Arctic Cruise of the U. S. S. Thetis im 1889. 185 
The steamer was found to be the whaler Beluga, commanded 
by Captain Brooks, and the island, though nameless, was marked 
by a wooden cross, from which fact it was called Cross island. 
Captain Brooks stated that he had been struggling with the ice 
to the eastward of Cross island, the day before, in company with 
some other steam-whalers who had left him and gone to the east- 
ward, so he had turned back and anchored off Cross island. 
I sounded out the vicinity of the island, finding shoal water to the 
southward, too shoal for the Thetis to anchor in, and so I remained 
upon the west side. The wind shifting, our position became 
insecure on account of the masses of ice drifting toward us; the 
whaler left the anchorage, stood out into the heavy ice, and made 
fast to a high hummocky floe. Seeing no good place near by, I 
held on with the chain on the steam windlass, ready to leave in a 
moment. Heavy ice coming down and grounding close by on 
both sides, we left and got out the ice-anchors to a heavy floe, 
where we rode out the gale until early in the morning, when we 
were obliged to move on, as the ice packed about our rudder. 
After moving again and again the wind fell away, the day cleared 
up, and the ice began to scatter and disappear about the island, 
the leads to the eastward looking more promising. 
The next day at 5 in the morning, in company with our 
whaling friend, we left the vicinity of Cross island and, entering 
the ice, stood toward the northeast. The ice-floes grew heavier 
and larger as we progressed and the canal-like leads more confused, 
until at 10 o’clock the lead stopped and we both made fast to a 
very large, long, hummocky floe, at least ten miles in length, several 
miles in breadth, and aground in 80 feet of water. The day was 
mild and clear, and, after both of the ice-anchors had been secured 
and the rope-ladders lowered over the bows, a number of the 
officers and men went on the ice, the men playing foot-ball and 
snow balling, while the officers posed for their photographs. This 
is the time that we were reported (by a steam-whaler that we had 
passed) as being in a position of extreme danger, and the news 
was taken to the outside world. 
About 4 o’clock in the afternoon we started ahead with the 
Beluga ; the Thetis, now taking the lead, rammed her way through 
some pack-ice and reached another lead going inshore, the Beluga 
following very slowly after us. We continued forcing our way 
until we got into clear water by Lion reef. At midnight we made 
fast to a small floe and after an anxious night (caused by ice-floes 
VOL, II, 18 
