Description

Depiction of an Arctic scene with teams of men working to cut and pull away sections of ice, producing a narrow channel in a large, all-encompassing ice sheet. In the background, two ships--the Hecla and the Griper--make their way down the cleared section of the channel. In the left-hand foreground, several men with weapons gather, with a large dog seated by them, and another man holds up a lead to another dog. A third canine guards some barrels at left; behind him, seamen are pulling on ropes to elevate a large section of ice. Title and artist attributions printed in lower margin.