THE AURORA'S DRIFT 
carpenter cut part of the lining and filled the space between tlie 
timbers with Stockholm tar, cement, and oakum. He could not 
get at the actual leak, but his makeshift made a httle difference. 
I am anxious about the propeller. This pack is a dangerous 
place for a ship now ; it seems miraculous that the old Barky 
still floats." 
The ice opened out a Httle on March 1. It was imperative 
to get the ship out of her dangerous situation quickly, as winter 
was approaching, and Stenhouse therefore ordered steam to be 
raised. Next morning he had the spanker gaff rigged over the 
stern for use as a temporary rudder while in the heavy pack. 
Steam had been raised to working pressure at 5.15 p.m. on the 
2nd, and the Aurora began to work ahead to the westward. 
Progress was very slow owing to heavy floes and deep under- 
foots, which necessitated frequent stoppages of the engines. 
Open water was in sight to the north and north-west the next 
morning, after a restless night spent among the locking floes. 
But progress was very slow. The Aurora went to leeward 
under the influence of a west-south-west breeze, and steering 
by means of the yards and a warp-anchor was a ticklish business. 
The ship came to a full stop among heavy floes before noon 
on the 3rd, and three hours later, after vain attempts to warp 
ahead by means of ice-anchors, Stenhouse had the fires partially 
drawn (to save coal) and banked. 
No advance was made on March 4 and 5. A moderate gale 
from the east-north- east closed the ice and set it in motion, 
and the Aurora, with banked fires, rolled and bumped heavily. 
Seventeen bergs were in sight, and one of them was working 
southwards into the pack and threatening to approach the ship. 
During the night the engines were turned repeatedly by the 
action of ice on the propeller-blades. *^ All theories about 
the swell being non-existent in the pack are false," wrote the 
anxious master. Here we are with a suggestion only of open 
water-sky, and the ship rolling her scuppers under and sitting 
down bodily on the floes." The ice opened when the wind 
moderated, and on the afternoon of the 6th the Aurora moved 
northward again. " Without a rudder (no jury-rudder can yet 
be used amongst these swirling, rolling floes) the ship requires 
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