510 
five arctic expeditions, all in sailing-craft, that 
I transcribe his short description : — 
“The formation of young ice upon the surface of the 
water is the circumstance which most decidedly begins 
to put astop to the navigation of these seas, and warns 
the seaman that his season of active operations is 
nearly at an end. It is indeed scarcely possible to 
conceive the degree of hindrance occasioned by this 
impediment, trifling as it always appears before it is 
encountered. When the sheet has acquired a thick- 
ness of about half an inch, and is of considerable ex- 
tent, a ship is liable to be stopped by it unless favored 
by a strong and free wind; and even when still retain- 
ing her way through the water at the rate of a mile an 
hour, her course is not always under the control of the 
helmsman, though assisted by the nicest attention to 
the action of the sails, but depends upon some acci- 
dental increase or decrease in the thickness of the 
sheet of ice, with which one bow or the other comes 
in contact. Nor is it possible in this situation for the 
boats to render their usual assistance by running out 
lines or otherwise; for, once having entered the young 
ice, they can only be propelled slowly through it by 
digging the oars and boat-hooks through it, at the 
same time breaking it across the bows, and by rolling 
the boat from side to side. After continuing this 
laborious work for some time with little good effect, 
and considerable damage to the planks and oars, a boat 
is often obliged to return the same way that she came, 
backing out in the canal thus formed to no purpose.”’ 
A. sailing-vessel caught in this unfortunate 
state of the ice must immediately seek winter 
quarters in the nearest harbor; and if that be 
remote, and the wind unfavorable, or, rather, 
unless it be extremely favorable, the crews will 
be forced to cut a channel the entire distance 
for the helpless ship. This Parry was forced 
to do in 1819, near Melville Island, the channel 
cut being nearly three miles long. On the con- 
trary, with steam-power, ice only half an inch 
thick is an insignificant obstacle ; and a vessel 
thus equipped can steadily force her way 
through such a thin sheet, while even that 
proportion of a yard can easily be overcome 
by charging, requiring only well-strengthened 
bows. 
Although good arctic authority has said that 
‘* the making fast to a floe should never be at- 
tempted except when every hope of navigating 
in the surrounding waters has been fruitless,”’ 
and further adds, ‘‘As a principle, and so far 
as it is possible without the exhaustion of her 
powers, a ship in the ice should endeavor to be 
in constant motion, even though this entail many 
changes of her course and the temporary return 
to a position which had been abandoned”’ 
(Payer), still the latter suggestion, involving, 
as it may, for a great period of time, the con- 
sumption of coal, and the many cases where 
vessels with banked fires have with advantage 
fastened to floes with their ice-anchors, ready 
to escape almost at a moment’s notice, makes 
SCIENCE. 
> SAT ee 
[VoL. IIL, No. 64. 
these bits of advice not strictly essential for 
steamers, if they be properly harbored under 
the lee of the ice. With a sailing-vessel, this 
recourse becomes much more dangerous. ‘The 
fastening to an iceberg is not altogether unat- 
tended with danger, and should only be resorted 
to when other means of safety areremote. ‘The 
Polaris was justified, in such an instance, in 
seizing on to Providence Berg, although I have 
seen some contrary opinions expressed. A 
sailing-vessel should only do this when it be- 
comes necessary to avoid drifting into a more 
perilous position. 
Another advantage of steam over sail power 
alone is in the case of a calm with a strong tidal 
or other current setting towards an ice-pack or 
stranded iceberg, in waters so deep that anchors 
areof noavail; the salvation of the latter from 
possible severe injuries depending upon the 
relative power of the current, and the strength 
exerted by her small boats to tow her off, while 
the easy escape of the former is obvious. Also, 
in the early and late navigation of these waters, 
the sails are liable to become completely clogged 
with ice and sleet, rendering them, in extreme 
cases, impossible of manipulation. This state 
of affairs nearly proved fatal to the Griper 
(Capt. Lyon, R.N.) in September, 1824, in 
North Hudson’s Bay, while attempting to battle 
with a terrible two-days’ storm ; the sleet form- 
ing over a foot thick on her decks, and propor- 
tionally over other parts of the vessel. 
I should not have entered into so long a 
discussion on the seemingly palpable superiority 
of steam-power over that of sails, were it not 
for the fact that such a great proportion of 
the arctic expeditions are of a private nature, 
wherein the means of the liberal donor or donors 
cannot reach the increased expense of steam- 
machinery, fuel, and its accompanying charges ; 
and those serving are willing to accept the sit- 
uation rather than compromise the expedition 
altogether. There are also a few, as I have 
already hinted, who are opposed to steam-power 
from the great room it sacrifices, and its liability 
to incur greater risks than it can escape from 
if at all unfortunate. There is also a medium 
class, who, acknowledging the waste of room 
as the only detriment to be found in steam, be- 
lieve that this power should be represented by 
machinery of the cheapest class, which can be 
abandoned and its room made useful at any 
time that it fails to subserve some good purpose. 
It may be laid down as a good rule, that all 
sailing-vessels should have some ‘ square’ rig 
to subserve active movements in theice. Sailer 
or steamer, the pipes for pumping should be 
much more capacious than usual, and there 
