Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1857-01-01


ran aground and in the night had mar
row escape from fire. A sudden lurch
tumbled the men out of their berths, and
threw down The cabin stove with full
charge of glowing anthracite. The deck
blazed up violently, but by the sacrifice of
a heavy pilot-cloth coat, the fire WIS smoth-
cred until water could be passed down to
extinguish it. The powder was not far off.
A few moments more might have brought
the expedition to sudden close.
About the 10th of September, the yes
sci was brought into a sheltered harbor be-
tween the islands of the bay, in which she
had been lying for some time, ant. d.all hands
prepared for winter quarters. Of their
mode of life during the long darkness of
an Arctic winter. vivid idea is given in
DR.. Kane's Journal.
Toward the end of April, the arrange
ments for journey of exploration were
completed, and leaving the brig in charge
of trustworthy detachment, four able bod
led and six disabled men, the commander,
with seven others, set out on tour over
the ice. His plan was to follow tho ice
belt of the Great Glacier of Humboldt, and
and from that point to stretch along the
tace of the glacier to the northwest, and
make an attempt to cross the ice on the
American side. The stores of the party
consisted of pemmican, bread and tea, a
canvass tent FIVE by six feet, and two sleep
ing bags of reindeer skin. The sledge was
light, built of hickory, and but nine feet
long. A soup kettle, fo- melting snow and
making tea, was arrange, to burn with Ell
ther lard or spirits. A subdivision of the
party with another sledge, started two days
before the departure of Dr. Kane, which
took place on the 9th. He reached the
Great Glacier in safety. The coast OF
Greenland in the vicinity is of highly pic
turesque character. The red sandstones
present an impressive contrast with the
blank whiteness, associating the cold tints
of the dreary Arctic landscape with the
warm coloring of more southern climes.-
The different layers of the cliff have the
appearance of jointed masonry, and the
narrow line cf green stone caps them with
natural battlemen;s. Atone place rose the
dreamy semblance to castle. fanked with
triple towers, completely isolated and de-
fined. To these DIR. Kane gave the name
Of the Three Brother Towers A still
more striking object was a single cliff OF
green stone, north Of 70 degrees, which
reared iself from crumbled base Of sand.
stones like the boldly chisled ramparts o.
an ancient city. On one extremity stands
a solitary column or minaret tower, as
sharply finished as fit had been cast fol
the Place veudome The length of The
shalt alone is four hundred and eighty fee
and it rises on a plinth or pedestal i.sel
two hundred and eighty feet high. 81 re-
member WELL" says DR.. Kane, "the emo
tons of my party as it first broke upon oul
view. Cold and sick as was, l brought
back sketch Of it. which may have inter.
est the reader, though it scarcely suggests
the imposing dignity of this magnificent
land mark. Those who are happily famil
lar with the writings of Tennyson, and
have communed with his spirit in the soil
fudes of the wilderness, will apprehend the
impulse that inscribed the scene with Iii.
name" No description can do justice tc
the Great Glacier itself. Rising in CLASSY
solid wall, three hundred feet above III,
evel of the water, with an unknown, un.
athomable depth below it, It's curved face
sixty miles in length from Cape Agassiz tt
Cape Forbes, vanishing into unknown spac,
at not more than single days railroad
travel from the Pole. The interior will
which it communicated, and from which i
issued, was an unsurveyed sea Of ice, ap
paIently Of boundless dimensions.
The journey, however, failed of success
IN forcing passage to north. On tn
sixth day the party were attacked by sour
Wy, from which they had suffered terlibl,
the winter. Two of the number were takel
with snow blindness. and one was con
demned as utterly unfit to travel II
crown their discontinue, they fonnd tha
the bears had got at their pemmican casks
and thus destroyed their chances of recruit
T ing their supply of provisions at the severa
catches. DR.. Kane himself was seized will
severe illness: his limbs became rigid, ant
certain tetanoid symptoms made their ap
! pearance. In this condition he was unable
to make more than nine miles day. II,
vas strapped upon sledge and the marcl
continued; but he was soon so much re
duced as TO find the moderate temperatur,
of five degrees below zero intolerable. Hi.
left foot was frozen up to the ankle Joint