, however, when there is 

 not at least one, and, in many places, two or three channels pretty 

 much entirely clear of this ice. The great tidal wave passing from 

 the North Atlantic into Hudson Strait, and through it into and 

 across Hudson's Bay affords an interesting study. That current is 

 not as wide as the Strait ; but on either side for miles there is an 

 eddy created, which, running in a direction contrary to the main 

 stream, has a peculiar and decided effect upon the floating ice. The 

 general effect which this action of the tide-streams has upon the ice 

 is to keep the channel of the main current open, and to jam it into 

 the broad eddies and along the shores, where, for ten miles on either 

 side, more or less according to location, the waters move with much 

 less velocity. 



I may say, in proof of this statement, that in both the outward 

 and homeward voyages of the Expedition, while passing through the 

 Strait, we found no ice in the central channels. In previous chapters 

 I have described the ice-floes encountered while entering Ashe's 

 Inlet (North Bluff), and in entering and leaving Stupart's Bay 

 (Prince of Wales Sound). In these descriptions I have not under- 

 rated the extent or formidableness of that ice, and yet I have now 

 to state that, had we been passing through on a voyage from the 

 north Atlantic to Churchill — that is to say, had we not been going 

 from one shore to the other in search of suitable places to locate 

 observing stations, we would not have encountered one foot of that 

 ice, and very probably would not have even sighted it. The Strait 

 at these points is between sixty and seventy miles wide. We esti- 

 mated that the field-ice extended about twelve miles from the north 

 shore, and possibly eighteen from the south. This left an open 

 channel at least thirty-five miles wide. Therefore, you will please 

 observe, that all the descriptions you have read of the Expedition in 

 this ice goes for nothing, so far as a voyage through the Strait in a 

 steamship is concerned. 



