NEW LAND 
these days it l\ s risen to a ga^e. Evidently tlie ice has become 
firmly packed in this quarter, and we must wait patiently till a 
southerly gale occurs or currents open the ice. We are drifting 
slowly. Thepositionto-day was 76^49' S., 33^51' W. Worsley 
and James, working on the floe with a Kew magnetometer, 
found the variation to be six degrees west." Just before midnight 
a crack developed in the ice five yards wide and a mile long, fifty 
yards ahead of the ship. The crack had mdened to a quarter 
of a mile by 10 a.m. on the 25th, and for three hours we tried to 
force the ship into this opening with engines at full speed ahead 
and all sails set. The sole effect was to w^ash some ice away 
astern and clear the rudder, and after convincing myself that 
the ship was firmly held I abandoned the attempt. Later in 
the day Crean and two other men were over the side on a stage 
chipping at a large piece of ice that had got under the ship and 
appeared to be impedmg her movement. The ice broke away 
suddenly, shot upward and overturned, pinning Crean between 
the stage and the haft of the heavy 11 -ft. iron pincher. He was 
in danger for a few moments, but we got him clear, suftering 
merely from a few bad bruises. The thick iron bar had been 
bent against him to an angle of 45 degrees. 
The days that followed were uneventful. Moderate breezes 
from the east and south-west had no apparent effect upon the 
ice, and the ship remained firmly held. On the 27th, the tenth 
day of inactivity, I decided to let the fires out. We had been 
burning half a ton of coal a day to keep steam in the boilers, 
and as the bunkers now contained only 67 tons, representing 
thirty-three days' steaming, we could not afford to continue 
this expenditure of fuel. Land still showed to the east and 
south when the horizon was clear. The biologist was securing 
some interesting specimens vnth the hand-dredge at various 
depths. A sounding on the 26th gave 360 fathoms, and another 
on the 29th 449 fathoms. The drift was to the west, and an 
observation on the 31st (Sunday) showed that the ship had 
made eight miles during the week. James and Hudson rigged 
the wireless in the hope of hearing the monthly message from the 
Falkland Islands. This message would be due about 3.20 a.m. 
on the following morning, but James was doubtful about hearing 
31 
