694 APPENDIX 



favorable result. It made i6o revolutions per minute ; but the 

 consumption of coal was of course correspondingly greater, al- 

 most twice as much as usual. We remained there about a 

 week, until on July 3d the ice opened sufficiently to allow us 

 to advance about 3 miles through a channel, which ran S.S.W. 

 During the night between the 6th and the 7th we made an- 

 other attempt to force the ice, but had only made about i mile 

 when we had to moor again. 



The southerly wind which predominated at that time held 

 the ice thickly packed together, and there was no drift to speak 

 of. On the other hand, there had been since the middle of June 

 a good deal of current, owing to the set of the tide. We could 

 not, however, observe that the current really flowed in any 

 definite direction ; sometimes the line would show every point 

 in the compass during the twenty-four hours. The current was, 

 however, often very strong, and would occasionally spin the ice- 

 floes around in the channels in a way that made you uncomfort- 

 able to look at it. The ship, too, would often receive such 

 violent shocks from these dancing floes and blocks of ice that 

 loose objects tumbled down, and the whole rigging shook. 

 The sea continued very deep. For instance, on July 6th 

 we could not get bottom at 3000 metres (1625 fathoms); but 

 two days later — we were then about 83° 2 north latitude — we 

 took soundings and reached bottom at 3400 metres ( 1841 

 fathoms). 



On July 6th we succeeded in warping the ship some two or 

 three short stretches at a time, but it was slow and hard work: 

 the ice was bad, and the contrary wind impeded us very much. 

 But though progress was slow, yet progress it was, and I gave 

 orders that the ship should be hauled along as often as there was 

 any opportunity to advance a little southward. 



But although we struggled along in this manner by short 

 distances at a time, the observation on the 13th revealed to us 

 the fact that we had actually been drifting a considerable way 

 backward, having returned to 83° 12' north latitude. It might 

 seem ridiculous, under such circumstances, to continue pushing 

 forward ; but, gloomy as the prospects were, we tried to keep up 



