142 



Piner's Bay. Another gale. ANTARCTIC CRUISE. Report of the medical officers. 



bay in longitude 140 2' 30" E., latitude 66 45' 

 S. ; and, now tliat all were convinced of its exist- 

 ence, I gave the land the name of the Antarctic 

 Continent. Some of the officers pointed out the 

 appearance of smoke, as if from a volcano, but 

 I was of opinion that this was nothing but the 

 snow-drift, caused by the heavy squalls. There 

 was too much wind at this time to tack ; I there- 

 fore had recourse to luffing the vessel up in the 

 wind, and wore her short round on her heel. At 

 the same time we sounded, and found a hard 

 bottom at the depth of no more than thirty 

 fathoms. I have called this bay Piner's Bay, 

 after the signal quarter- master of that name. It 

 was impossible to lower a boat, or to remain 

 longer ; indeed, I felt it imperative on me to clear 

 its confined space before the floating ice might 

 close it up. 



At 10 h 30 m we had gone round, and in an hour 

 more we cleared the bay. At noon the wind had 

 increased to a gale, and by one o'clock, p. M., we 

 were reduced to storm-sails, with our top-gallant 

 yards on deck. The barometer had again declined 

 rapidly, proving a true indicator, but giving little 

 or no warning. To run the gauntlet again among 

 the icebergs was out of the question, for a large 

 quantity of field-ice would have to be passed 

 through, which must have done us considerable 

 damage, if it did not entirely disable us. The clear 

 space we occupied was retained until five or six 

 o'clock, when I found the floe-ice was coming down 

 upon us ; I then determined to lay the ship for a 

 fair drift through the channel I had observed in 

 the morning, and which I had every reason to 

 believe, from the wind (south-east) blowing di- 

 rectly through it, would not be obstructed until 

 the floe-ice came down. It was a consolation to 

 know that if we were compelled to drift, we should 

 do so faster than the ice ; I therefore thought it as 

 well to avoid it as long as possible. Another rea- 

 son determined me to delay the drifting to the 

 latest moment: I did not believe that the extent of 

 the channel we had seen in the morning was more 

 than ten miles in extent, and at the rate we drifted, 

 the end of it would be reached long before the gale 

 was over. This, like the former gale, was an old- 

 fashkmed snow-storm. All the canvas we could 

 show to it at one time was a close-reefed main-top- 

 sail and fore-storm-staysail. It blew tremendously, 

 and the sea we experienced was a short disagree- 

 able one, but nothing to be compared to that which 

 accompanied the first gale. From the shortness 

 of the sea, I inferred that we had some current. 

 This state of things continued for several hours, 

 during which we every moment expected to reach 

 the end of our channel. Since the last gale, the 

 whole crew, officers and men, had been put in 

 watch and watch, ready for an instantaneous call, 

 and prepared for rapid movements. The snow was 

 of the same sleety or cutting character as that of 

 the previous day, and seemed as if armed with 

 sharp icicles or needles. 



The 31 st brought no moderation of the weather. 

 At 1 A.M., a group of ice-islands was reported, and 

 shortly afterwards field-ice close under our lee. 

 We wore ship instantly, and just avoided coming 

 in contact with the latter. Sail was immediately 

 made on the ship, and the scene of the former gale 

 again gone through, with this exception, that we 

 were now passing to and fro among icebergs imme- 



diately to windward of the barrier, and each tack 

 brought us nearer to it. Between 4 and 5 A. M., 

 our space was becoming confined, and there was 

 no abatement of the gale ; I therefore, as it had 

 cleared sufficiently to enable us to see a quarter of 

 a mile, determined to bear up and run off north - 

 north-west for a clear sea. In doing this we passed 

 icebergs of all dimensions and heavy floe-ice. By j 

 8 h 30 " we had run thirty miles, when, finding a ' 

 more open sea, I judged we had partially cleared | 

 the ice. At noon the gale still continued. The ' 

 lowest reading of the barometer during this gale 

 was 28'59 in. 



After lasting thirty hours, the gale, at 6 p. M., 

 began to moderate a little, when we again made 

 sail to the southward. I now felt inclined to seek 

 Piner's Bay again, in order to effect a landing. 

 This would have been a great personal gratifica- 

 tion ; but the bay was sixty miles distant, so that 

 to revisit it would occupy time that was now pre- 

 cious ; and feeling satisfied that a great extent of 

 land wholly unknown lay to the westward, I 

 deemed it my duty to proceed to its discovery, 

 not doubting that if my opinions of its existence 

 were correct, a place equally feasible for landing 

 would be found. Another subject also presented 

 itself, which, for a time, caused me some anxiety, 

 and which I confess was not only unexpected by 

 me, but directly at variance with my own observa- 

 tions on the condition of my crew. As I feel com- 

 pelled to give a complete detail of our proceedings, 

 I must now revert to this subject. 



The following report of the medical officers of 

 the ship was made to me on the day of its date : 



U. S. ship Vincennes, 

 At sea, January 31st, 1840. 



SIR, It becomes our duty, as medical officers of 

 this ship, to report to you in writing the condition 

 of the crew at the present time. 



The number upon the list this morning is fifteen: 

 most of these cases are consequent upon the extreme 

 hardships and exposure they have undergone during 

 the last gales of wind, when the ship has been sur- 

 rounded with ice. 



This number is not large, but it is necessary to 

 state, that the general health of the crew, in our 

 opinion, is decidedly affected, and that under ordi- 

 nary circumstances the list would be very much 

 increased, as the men under the present exigencies, 

 actuated by a laudable desire to do their duty to the 

 last, refrain from presenting themselves as appli- 

 cants for the list. 



Under these circumstances, we feel ourselves 

 obliged to report that, in our opinion, a few days 

 more of such exposure as they have already under- 

 gone, would reduce the number of the crew by 

 sickness to such an extent as to hazard the safety 

 of the ship and the lives of all on board. 



Very respectfully, your obedient servants, 

 (Signed) J. L. Fox, 



J. S. WHITTLE, 

 To Charles Wilkes, Esq. Assistant-surgeons. 



Commanding exploring expedition. 



Although my own opinion, as I have stated, 

 differed from that expressed in the report, I deemed 

 it my duty to ask the opinion of the ward-room 

 officers, and also, in order to procure additional 

 medical advice, restored to duty Acting-Surgeon 



