Volume 1 — TECHNICAL TERMS PECULIAR TO THE NAVIGATION AMONG ICE

BAY-ICE.—Ice newly formed upon the surface of the sea. The expression is, however, applied also to ice a foot or two in thickness.

BESET.—The situation of a ship when closely surrounded by ice.

BIGHT.—An indentation in a floe of ice, like a bay, by which name it is sometimes called.

BLINK.—A peculiar brightness in the atmosphere, often assuming an arch-like form, which is generally perceptible over ice or land covered with snow. The blink of land, as well as that over large quantities of ice, is usually of a yellowish cast.

BORE.—The operation of "boring" through loose ice consists in entering it under a press of sail, and forcing the ship through by separating the masses.

CALF.—A mass of ice lying under a floe near its margin, and, when disengaged from that position, rising with violence to the surface of the water. See TONGUE.

CLEAR WATER.—Any part of the sea unencumbered with ice.

CROW'S NEST.—A small circular house like a cask, fixed at the masthead, in which the look-out man sits, either to guide the ship through the ice or to give notice of whales.

DOCK.—In a floe may be natural or artificial; the former being simply a small "bight," in which a ship is placed to secure her from the danger of external pressure; and the latter, a square space cut out with saws for a similar purpose.

FIELD.—A sheet of ice generally of great thickness, and of too great extent to be seen over from a ship's masthead.

FLINCHING.—The operation of stripping a sea-animal of its skin and blubber.

FLOE.—The same as a field, except that its extent can be distinguished from a ship's masthead. A "bay-floe" is a floe of ice newly formed.

FLOE-PIECE.—An expression generally applied to small pieces of floes, not more than a furlong square.

A HOLE or POOL of Water.—A small space of "clear water," when the rest of the sea is covered with ice.

HUMMOCK.—A mass of ice rising to a considerable height above the general level of a floe, and forming a part of it. Hummocks are originally raised by the pressure of floes against each other.

LAND-ICE.—Ice attached to the land, either in floes or in heavy grounded masses lying near the shore.

LANE of Water.—A narrow channel among the masses of ice, through which a boat or ship may pass.

LEAD.—A channel through the ice. A ship is said to "take the right lead" when she follows a channel conducting her into a more navigable sea, and vice versâ.

MAKING-OFF Blubber.—The operation of putting it into casks.

NIPPED.—The situation of a ship when forcibly pressed by ice.

PACK.—A large body of ice, consisting of separate masses, lying close together, and whose extent cannot be seen.

PANCAKE-ICE.—Newly formed ice, assuming the peculiar conformation of numberless patches of "sludge," and giving the surface of the sea the appearance of a handsome pavement.

PATCH of Ice.—The same as a pack, but of small dimensions.

SAILING-ICE.—Ice of which the masses are so much separated as to allow a ship to sail among them.

SALLYING a Ship.—The operation of causing her to roll, by the men running in a body from side to side, so as to relieve her from the adhesion and friction of the young ice around her.

SLUDGE.—Ice of the consistence of thick honey, offering little impediment to a ship while in this state, but greatly favouring the formation of a "bay-floe."

STREAM.—A long and narrow, but generally continuous, collection of loose ice.

TONGUE.—A mass of ice projecting under water from an iceberg or floe, and generally distinguishable at a considerable depth of smooth water. It differs from a "calf" in being fixed to, or a part of the larger body.

WATER-SKY.—A dark appearance in the sky, indicating "clear water" in that direction, and forming a striking contrast with the "blink" over land or ice.

YOUNG-ICE.—Nearly the same as "bay-ice," but generally applied to ice more recently formed than the latter.