The rolling had been more frequently caused by the
operation of cracking through thickish young ice, where the crack had
taken a sinuous course. The ship, in attempting to follow it, struck
first one bilge and then the other, causing her to roll six or seven
degrees. Our advance through the pack had been in a S. 10° E.
direction, and I estimated that the total steaming distance had
exceeded 700 miles. The first 100 miles had been through loose pack,
but the greatest hindrances had been three moderate south-westerly
gales, two lasting for three days each and one for four and a half
days. The last 250 miles had been through close pack alternating with
fine long leads and stretches of open water.
During the weeks we spent manoeuvring to the south through the
tortuous mazes of the pack it was necessary often to split floes by
driving the ship against them. This form of attack was effective
against ice up to three feet in thickness, and the process is
interesting enough to be worth describing briefly. When the way was
barred by a floe of moderate thickness we would drive the ship at half
speed against it, stopping the engines just before the impact. At the
first blow the 'Endurance' would cut a V-shaped nick in the face of the
floe, the slope of her cutwater often causing her bows to rise till
nearly clear of the water, when she would slide backwards, rolling
slightly.
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