Not long after this the Advance became so firmly fastened in the ice that they could not push her in any direction. The party then left the brig and explored the country around, traveling forty miles, and at last climbing to the top of an iceberg, a height of eleven hundred feet above the sea. On every side, as far as the eye could reach from this great elevation, spread out a solid sea of ice.
It was now September, and the temperature fell below freezing. It seemed certain that the Advance could not be freed from the ice until the next summer, and the explorers accordingly prepared to pass the winter there. They succeeded in dragging the vessel and wedging it in between two islands. In this harbor, known as Rensselaer bay, the stanch little Advance was frozen solidly in, never to be released.
VII. WINTER IN RENSSELAER HARBOR
1853–1854
The Arctic winter had set in. By the middle of September the thermometer had fallen to 14° and the ice was thickening fast. The long Arctic night was upon the explorers. During that first winter in Rensselaer harbor, the sun was below the horizon one hundred and twenty days, and ninety of these days were totally dark; for the remaining thirty days a faint light like our twilight glimmered during a part of every twenty-four hours.
During the time of darkness little exploring can be done. Explorers are obliged to stay on or near their ship and amuse themselves as best they may until the sun shines again.
Can you fancy a night which lasts as long as ninety of our days? Think of not seeing the sun for more than three months! These men on the Advance suffered from a cold such as we know nothing about, and were often hungry too. Many of them became ill.
Dr. Kane did everything in his power to buoy up their spirits. He was wise enough to know that, if his men had nothing to do, they would become homesick and despairing; so he planned work for all. Some made clothing and boots of the furs and skins they had collected; others made sledges and rope out of hides, or patched up corners of the brig with moss to prevent the cold from entering.
Dr. Kane himself trained the dogs for the sledge journeys. He had ten beautiful Newfoundland dogs which he harnessed to a low, light sled called the “Little Willie.” In a short time these gentle, strong, intelligent animals carried Kane on journeys around the ship with ease. He drove them two abreast, in teams of four or six, guiding them entirely by his voice.
With the Eskimo dogs, Kane was obliged to use other means. Eskimo dogs are not easily managed. They are near relatives of the wolf, and share the wolf’s nature. They are driven in teams of ten or twelve, and must be guided mainly by the whip. Dr. Kane had to use a whip with a lash six yards long, and a handle only sixteen inches in length. It required a sort of “sleight of hand” movement to swing this long lash and hit the right dog with it. Dr. Kane found this driving very lively exercise.