212 
A VOYAGE TO SPITZBEBGEN. 
from a huge iceberg that lay aground close by), with 
terrific force she was lifted up, as piece after piece* 
was forced over the others. As they reached the edge* 
the enormous pressure of the ice against the berg they 
were upon lifted the Intrepid high above the sea. 
Her keel was within forty feet of the surface she had 
been floating upon, and though but slightly injured 
herself, some of her boats were miserably crushed. In 
one short half-hour this misadventure fell upon them,, 
and the men busied themselves in preparing for their 
escape in such boats as were left; and when every¬ 
thing that could be thought of had been done and all 
was ready for a final leave-taking of their ship, the ice 
gave way with a crash that destroyed everything 
within reach. The boats and their stores were lost. 
At last the ice on which the ship rested settled again 
into its position, and the ship slipped down off the 
ledge upon which she had been resting. 
Our object in recording this disaster here is to 
prove the danger of ice when driven on a coast such 
as the east coast of Greenland, or the entrance of 
Smith Sound by some strong gale of wind. Each 
piece as it arrives careers over the field already there ; 
the huge obstruction soon grows top-heavy, and over¬ 
balancing carries annihilation to everything beneath 
its influence. The men sailing to Pond’s Bay and 
