The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1871-10-19
Greenland.

The glaciers of Greenland bring no
debris from the interior, and the short
valleys through which they reach the
sea rarely unite. The surface material
(which IL inconsiderable, and seldom
takes the form of medal moraine-to
gether with that at its base, is fioated off
by the detached bergs, which not unfre-
quently capsize in the inlets, and thus
deposit, at least, the greater part of their
burden before reaching the open sea-.
Hence, could the submarine surface be
inspected, it would in all probability be
found to consist of tenacious clay, en-
bedding log line Of boulders, shells,
and bones Of seals and other marine an.
imals. This matter NUT be frequently
re. arranged 10y the enormous ,noIuei-
tum of icebergs. grounding it, Dr..
Brown mentions tie case nf berg
which, in 1867. he observed Off he nlout h
of the Waygaiz. Carrying block of rock
that, even AT that distance, looked a.
large as a gooh-s,zrd house.
Greenland, though so intensely cold
and apparently SO cherries, is full of in
terest to the naturalist, and by no means
without profit to the merchant, The
outskirting land supports a luxuriant
growth o. from 800 to 400 species Of
plants, some OF which ascend to the hight
of 1000 feet; many species of seals and
whales, and fish, sport in the waters
which are occupied by invertebra,e ami
mails and sea-weeds every rock swarms
with water fowls, while land birds from
place countless herds Of reindeer browse
in some OF its valleys; the bark of the
lox is to be heard even in the depth Of
winter and the po.ar bear may be seen
all the year round. The Danes at their
first visit found human population
there of 10000 and within their own
possessions. there is at present, a heal
thy, intelligent, civilized race OF hunters
of not less than 10000 souls. Exclusive
of home consumption, the annual ex-
ports of the settlement amounted in 1885
to 1863 barrels of seal oil, 47,S09 s al
skins, ia fox skins, "a bear skins, 1914
dog skins, 3,437 pounds of eiderdown.
5,2O6 pound. Of feathers, 4S9 pounds of
narwhal ivory, 81 pounds of waIru~
ivory, and 1886 pounds of whalebone.
Goologists have long thought that AT
least the west coast Of Greenland j.
slowly sinking below the sea. This doc
trine is confirmed by DR.. Brown, who
recaptulates the principal points Of the
evidence on which it rests. The follow
ing are amongst the facts he enumer>
ates: Near the end OF the last century
"A small, rocky island was observed to be
entirely submerged at spring tide higi,
! water, yet on it were the remains of IL
house, rising six feet above the ground
| fifty years later thu submergence had Sc
| far increased that the ruins alone were
| ever left above water. The foundation
| of an old storehouse bull: on the island
| in l776. are now dry only at low water.
| The remains of native houses are seen in
one locality beneath the sea. In It's
the Moravian Mission establishment was
founded about two miles from Fi~ker
nasset, hut in thirty FEARS they were
obliged to move, at least once the posts
on which they rested their large on,ink,
or seal. skin boats. Some of the posts
may yet be seen under water. The dweI.
lngs of several Greenland families, who
lived on Savage Point from l72l to 1886,
are now over1iowed by every tide In
one locality, the ruins of old Greenland
houses are only to be seen at low water.