GREELY RELIEF EXPEDITION. 57 



to the collier. Commander Coffin would have been able to leave 

 from his ship a full amount at Foulke Fiord with the house. 



The Alert and Loch Garry sailed from Upernavik June 19, meet- 

 ing with much difficulty from heavy ice, but succeeded in reaching 

 the Berry Islands, where all leads had closed. The larger floes and 

 heavier ice obliged them to come to with ice anchors to await a move- 

 ment of the ice. June 24 a southwest gale sprang up and made it 

 advisable to cut a dock for the Loch Garry after the plan of that de- 

 scribed by Commander Markham. 



Two hours finished the work and the docking of the ships. The 

 ice was about 4 feet thick. 



The gale ceased June 25, and both ships took advantage of the op- 

 portunity to work north, following the inshore leads past Horse's 

 Head, Cape Shackelton, Baffin and Duck Islands until up with the 

 Sugar Loaf, where solid ice again stopped them. During the 26th 

 and 27th the Alert worked continuously day and night to gain only 

 8 miles. She reached latitude 74° 30' N. , and was within the dan- 

 gerous navigation of Melville Bay. 



At this point the Thetis and Bear, returning across Melville Bay, 

 came up with the Alert and Loch Garry. Their movements from 

 this point to Upernavik are the same as those of the Thetis and.5ear. 



The Alert having so much less engine power than either of the 

 other ships. Commander Coffin was obliged to resort to docks to avoid 

 nips, or to torpedoes to open the ice, or to leave it when beset. Such 

 difficulties were usually rammed by the Thetis and Bear, with their 

 greater power. Commander Coffin was obliged to move with greater 

 caution on account of the Loch Garry, and was forced on several oc- 

 casions to return, after passing into leads, to free the collier when 

 caught by rapidly closing floes. This occasioned him much anxiety 

 and was a cause of much delay. 



Considering the thickness of the ice at the point where we found 

 him, I was surprised that Commander Coffin had advanced so far. 

 The excellent judgment he displayed in reaching so advanced a posi- 

 tion at such an early period of a close season, delayed as he was by 

 the collier, deserves much commendation. 



On the morning of July 1 the ships got under way, Thetis leading, 

 Loch Garry following; the Bear and Alert in line astern, to follow 

 a lead inshore which appeared to extend, after considerable winding, 

 as far as Duck Islands. Numerous icebergs were lying in our way, 

 so close to each other that passage between them was somewhat diffi- 

 cult and dangerous in fine weather, but as a dense fog shut down on 

 us while working past them the speed of the vessels was reduced to 

 about li knots, and fog signals were sounded frequently to indicate 

 position. Feeling our way through this danger, the ships often got 

 into close proximity to icebergs of great size before discovering them, 



