Entry Index: 141
Position: 71.85, -177.33
Date by Position: 13 November 1879
Logbook Volume: 1 of 4
Logbook Metadata: Volume 1
Latitude by observation at noon: no observation Longitude by chronometer from forenoon observations: no observation Longitude by chronometer observations at 6.30pm of ✱ α Aurigae & α Lyrae 177° 20 W. Latitude by Sumner's method with ✱ α Aurigae & α Lyrae 71° 51' N. Snow used for water Coal consumed during the preceding 24 hours: 230 lbs Coal remaining on hand at noon: 105 tons 1803 lbs AM Clear until 9am when weather became overcast and cloudy. Moderate breeze from S'd and W'd. Faint aurora at 6. No movement of ice. Large lead of open water to the eastward of ship about 500 yards distant. At 12 sounded in 20 fathoms. Blue mud. Drift to east (true). Ship heeling 4° to starboard. PM Weather clear and cloudy after 4. Bright starlight. Brilliant aurora about 10. Ice quiet until 11 when it suddenly split in the direction of the ship's keel and opened out in a broad lead to the E. by S. (true) and W. by N. (true). Brought in instruments, implements, dogs &c from the ice. The entire port side of the ship free from ice and snow and in open water. Young ice forming in lead and drifting to E. by S. (true). Moon 24° S. New moon
See full digitized page provided by the Biodiversity Heritage Library. Excerpt:
Aroused at two a.m. by a loud crack under the ship. Collins, who ran out to examine, reported that he saw no signs of trouble, except a number of small cracks across the bow, and the fact that the rent leading out from the stem had opened to an inch in width. I concluded this would prove a forerunner to a morning's excitement, but again I was pleasantly disappointed. Not a thing disturbed us for the remainder of the night, and the day wore on, afternoon came, and still no trouble. The meteorological instruments were put out on a temporary observatory hill near the ship, and I began to hope that we might have a few days' peace. At eleven p.m. I went out to record the temperatures and anemometer, and stood on the hill a few moments regarding a beautiful auroral arch extending from E. by S. to W. by N., the crown being 70° in elevation and bearing north. Hearing a few little crackles, like a dog walking over snow, I looked around to see which dog had followed me, when I descried two men running over the gangway and racing for the stem. I ran there at once, and to my amazement saw the ice float away to the northward along our whole length, leaving nothing but water on our port side. In twenty minutes we had one hundred and fifty feet width water on our port side, - the split occurring in as neat a line with the keel as if the keel had cut it, the ship remaining fast to the floe along her starboard side, not even a crack being made in her snow wall. The whole port side, snow wall intact, just slid away without noise or excitement. Four of our dogs which lay asleep on the floe were not awakened by the movement until the ice was nearly one hundred feet away, and then they could not get back, our hands being too full in getting our things aboard to send for them.
See digitized manuscript page provided by NOAA PMEL.
Hour |
Wind |
Pressure |
Att'd |
Dry |
Wet |
Sea |
Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | swxs | 29.74 | — | -12.0 | — | 32.0 | bcz |
| 2 | swxs | 29.74 | — | -13.0 | — | 32.0 | bcz |
| 3 | swxs | 29.73 | — | -14.0 | — | 32.0 | bcz |
| 4 | swxs | 29.73 | — | -14.0 | — | 32.0 | bcz |
| 5 | swxs | 29.73 | — | -14.0 | — | 32.0 | bcz |
| 6 | swxw | 29.73 | — | -14.0 | — | 32.0 | bz |
| 7 | swxw | 29.74 | — | -14.0 | — | 32.0 | bc |
| 8 | swxw | 29.74 | — | -14.0 | — | 32.0 | bc |
| 9 | swxs | 29.72 | — | -13.0 | — | 32.0 | bc |
| 10 | swxs | 29.72 | — | -12.0 | — | 32.0 | bc |
| 11 | swxs | 29.73 | — | -11.0 | — | 32.0 | bc |
| 12 | swxs | 29.74 | — | -10.5 | — | 32.0 | bc |
| 13 | swxw | 29.73 | — | -10.0 | — | 32.0 | ofs |
| 14 | swxw | 29.73 | — | -10.0 | — | 32.0 | ofs |
| 15 | swxw | 29.75 | — | -11.0 | — | 32.0 | ofs |
| 16 | swxw | 29.77 | — | -11.0 | — | 32.0 | o |
| 17 | swxs | 29.79 | — | -12.0 | — | 32.0 | bcz |
| 18 | swxs | 29.8 | — | -14.0 | — | 32.0 | bcz |
| 19 | ssw | 29.82 | — | -15.0 | — | 32.0 | bc |
| 20 | ssw | 29.83 | — | -13.0 | — | 32.0 | bc |
| 21 | ssw | 29.83 | — | -12.0 | — | 32.0 | bc |
| 22 | ssw | 29.83 | — | -12.0 | — | 32.0 | bc |
| 23 | ssw | 29.82 | — | -14.0 | — | 32.0 | bc |
| 24 | ssw | 29.82 | — | -11.5 | — | 32.0 | bc |
