A Diary and Journal from the Second Grinnell Expedition

[verso] I did not bring Hans back with me but gave him orders My orders to Hans had been to been to go to Peteravik and invite Kalutanek to the brig. I sent by him a present of a Capstain bar - valued on account of the excellent adaptation of the wood for harpoon shafts. Morton scrubbed me in a tub of hot water for I was lice from head to foot - but mercurial ointment gave me some relief and I succeeded at last in sleeping.

All things else were doing well, and the sick steadily advancing towards health [and] strength.

Wednes. Cont^d.

The open water has not advanced from the south more than four miles within the past three weeks. It is still barely within Cape Alexander. This water is a source of serious anxiety to me for the South Easters seem to have hardly affected it. Our experience has taught us that the swell created by South winds rapidly breaks up the ice, now there can be no swell to the S^o. or these heavy gales would have done the same. I argue from this two unfortunate conditions one the presence of of [?] pack in the North Water of the whalers and the other a melancholy correspon- ding tardiness in the approach of water - upon this water depends the liberation of our brig, as well as the transit of our boats crew [and] [?] should we be obliged to forsake her. Last year (as by 1^st ice inspection, of her [?] [and] [?] Sea note book) we found on the 10. May, the water already surrounding Littleton I^d and rising to within two miles of Refuge Inlet.

[recto] It is now 40 miles further off!!

Thursd. Apr. 19.

Petersen and Ohlsen work by short spells getting ready for the load of carpentering duties necessary for boats sledges [etc.] Every thought is turned by me to the contingency of a forced departure. I will not leave the brig until it is absolutely certain that she cannot thaw out this season but I will have every thing matured for our instant departure as soon as her fate is decided.

We are still without workers, and the pressure of things to be done most alarming but every detail is arranged, and if the sick go on as they have done I do not doubt but that we can carry our boats some thirty or 40 miles over the ice before a decision as to the advance of the waters enables me to remain with or desert the brig.

Friday Apr. 20

Started a relief watch of Reilley Bonsall and Morton to saw out sledge runners from our cross beams. They can only manage 1/2 hour per [?] as they are very weak and the terms. at night descent to -26^o. Nearly all our beams are consumed for fuelt, butI have have saved enough to construct two long sledges runners of 17. [?] each. I could not permit Mr. Ohlsen to use short sledges, made up from the [?] 11 feet sledge of Hardwicke (D. Raes[?] pattern[?[) I want a sledge sufficiently long to bring the weight of the whale boat and her stowage within the line base of the runner, that will prevent warbling and pitching (or rocking fore [and] aft) in crossing hummocked ice, and enable us to cradle the boat so firmly to the sledge as to give neither an undue strain. Ohlsen sees the force of this view [and] we are