The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1871-12-02
GREENLAND'S ICY MOUNTAINS.
THE ICFBERGS.

THE ICEBERGs.
Although this has been one of the most
open seasons known to living man, yet
from the deck of the Congress, while lying
in Disco harbor, | counted one hundred
ice-bergs, floating i'll majesty to warmer
seas. Some of them we're mile long, and
two hundred feet high. 1t is a law of ice
bergs, that the proportion above the water
to the proportion below the water is as one
to seven-that is, were the base OF a berg
one hundred feet hish on the surface of
the sea, its height would be seven hundred
feet. 1t has been ascertained by measure
ment that some have stranded i'll water
half mile in depth. Some have been seen
having an area of six square miles, with an
altitude of six hundred feet. Sir John
Ross saw several aground in Batfn's Bay.
in two hundred and sixty fathoms of
water, and he computed one to weigh ,259,-
397,6 tons. Such berg as that would
be speculation to one of our ice-mer-
chants. Each of the one hunred ice
bergs which | saw at Disco had some pic
turesque form. There was one of the base
of which was not unlike the stern of an
immense ship. \ hundred feet high, it
had at either end peak, and between the
two valley, the color of indigo. 1t march
ed rapidly to the south. Two our left there
were three in line: the middle one re-
minded me of the Sphinx of Egypt. To
our right were three others, forming the
arc of circle, the central one of pearly
whiteness. Beyond was another. covering
many acres: from it's centre arose peak,
like the cone of Nesuvius, its sides covered
with fragments of ice, resembling con-
fused mass of lava.
One day magnificent berg stranded in
the mouth of the harbor. 1t was Ierpen-
dicular wall of ice, hundred feet high at
either end, with depression in the centre.
1t was less than nine hundred feet from the
ship Loading sixty pound PARROT with
a conical shot. the captain fired at the icy
target. The first shot fell short; the sec
ond entered the berg well up. leaving well
defined circular hole. without producing
any other effect; the third shot was shell
which struck, scattered the ice, but did not
enter; the fourth was another shell, which
left a circular mark but did not explode
This expesiment proved the solidity of an
iceberg, and what Il formidable obstacle it
must be to encounter.
The next day the captain and myself took
a small boat to ascertain, by a closer view
what effect our shot had had. We could
see where the shot had made an impression,
but there stood the berg in all its icy gran
deur and solemn defiance. One ball had
entered so far as to force the ice out on the
opposite side, where it remained in huge
mass. 1t required ten minutes for our
hardy sailors to pull around its immense
base.
We approached its very base. and looked
up its lofty and beautiful sides; but we
had scarcely returned to the ship, when,
with the loud booming of a thousand can
non, the berg split in the centre, and one
of it's lofty peaks rolled over just where
we had been, causing the white foam to
rise fifty feet, and sending wave after wave
far I'D on the distant shore. Had we re-
NAMED there few minutes longer, our
grave would have been in the "deep blue
sea.
AN EXCURSION.
A few days thereafter, We made an
excursion into the interior, twelve miles to
the "Big Glacier of Disco Our party
consisted of Captain Davenport, Inspector
General Smith, Chief Engineer Latch, DR..
Bogart. Lieut.. Blocker, Rev. Mr.. Bryan,
an Esquimaux guide, and half dozen sail
ors. 1t was glorious day; the skies were
bright, and the sun poured upon us floods
of light and heat To get a better view of
the coast range, we pulled southwark some
four miles, and paused to enjoy the wild
grandeur of the landscape. Like per-
pendicular wall, the black rocks rose seven
hundred feet above u.s. and against their
everlasting base the waves of an arctic sea
broke with Il loud resound. Here and
there the waves of other years had worn
the rocks like half-moon, and covered the
shore with sand. fine and black. Landing
on such beach. we entered deep cave
high up in the cliffs, from the top Of which
large boulders continue to fall. Along the
coast as far as the eye could reach. there
appeared well defined arches. At the end
of the sandy beach, narrow promontory
extended one hundred feet into the sea, in
the centre Of which was gothic arch, suf-
ficiently large to admit our whale-boat.-
Beyond was triple archway-the largest
arch facing the sea, the Others being paral-
lei to the coast, and as neatly cut as if the
work of a master builder. "The waters
wear the stone" is true now as in the days
of job. All along that ancient shore the
tireless waves had excavated deep, dark
caves. which echoed the thunder of the
mighty deem. BY the action of wind ano
| wave, immense rocks had fallen from above
and mingled with granite boulders borne
thither by icebergs-those transports OF
the Arctic sea. Opposite the shore stood {
| slender lofty rock, like a column of renown
and near it was Giants Causeway in min
iature. A hundred yards from the coast i
was a basaltic rocks of colnumnar shape
each one six inches square, and from six tt
ten feet long, lying in regular rows like
bars of iron. Far up on the face of th'
cliffs were the nests of the eider-duck
while on the calm waters, the barel
islands, the floating icebergs, and on tn
! wing, in the summer air, were myriads o
those beautiful creatures. At intervals
along the high, black cliffs, were cascade
from the melted SHOWS of the distant gla
cier, which came laughing and dancin!
down the rocks-the wind spreading on
the spray brilliant with the rainbow =
There was one the image of which viii
long live in memory. With a fall of sever
hundred feet, the stream flowed down
gentle ravine, and seen at a distance,
was like a silver thread waving downward
and one hundred feet from the base of tn
cliff the spray spread out like the golde
plumage of bird of paradise.
AS we assembled the steep cliffs, the ice
baros far ont on the ocean, exploded wit