A strange and romantic chapter in the history of Sir Edward Belcher’s squadron was added in the month of September, 1855. The whaler, George Henry, Captain Buddington, hailing from New London, Connecticut, was beset by ice in Baffin Bay. On looking through his glass one morning, Captain Buddington saw a large ship fifteen or twenty miles away, working her way slowly toward him. For several days he watched her gradually approach, and on the seventh day, the mate, Mr. Quail, and three men were sent out to find out what she was.
STORY OF THE RESOLUTE
“After a hard day’s journey over the ice,—jumping from piece to piece, and pushing themselves along on isolated cakes, they were near enough to see that she was lying on her larboard side, firmly imbedded in the ice. They shouted lustily as soon as they got within hailing distance; but there was no answer. Not a soul was to be seen. For one moment, as they came alongside, the men faltered, with a superstitious feeling, and hesitated to go on board. A moment after, they had climbed over the broken ice, and stood on deck. Everything was stowed away in order—spars hauled up and lashed to one side, boats piled together, hatches calked down. Over the helm, in letters of brass, was inscribed the motto, ‘England expects every man to do his duty.’ But there was no man to heed the warning.”
Nipped in the Ice
The whalemen broke open the companionway, and descended into the cabin. All was silence and darkness. Groping their way to the table, they found matches and candles, and struck a light. There were decanters and glasses on the table, chairs and lounges standing around, books scattered about—everything just as it had been last used. Looking curiously from one thing to another, wondering what this deserted ship might be, at last they came upon the log-book. It was indorsed, “Bark Resolute, 1st September, 1853, to April, 1854.” One entry was as follows: “H. M. S. Resolute, 17th January, 1854, nine A.M. Mustered by divisions. People taking exercise on deck. Five P.M. Mercury frozen.”
At last the Resolute had broken her icy bonds and was free. While the Yankee whalemen were examining her, a gale started up and night came on; for two days these four men remained aboard her. By the 19th of September they had returned to their own ship and told their story.
For ten days these two ships had gradually neared one another, and on the 19th Captain Buddington was able to board the Resolute himself and carefully note her condition. Her hold was pretty well filled with ice, and her tanks had burst from the extreme cold, filling her full of water almost to the lower deck.
“Everything that could move from its place had moved. Everything between decks was wet; everything that would mould was mouldy. ‘A sort of perspiration’ had settled on the beams and ceilings. The whalemen made a fire in Kellett’s stove, and soon started a sort of shower from the vapor with which it filled the air. The Resolute had, however, four force pumps. For three days the Captain and six men worked fourteen hours a day on one of these, and had the pleasure of finding that they freed her of water,—that she was tight still. They cut away upon the masses of ice; and on the 23d of September, in the evening, she freed herself from her encumbrances, and took an even keel. This was off the west shore of Baffin’s Bay, in latitude 67°. On the shortest tack, she was twelve hundred miles from where Kellett left her.