Chapter 13 Chapter Thirteen Advancing Along the Great Polar Ice Floe

In spite of the violent storms that have battered this sea since we crossed the Polar Circle, it must be said, to be fair, that our voyage so far has been extremely smooth.How lucky the Hallebrena would have found the open Weddell path during the first half of December! ... See, I'm also saying "The Weddell Way" now, as if it's a smooth, well-kept road on land, with milestones along the way, and signposts saying: The Antarctic Way! On the 10th day, the brig could still be maneuvered without difficulty in the isolated masses of ice known as pack ice and chipping ice.The direction of the wind did not force the ship to tackle and the ship was able to make a straight line through the channel of the iceberg.There is still one month before the period of large-scale thawing, but Captain Lan Gay, who is familiar with these phenomena, said with certainty that the big thawing usually occurs in January, but this year it will happen in December.

Avoiding the numerous floating ice blocks did not trouble the crew at all.The real difficulty may not arise until a few days later, when the brig is about to make a passage for herself through the great polar ice pack. No need to worry about accidents.The atmosphere is tinted yellowish, a sign of ice.Whalers call this a "flash," a reflection peculiar to cold regions that cannot escape the observer's eyes. For five consecutive days, the "Halle Brena" sailed smoothly without any damage, and there was never even a moment of fear of a collision.As ships continued southward, the amount of ice continued to increase and the channel became narrower and narrower.Measurements made on the 14th showed us to be in latitude 72° 37' south, and the longitude apparently did not change, still between the 42° and 43° meridians.There are very few navigators who have reached this point after crossing the polar circle. Neither Balleny's party nor Bellingshausen's party have reached here.We're only two degrees shy of the highest point James Wedel has ever reached.

Navigating the guano-stained, gray, dull ice was already tricky for the brig.Some shattered ice is spotted and dirty.The ice cubes are already huge, and our ships look so small in comparison!Some icebergs are condescending, overlooking the mast! Ice cubes are of different sizes and shapes, and there are many varieties and endless changes.Appearing from the clouds and mist, it is messy and intertwined, reflecting the sunlight, like a huge polished gemstone that has not yet been faceted, it is really magnificent.Sometimes, for no apparent reason, there are layers of pink that turn into lavender and azure.It may be the effect of refraction.

This beautiful scenery is described wonderfully in Arthur Pym's autobiography.I admire it and never tire of seeing it: here is a pointed pyramid; there is a round roof, like the dome of a Byzantine church; or a raised middle, like the top of a Russian church; Tabletop graves; there are huge stone pillars left over from prehistoric times, as if standing in the ruins of Carnac; there are broken vases, overturned goblets...imaginative eyes, sometimes like to change in the sky Find all kinds of tricks in the multi-terminal cloud forms.In a word, everything that can be found in the clouds can also be found here... Isn't the cloud the drift ice of the ocean in the sky? ...

Captain Lan Guy, I should admit, is a combination of daring and prudence.He never passed under the lee of an iceberg when a certain operation was suddenly required and the distance could not guarantee a successful operation.He is well aware of the various accidents that may occur when sailing under such conditions, and he is not afraid to take risks in drift ice and pack ice packs. He said to me that day: "It is not the first time, Mr. Jeolin, that I have tried and failed to enter the polar seas. At that time there were only simple speculations about the fate of the 'Jenny', and I wanted to try them; now, these speculations have become Affirmative facts, can I not go all out?..."

"I can fully understand your feelings, captain. In my opinion, you have rich experience in sailing in this sea area, which increases our chances of success." "Of course, Mr. Georin! However, after crossing the polar ice floes, it will be a kingdom of necessity for me and many other navigators!" "The Kingdom of Necessity? ... Not absolutely, Captain. We have Weddell's extremely reliable voyage report, and I will add, Arthur Pym's voyage report." "Yes!...I know!...they all talked about free-flowing oceans..." "What? Don't you believe it?..."

"No! . . . I believe it! . . . Yes! Free-flowing oceans do exist, and there are reasons for them. In fact, it is obvious that these great masses of ice, called ice sheets and icebergs, cannot Formed on the surface of the sea. The violent and overwhelming force of ocean waves separates these large ice blocks from land or islands at high latitudes. Currents then carry these ice blocks to warmer waters. Once there, the impact damages the The corners, bottom and middle of the ice cube are affected by the temperature difference and disintegrate on their own at higher temperatures." "It's obvious," I replied.

"So," continued Captain Lan Dey, "these ice blocks did not come from the great polar ice pack, but encountered the polar pack ice pack in the course of drifting, and sometimes broke the pack ice pack and crossed its channel. .Furthermore, the Antarctic should not be inferred from the Arctic. The conditions at the poles are not the same. So Cooke can assert that he has never seen icebergs in the sea off Greenland, even at higher latitudes than this Similar phenomena." "What's the reason?..." I asked. "It is estimated that in the Arctic region, the influence of the south wind is dominant. The south wind carries high temperature factors from America, Asia and Europe to the North Pole, which helps to increase the temperature of the atmosphere. Here, the nearest land is the Cape of Good Hope, Bata Over the top of Gonia and Tasmania, you can hardly change the air flow. So the temperature is more uniform in Antarctica."

"This insight is important, Captain, and it also proves your idea of ​​a free-flowing sea..." "Yes...free flow...at least within a dozen degrees behind the great polar ice floes. Therefore, we must first cross the polar ice floes. Once over, the greatest difficulty has been overcome...you You are right, Mr. Georin, Weddell has explicitly acknowledged the existence of this free-flowing sea..." "As Arthur Pym admits, the captain..." "Yes, Arthur Pym admits it too." From December 15 onwards, navigation became more difficult as the number of ice packs increased.However, the sea breeze was still tailwind, varying between northeast and northwest, never showing any tendency to become southerly.Ships are circling among icebergs and ice fields all the time, and there is no night when they are not sailing at a slow speed-it is naturally difficult and dangerous to operate at night.Sometimes the wind is so strong that the sail needs to be reduced.Along the edges of the ice floes, you can see sea foam churning, and the ice floes are covered with waves, like rocks on a floating island.This can't stop the ice floe from advancing.

On several occasions Jem West measured the azimuth, and according to his calculations, the ice was generally between ten and a hundred dewars high. I am quite in agreement with Captain Lan Guy on the subject, that ice of such great size can only form along the coast--probably the coast of the polar continents.However, it is obvious that this continent has small bays deeply indented in it, bays that divide the continent, and straits that cut the continent.Because of this, the "Jenny" was able to reach the location of Zhalal Island. In short, is it not the existence of the polar regions that hinders the explorers from realizing their intention of advancing as far as the North Pole or the South Pole?Is it not the poles that give the icebergs a firm fulcrum, from which they break apart in the season of thawing?If the domes of the North and South Poles were covered only by sea water, wouldn't ships have been able to open their passages long ago? ...

Therefore, it can be concluded that Captain William Guy of the "Jenny" went deep into the 83rd parallel, either by the navigator's instinct or by chance. He must have traveled along a certain bay Up. The two-masted ship was passing through the large moving ice floes. The crew members were naturally quite novel when they saw it for the first time.At least that's the case for the new crew.For veteran crew members, this is not the first new experience.These unexpected things in the voyage, they soon became accustomed to it and became commonplace. It is uninterrupted vigilance that needs to be very carefully organized.Jem West had a big lute-barrel set up on the fore-masthead--"magpie's nest," they called it--and there was a constant watchman on watch. With the help of a moderate sea breeze, the "Halle Brena" moved forward rapidly.The temperature was bearable, about 42 degrees Fahrenheit (4 to 5 degrees Celsius).The danger comes from dense fog.Thick fog often drifts over ice-choked seas, making collision avoidance even more difficult. During the day on the 16th, the crew was exhausted.There is only a narrow passage between the drift ice and the floating ice group, which is winding and often has sharp turns, so the front and lower corner cables have to be changed frequently. Four or five times an hour, the order sounded like this: "Turn the bow and sail into the wind!  … —Sharp turn! " The helmsman must not be idle on the steering wheel, and the sailors are constantly changing the second and third layers of sails to make them face the wind, or use the hinges to brake the low sails. In this case, no one was angry at work, and Hunter performed particularly well. Where is the most useful place for a man whose whole soul is a sailor?That's when you need to walk on the ice with a cable on your shoulders.Tie the rope and cast anchor on the ice, and then install the rope on the horizontal windlass.Then slowly tow the brig to bypass the obstacle.At this time, it is only necessary to release the whole length of the truss cable to prepare for winding on the edges and corners of the ice floe.Hunter jumped into the skiff and paddled through the crushed ice.Stand on the slippery ice after disembarking, and the job is done.Therefore, Captain Lan Guy and the whole crew regard Hunter as an incomparable sailor.The mysterious aura about him naturally aroused people's curiosity to a higher level. More than once, it happened that Hunter and Martin Huot got into a small boat to complete a certain dangerous operation together.Whatever the sail master ordered him to do, Hunter always carried out his orders deftly and enthusiastically.It's just that he never answered Mardin Holt's questions. By this day, it is estimated that the "Halle Brener" is not far from the large polar ice floes.If you continue to go in this direction, you will definitely reach the polar ice pack soon, and then you only need to find a passage.But up to now, on the ice field, among the unpredictable iceberg peaks, the masthead watchman has not seen a continuous ice peak. During the daytime on the 16th, absolute caution is required.The unavoidable collision has shaken the rudder and may require dismantling. Crushed ice rubbing against the stern of the brigantine also caused several collisions.It appears that crushed ice is more dangerous than large ice floes.When the large ice floe rushed towards the ship's ribs, violent contact naturally occurred.However, the ribs and sides of the "Halle Brena" are very strong, and there is no need to worry about being hit or losing the foreskin, because there is no foreskin at the bottom of the ship. As for the rudder, Jem West had it wedged between the two fishplates, and the rounds were added to the rudder stock to strengthen it like a bushing.It is estimated that it is enough to protect the rudder. Don't think that this sea area is crowded with ice floes of different sizes and shapes, and marine mammals have left here.Whales appear in large numbers, and high water columns are sprayed from their nostrils, which is a spectacle!Alongside the fin and humpback whales are the gigantic porpoises, which can weigh hundreds of livres.When the porpoise was within reach, Hearne deftly threw the harpoon and it hit.Endicott was very good at making sauces, and porpoise was always warmly received and highly praised for his delicate cooking. As for the common Antarctic birds, petrels, sea chess birds, cormorants, etc., fly in groups, flapping their wings and making noise.A large group of penguins are neatly arranged on the edge of the ice sheet, watching the brig passing by.The penguin is indeed the true inhabitant of this desolate and lonely place, and is so attuned to the desolation of the cold zone that nature may not have created a more suitable species. On the morning of the 17th, people in the magpie's nest finally reported seeing a large polar ice floe. "Starboard forward!" he called. Five or six nautical miles to the south, there are continuous peaks towering high, shaped like jagged wolf teeth, and outline their own silhouettes against the bright sky background.Thousands of ice cubes float along the polar ice pack.This immovable barrier stretches from northwest to southeast.Just by sailing past this barrier, the brig could go several degrees further south. If you want to get a firm idea of ​​the difference between a large ice floe and an ice barrier, it's best to keep the following in mind: I have already pointed out that it is impossible for an ice barrier to form on the open sea.Whether it's a vertical wall of ice rising along the coast, or a mountainous peak jutting out at the rear, it has to be built on a solid foundation.The reason why the ice barrier cannot give up the fixed core that supports it is, according to the most authoritative navigators, because it is it that provides the vast army of icebergs, ice fields, drift ice, pack ice, pack ice and broken ice. .The constant motion of these substances we have seen on the surface of the sea.The coast supporting the ice barrier is affected by currents flowing down from the warmer ocean.During the spring tide season, sometimes the sea water rises to a high level, and the stability of the ice barrier is destroyed, and it begins to disintegrate and suffer erosion.And so huge chunks of ice—which can number in the hundreds in a few hours—split off with a deafening bang, plunged into the sea, whirled in enormous eddies, and surfaced again.At this time, they become icebergs, only one-third of which are exposed to the water, drifting on the water until the lower latitudes are completely melted by the influence of temperature. One day I spoke to Captain Lan Guy about this matter. "That explanation is quite correct," he answered me, "and that is why the ice barrier constitutes an insurmountable obstacle to the navigator, since it is based on the coast. But it is not the case with the great ice floes. Large Ice floes are formed in front of the land and can even be formed on the ocean. It is formed by the continuous accumulation of floating ice fragments. The large ice floes are also hit by waves and eroded by warm sea water in summer, so it breaks apart and opens in the middle. Out of the channel, many ships have been able to pass through it..." "It is true," I added, "that the Great Ice Floe is not an endlessly continuous, insurmountable mass . . . " "So Weddell was able to go around the end of the big ice floes, Mr. Georin. I know, that's thanks to the special circumstances of rising temperatures and early seasons. Since these conditions have also appeared this year, then, let's say we can benefit, I'm afraid it's not too rash!" "Of course, Captain. Now the ice floe is in sight..." "I'm going to get the Halle Brena as close to the ice pack as possible, Mr. Georin. Then, as soon as we find a passage, we'll get in. If we can't find a passage, as long as the wind stays a little northeasterly, With the aid of the easterly current, we sailed against the wind, and undercut the starboard side, and managed to make our way along the great ice pack to its eastern edge." The brig sailed south and encountered a huge ice field.Measurements were made from several different angles around the ice sheet, and the bottom was measured with a rangefinder, and it can be calculated that the part above the water surface is five or six hundred dewars high.In this ice corridor, sometimes the exit cannot be seen.Navigating a boat requires a lot of precision and a lot of caution in order to avoid getting stuck in a dead end. When the "Halle Brena" reached only three nautical miles from the ice pack, it stopped the ship.The water surface is wide, and the boat can move freely. Untie the dinghy from the boat.Captain Lan Guy and the bosun disembarked, with four sailors at the oars and one at the helm.The skiff sailed toward the great wall of ice, looking for a passage through which the brig could drill.But in vain.After three hours of exhausting reconnaissance, the boat returned. At this time, granular snow and rain began to fall, and the temperature dropped to 36 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees 22 minutes Celsius), obscuring our view, and the large ice floe was no longer visible. It seems that we must sail southeast in the countless ice floes, and at the same time, we must be careful not to deviate from the channel and drive onto the ice barrier. The hull has risen to such a height, and it will be difficult to come down in the future. Jem West ordered the yards to be turned, and to sail as far as the crosswind could go. The crew worked nimbly.At a speed of seven or eight knots per hour, the brig was leaning to starboard and advancing on the ice-strewn channel.If an encounter with ice would damage the ship, the ship would naturally know to avoid contact.If it's just a thin layer of ice, the ship will gallop up and use the bowsprit pallet instead of the ram to break the ice.After a series of rubbing, crackling, and at times shaking the entire hull, the Hallebrena found free-flowing water again. The most important problem is to be careful not to collide with the iceberg.When the weather is clear, the ship has no difficulty in advancing, because whether it is accelerated or decelerated, it can be operated in time.However, when frequent dense fog shortens the distance of visibility to only one or two chains, sailing is naturally very dangerous. Icebergs aside, is there no danger of the Halbrena colliding with an ice sheet? ...of course there is, it is indisputable.Those who haven't observed it can't imagine how powerful these huge moving ice cubes are. We saw one such ice field that day, at a moderate speed, collide with another ice field that was motionless.Immediately, the sharp ridges in the entire range were shattered, the surface was turbulent, and it was almost completely destroyed.Only chunks of crushed ice remained, floating up one by one; mounds of ice rising to a height of a hundred feet; some sinking under the water.Is it any wonder that the weight of the ice sheet hitting it reached several million tons? ... Under such circumstances, twenty-four hours passed, and the distance between the brig and the big ice pack was always three or four nautical miles.If you get closer to the big ice floe, it is tantamount to walking on a rugged path with no entry and exit.It's not that Captain Lan Gay didn't want to get close, but he was very worried that the distance would be too close, and he would drive along the exit of a certain passage, but he didn't find the passage... "If I had a ship with me," Captain Lan Guy said to me, "I could advance closer to the great ice pack. On this type of expedition, there are many advantages to having two ships! . . . But, 'Halle The Brenner is single-handed, and if something happens..." Despite careful handling and prudence, our brig faced real danger.Sometimes just one hundred duvas ahead, you need to brake suddenly and change direction.Sometimes the bowsprit auxiliary yard is about to collide with a large ice floe.Sometimes for several hours in a row, Jem West had to change the speed of the ship and keep it at a low speed to avoid the impact of the ice sheet. Luckily, the sea wind has always maintained a direction from east to north-northeast, and there has been no other change, so that we can maintain the sails for sailing in a force wind and sailing in a rear crosswind.The wind is not particularly strong.If the weather turns into a storm, I really don't know what will happen to the brig—or rather, I know it clearly: it will be destroyed with everything and everyone. Under these circumstances, it was impossible to drift with the wind, and the "Halle Brena" had to run aground at the foot of the large ice floe. After a long period of reconnaissance, Captain Lan Guy had to give up the idea of ​​finding a passage between the steep walls.Now there was no other way but to go to the southeast corner of the great ice pack.In this direction we have no loss in latitude.During the daytime on the 18th, the measurement results showed that the position of the "Halle Brener" was on the 73 degree line. I repeat, the Antarctic seas have never been so well sailed—summer comes early, the northerly winds hold, and the temperature gauges indicate an average of 49 degrees Fahrenheit ( 9 degrees Celsius 44 minutes).Needless to say, we enjoy continuous daylight, twenty-four hours a day, with the sun's rays constantly shining on us from all points of the sky. Water dripping from icebergs merged into several streams.Streams eroded the sides of the icebergs and formed tumultuous waterfalls.The iceberg flips over as the submerged base is consumed and the center of gravity shifts.Be very careful about this. Two or three more times we approached the great ice pack to within two nautical miles.The large ice floes have never been affected by temperature changes, and there are no cracks anywhere, which should be said to be impossible. However, many searches were still fruitless.So we plunged into the water flowing from west to east again. The flow of water has given us great advantage.Take us away, beyond the 43-degree longitude, there is no need to regret.Of course, in order to sail to Zalar Island, the brig must be brought back to the 43° meridian again.As long as there is an east wind, it will blow us back to the original route. It should be pointed out that in the course of this reconnaissance, we did not find any land or land-like places drawn on the map at sea.The map was drawn by pioneer navigators, and of course it is not complete, but it is generally quite accurate.I also understand that Captain Gay had to give up the idea of ​​finding a passage between the steep walls after pointing out that there was land.It is also not uncommon for ships to pass by without finding land.However, this is by no means the case with Zalar Island. The "Jenny" was able to arrive precisely because of the free-flowing sea.The season is much earlier this year, and we need not worry about obstacles in this direction. Finally, between two and three o'clock in the afternoon on the 19th, the foremast helmsman heard only a shout from the masthead lookout. "What's the matter? . . . " asked Jem West. "The big ice floe in the southeast cut off..." "How about going further?..." "Can't see anything." The first mate climbed up the shrouds of the mast, and in a blink of an eye, he had already climbed to the top of the topmast. Below, all the staff are waiting, the eagerness is indescribable! ...perhaps the masthead lookout was wrong...maybe it was an optical illusion...Anyway, Jem West couldn't be mistaken! ... Ten minutes of observation—what a long ten minutes! —his loud voice came to the deck: "Free-flowing sea!" he cried. He was answered with a chorus of cheers, "Ulla!" The two-masted ship was sailing in front of the crosswind, sailing against the wind as much as possible, and sailed towards the southeast. Two hours later, the end of the big ice floe had been bypassed.What lay before our eyes was an endless, glistening sea, the ice floes completely gone.