four o’clock
And Ned Land reentered his cabin , `` to keep from doing something desperate , '' he said as he left me . Meanwhile preparations for this daring attempt were getting under way . The Nautilus 's powerful pumps forced air down into the tanks and stored it under high pressure . Near four o'clock Captain Nemo informed me that the platform hatches were about to be closed . I took a last look at the dense Ice Bank we were going to conquer . The weather was fair , the skies reasonably clear , the cold quite brisk , namely -12 degrees centigrade ; but after the wind had lulled , this temperature did n't seem too unbearable . Equipped with picks , some ten men climbed onto the Nautilus 's sides and cracked loose the ice around the ship 's lower plating , which was soon set free .