stefansson-wrangel-09-26-001-039

25I

Day) canned asparagus, plum puddings, cakes, nuts and different kinds of
canned fruits.

In the centre of the table was placed a small artificial Christmas
tree as the main decorative feature. It was a feast royal, the richest, I have no
doubt, ever spread so far north of the Arctic Circle. Capt. Bartlett sent down
a bottle of liquor to every five or six men, as an additional feature of good
cheer. It was the only time since the expedition started that we were allowed
any liquor except on the advice of a physician the surgeon in case of sickness.

The week between Christmas and New Year's Day was uneventful. We
celebrated New Year's Day by having a game of football on the ice. There were
several Scotchmen with us who challenged all nations to play them. The game
lasted an hour and was hotly contested. The allies won a score of 8 to 3.
We had a special dinner that day also. We might have had several more fine dinners
had we known what was before us, for there were large stores of good things
abandoned later when we were forced to leave the ship.

On Jan. 10, 1914, at 5 o'clock in the morning, the crisis came.
Suddenly Without a moment's warning, there came was a crash and roar that awakened
every one. Again all hurried out to see what had happened. We discovered that
leads had opened in several directions fore and aft the ship and on both sides
of her. The Karluk was right in one of leads. Making a hurried examination, we
found the ship uninjured, but the breaking splitting of the ice had caused her to change her
position slightly. After five minutes the sounds of breaking and crushing ice
ceased and all was quite quietagain, and remained so until 7 o’clock the evening of
the same day, when the ominous and threatening roar of the grinding ice began
again. This time it was closing in against the sides of the ship.

Next came a crash that sent us into rushing to the hold of the vessel. We
discovered that the side of the Karluk at the engine room had been crushed and
she was filling with water. The ice still held her upright, and she remained in