stefansson-wrangel-09-32-077v

354 THE ADVENTURE OF WRANGEL ISLAND me, particularly at this time as the wind had just sprung up from the northwest and the ice began to close in. By this time the expedition party2 suggested that they would rather turn back than take any chance of going any farther. I was perfectly satisfied that I would be taking too many chances by going farther. We had a great deal of trouble in getting to [[Serdtse-Kamen, Cape (Russia)|Cape Serdze]], as the northwestern wind was pressing the ice and we had to press the vessel quite hard to break the ice in many places. The vessel suffered some damage by being stove in and also the propeller was bent, both blades hitting the ice, so that it was practically disabled. We experienced very much more trouble in getting back to [[Dezhnev, Cape (Russia)|East Cape]] than going up; in fact, we could only make an average of about eight to ten miles a day along the coast. It was only during a slack tide that we were able to make any headway at all. In several places we had to haul the vessel over rock. We got down to [[Uėlen (Russia)|Whalen]] on the 17th. We were all this time getting down there—a distance of sixty miles. On the 18th we came around [[Dezhnev, Cape (Russia)|East Cape]], where I tried to dispose of the cargo, rather than bring it back to [[Nome (Alaska)|Nome]], but the natives could not purchase, and the traders had their winter supplies, so that I was compelled to bring the supplies back to [[Nome (Alaska)|Nome]]. We left [[Dezhnev, Cape (Russia)|East Cape]] Station on the morning of September 21st. After going through two miles of ice we came into open water and crossed the [[Bering Strait|Straits]]. We arrived in [[Nome (Alaska)|Nome]] at three o’clock on the morning of September 22nd. Very truly yours, (Signed) [[Bernard, Joseph-Fidèle, 1878-1972|Jos. Bernard]]. Critics have said, and the feeling was at one time in the minds of some of the relatives of the [[Wrangel Island (Russia)|Wrangel]] party, that the tragedy of the next year might have been prevented by Captain [[Bernard, Joseph-Fidèle, 1878-1972|Bernard]] who, they assumed, might have reached the island if he had tried harder. There have always been at least two good reasons against this view. Captain [[Bernard, Joseph-Fidèle, 1878-1972|Bernard]] is an experienced navigator with courage tempered only by the necessary caution born of long familiarity with the ice, so that on his record we would 2 These were some men employed by [[Lomen Bros.|Lomen Brothers]] on our behalf and intended to take the place on [[Wrangel Island (Russia)|Wrangel]] of any of the men there who might want to come out.