16 
VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 
1819. west, I was induced to run the ships into the ice, though the weather was 
too thick to allow us to see more than a mile or two in that direction. We 
were, at noon, in latitude 72° 00' 21", longitude 59° 46' 18', the depth of 
water being one hundred and ninety fathoms, on a muddy bottom. The 
wind shortly after died away, as usual, and, after making a number of tacks, 
in order to gain all we could to the westward, we found ourselves so closely 
hemmed in by the ice on every side, that there was no longer room to work 
the ships, and we therefore made them fast to a floe, till the weather should 
clear up. The afternoon was employed in taking on board a supply of water 
from the floe. It may be proper at once to remark that, from this time till 
the end of the voyage, snow-water was exclusively made use of on board the 
ships for every purpose. During the summer months, it is found in abun- 
dance in pools upon the floes and icebergs, and in the winter snow was 
dissolved in the coppers for our daily consumption. The fog cleared away 
in the evening, when we perceived that no further progress could be made 
through the ice, into which we had sailed to the westward about twelve 
miles. We were, therefore, once more under the necessity of returning 
to the eastward, lest a change of wind should beset the ships in their 
present situation. Previously, however, to our return, we made some ob- 
servations, on the ice, for the variation and dip of the magnetic needle, 
the former of which was found to be 80° 55 ' 27 " W., and the latter-84 0 14' 9 ". 
Sun. 18 . A thick fog came on again at night, and prevailed till near noon on the 18th 
when we came to a close but narrow stream of ice, lying exactly across our 
course, and at right angles to the main body of the ice. As this stream 
extended to the eastward as far as we could see from the “ crow’s nest,” an 
endeavour was made to push the ships with all sail through the narrowest 
part. The facility with which this operation, technically called “ boring,” is 
performed, depends chiefly on having a fresh and free wind, with which we 
• were not favoured on this occasion ; so that, when we had forced the ships about 
one hundred yards into the ice, their way was completely stopped. The 
stream consisted of such small pieces of ice, that when an attempt was made 
to warp the ships a-head by fastening lines to some of the heaviest masses 
near them, the ice itself came home, without the ships being moved for- 
ward. Every effort to extricate them from this helpless situation proved 
fruitless for more than two hours, when the Hecla was at length backed out, 
and succeeded in pushing through another part of the stream in which a small 
opening appeared just at that moment. All our boats were immediately 
