Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1869-09-17
Arctic Explorations.
Interesting Letter from Dr. Hayes An
Arti-t among the Ieebergs.

Arti-t among the Icebergs
! The following letter received very re-
Gently from DR.. I. Hayes, the Arctic ex-
! plorer, gives some interesting particulars
of the expedition. The same mail brought
letters from Mr.. Bradford, tue artist, who
states in them that he purposed to pro-
ceed north into Melville Bay. where he
hoped to complete his collection of views
and studies Of the Arctic world
hrEAMsHIp PANTHAK, IvI6TUT (lat. Gl Ii,
South GREENLAND July 26. 1869,
My DEAR SIR A ship freighted with
| kryolite sails for Philadelphia in few
hours, and L will avail myself of the un-
expected opportunity to send to You q
friendly greeting. After leaving New
foundland, we made our first landfall at
Cape Desolation, where, the weather be-
ing dirty, and there being on this coast
neither lighthouse nor pilots, we were
forced to get anchor down and hold on
three days before we could steam into
Julianshaab. the best of the Greenland
colonies. There We arrived July 10. A
few items OF our dOings since that date
may interest you.
First. on the 18th, we went up to the old
Morse ruins Of krakOrtak, the finest on the
coast, and in novel fashion. My old friend,
the Rev. Mr.. Anthon formerly of Uperna-
vik), kindly acted as guide, and we crowd
ed into wOman's sealskin boat-that is to
say, a a.nidk, which was thirty six feet long
and was propelled by six stout native
women. The temperature was sixty five
degrees, grand the scenery and many the
novelties, SO we passed a most delightful
day, bothered only by mosquitoes, which
are very numerous here and more vicious,
| verify believe, than in any other part of
the known world. How old the ruins are
nobody knows, but certainly not less than
eight centuries, and as l wandered through
the churchyard and about the once mas
sive walls of the homes of the Vikings and
sons of Vikings who long ago peopled this
coast, the story of their wonderful deeds
seemed written in the very stones The
church ruin (or cathedraD stands much as
when Graah visited it, some forty years
ago. One gable is yet eighteen feet high,
windows are IN the same condition. The
walls are almost five feet thick, and in
places still very firm. While Bradford was
busy with his brush, and Dunmore and
Cricherson with their camera, J. made q
careful plot of all the ruins, which are nine
in number 1t will please your curious
eyes, as the photographs will delight you.
From Julianshaab, where, by the way,
I must not forget to mention we had some
fine fresh Greenland beef and any quanti-
ty of milk, we steamed out to sub-colony
Krakssiment, where, directed by an an
cient Dane, Motzieldt by name (the only
white man in lthe place., we went up a
ford to the front of a great glacier, and
there we lay at anchor four days, on the
most amicabie terms with the monstrous
body in stream-photograph it, sketch
ing it, surveying it, travelling upon it, and,
in short doing nothing that was not
agreeable as we'll as useful. The photo
graphs from it are really superb. taken
from every possible point of view, and are
everything the heart could wish for. The
weather was as warm as an early autumn
day at home, and was enjoyed by ALL
There was nothing to interfere with us
but the aforesaid mosquitoes, which, fortu-
nately did not reach the ship nor the sum-
NIT of the glacier. believe nothing could
be finer than the photographs obtained -
Unhappily for our complete sense of COM
fort, and happiness the glacier was less
disposed to be neighborly than we, for he
set up terrible fosildade the moment we
got there, and beside some thousands of
tons of ice which, at intervals, broke from
the front, seven icebergs, one after anoth-
er, rolled their unwiedly forms into the
sea and set the waves npon us at such n
terrible rate that We were glad enough to
get to safer place OF refuge. But few
persons have ever seen an iceberg break
off. We can rejoice in having both seen
and felt them. We may rhapsodize about
Niagara-its roar, its vastness-but one
knows not where to begin with discharg-
ing glacier, so l will not attempt it on D
small bit of paper.
From the glacier here we came to meet
a hearty welcome from the controller of
the mines, Mr. Saxtorf, the director, Mr..
Friz, and the agent for the American Com
pany, Captain Reynolds One is quite
, amazed at the apparently inexhaustible
supply of kryolite in the bed which they
had opened. The mine is in fact quarry,
the bottom of which is some forty feet be-
low the level of the sea, and is perhaps
fifty yards across, and as many up from the
beach. It lies upon the south side of this
ford of Arsuk, which runs many miles
back into the interior, and like most of
the Greenland tiords is terminated by q
: glacier. A hundred miners get out about
} II, 600 tons of the mineral per annum.-
The mineral is immensely rich-ninety- six
to ninety-nine per cent. of soda and alum,
and although not sufficient in quantity to
pay for working, the bed is prolific in
other Ores In half hours walk about
the works picked up specimens of iron,
silver, lead, tin, copper and Arsenic
Strange it seems that this mineral, so
precious and so valuable, should be found
here alone. 90
Tomorrow we put to sea and then north
} ward go, beneath the midnight sun. Thus
far all has been novel 20 me. bnt hence
forth I shall be among familiar scenes -;
We get on finely. Everybody is in the
hest of spirits and in the very hest of
health. The shp conld not be improved
upon for either strength or comfort, and,
please God in couple Of months, | will
bring you i'll person py next budget of
news.
Meanwhile, believe me, ever faithfully
yours,
Isaac l. HAYES.
singular Case of Bltnaness.
Robert L. Whitten, an insurance agent
J in Pittsburg, recently became blind after
having himself shaved at the barber shop
of the Monongahela house, OF that city
The barber had wiped his face. after
? lcIo L.; a foxuoI xuhiol, hal l1oo