466 APPENDIX, 



upon us masses of ice for miles in extent, which completely beset the 

 ship, finished the work of destruction on our rudder, and forced us into 

 the immediate vicinity of an ice-island some seven or eight miles 

 in extent, with an elevation equalling our topgallant-masthead, and its 

 upper portion inclining towards the ship. In this situation we furled all 

 but the fore-and-aft sails, and hung by our ice-anchors. Fortunately, 

 between us and a portion of this island, lay a larger piece of ice, one 

 end of which held us by the counter, until forced beyond it by the 

 pressing masses of ice outside, which started our anchors, and set us 

 stern on to the island, carrying away our spanker-boom and stern- 

 davits, and forcing the starboard quarter-deck bulwarks in end some 

 three or four inches, jamming a signal-gun hard and fast in the gang- 

 way, and breaking off all the bulwark stanchions on that side of the 

 quarter-deck. We took this occasion to cant her, with the jib, into a 

 narrow channel alongside the island, and with the help of other sails, 

 passed by a portion of it without further injury to our spars, until an 

 opportunity presented of forcing her into a small opening in the ice, 

 with the head towards the sea. 



Our rudder, which we unshipped and got in upon deck while wedged 

 in the ice, came in over the side in two pieces, the head and neck 

 entirely broken off, with the two midship pintles, and we shortly after- 

 wards found the upper and lower braces gone from the stern-post. 



Towards midnight the sea was increasing, accompanied with snow, 

 with every indication of a gale from seaward ; and the ice, with 

 which we were continually in contact, or actually jammed, more for- 

 midabje in character, rapidly accumulating outside of us, and forming 

 a compact mass. I found, as we were nearing the open sea, that we 

 had been carried so far to leeward by the ice, as to be in great danger 

 of taking up our last residence in the barrier, amongst bergs and 

 islands of ice. There was, therefore, no choice left but to force her 

 out, or grind and thump the ship to pieces in the attempt. 



Aided by a kind Providence, we reached an open space on the 

 morning of the 25th, after having beat off the gripe of the ship, &c, 

 and at meridian the carpenters had so far secured our rudder that it 

 was again shipped, in the two remaining braces left on the stern-post. 



We were yet surrounded by ice and icebergs, in a bay some thirty 

 miles in extent, from which no outlet could be seen from the masthead. 

 At midnight, however, we found a passage, about half a mile in width, 

 between some bergs and field-ice. 



On the morning of the 26th, having reached a partially clear sea, 

 and thoroughly turned over in my mind the state of the ship, with the 

 head of the rudder gone, hanging by two braces only, and in such a 



