Page:Polar Exploration - Bruce - 1911.djvu/55

Rh of heavy bergs, from which escape might have been impracticable, or perhaps impossible."

The Challenger, too, had uncomfortable experiences on February 24, 1874, when the late Professor Moseley relates "it blew a gale, with dry drifting snow obscuring the view and rendering it impossible to see for a greater distance than 200 or 300 yards." After having failed to fasten on under the lee of a berg, "either a back current set the ship on to the berg, or the berg itself was drifting towards us with the wind more rapidly than was expected. A collision ensued and the jibboom was forced against the side of the berg and broken, together with some parts of the rigging in connection with it. The end of the jibboom left a starlike mark on the sloping wall of the berg, but had no other effect on the mass. The men who were aloft reefing the topsails, came down the back stays helter-skelter, expecting the top-gallant masts to fall, but no further damage ensued.

"The weather became worse," continues Moseley; "we were in rather a critical position. We were surrounded by bergs, with the weather so thick with snow that we could not see more than a ship's length, and a heavy gale was blowing. The full power of steam available was employed. Once we had a narrow escape of running into a large berg, passing only just about 100 yards to leeward of it by