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5

and early with the steamer to discharge the Gate and let her escape before winter came, Besides I wished to make one trip up the Anadyr with stores and material before it should close. also to find suitable winter quarters for the steamer.

On the 2nd of October winter opened suddenly, large fields of ice sweeping back and forth with the tides, and choking up the entrance to the Wade river, at the mouth of which is our station.

Some of the crew of the Gate were on shore getting water, and it was with the greatest difficulty we could break our way through the ice with the steamer and reach the Gate which was already under way and steering for the entrance of the bay to escape the ice.

Upon reaching her we found that she had again grounded, and ^[[as]] it was high tide when she struck, there was little hope of her getting afloat again. It was [[strikethrough]] nearly  [[/strikethrough]] ^[[already]] dark so we were compelled to remain aboard for the night, hauling the Wade to the lee side of the Gate, to protect her from the ice, which was already tearing the copper from her hull. As the tide ran out the vessel careened until at low tide she