Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1872-04-18
N. o. WALLACE. !
Birth Of an Iceberg.

Greenland, where he observed va.
I rlous phenomena, which have new.
er been SO picturesquely and truth,
fully described hitherto. Que of
the most Interesting scenes which
DR.. Hayes delineates, and which
has all the charm of originality,
relates to the process by wh chs all
iceberg is born: = -
During, the absence of The cap
tain and myself, the artists had
rot been idle. They landed near
the glacier, and with brush and
camera had begun their work
The day was warm, the mercury
rising to sixty-eight degrees in the
shade, and the sun, coming round
to the south, blazed upon the cold
wall of ice. This must have pro-
ducing some difference of temper.
ature between the ice touched by
the warm rays and that Of the
interior, which was in all -proba,
tility several degrees below the
freezing point, for towards noon
there was an incessant cfackling
along almost the entire front
Small pieces were continually
splitting off with explosive vio-
lence, and falling to the sea, pro-
duced a fine effect as the spray
spouted up from the spot where
they struck. Scarcely minute
passed without a disturbance of
this kind. 1t was like a fnsilade
of artillery Now and then a
mass OF considerable size would
break loose, producing the inn
preston upon the minds of the
most courageous that our situa-
ton was one of great danger.
By one o'clock everybody had
come aboard for dhtiIet and Tor
a while we all stood IN deck
watching the spectacle, and noting
the changes with Intense eager
ness. 1t was uniformly. observed,
among 9th n curious phenomena,
th It when the ice broke off the
fractured surface was deep blue,
and that if any ice, as sometimes
happened, came up from beneath
the water, it bore the same hue,
but after a short exposure TO the
sun the surface changed, becon-4
ing an almost pure white with a.
satin lustre. s-'s'-
Our situation for observation
could not have been better chosen,
and it is not likely that such an
opportunity was ever enjoyed be-
fore--since it is not likely that .
vessel ever rode to her anchor
within cables lengthof a glacier
Alter dinner the work was to
have been resumed. Fhe photo
graphers hassened ashore, hoping
To catch an instantaneous view of !
some of the falling fragments.--
Preparations were making for
weighing anchor, steam was al
ready up, and we were about 10
move overto the north side Of the
ford, when louder and morestarts
ling reports than any we ihaG.
heard pealed forth one after an
other in quick succession2 A mum.
sber of large pieces had broken
off, the falling of which disturbed
the sea to such an extent that the
vessel rolled perceptibly, and
waves broke with considerable
force upon the shore. Them
without any warning,there came
a report louder than all combined
1t was evident, that some extra
ordinary event was about to hap
pen, and a feeling of alarm spread
throagtl the ship. The boat had
landed the photograph party on
the rocks within thirty yards Of
1he glacier, and had showed off.
The captain shouted to ttIe COX
swain to .,buEry up and had
given the prder.to cup anchor"
but it vast late,
The glacier was in . violent
state of commotioa,; it seemed toI
be literally going to pieces. It's
extreme point, at the centre, was
undergoing disintegration. The
form OF theelacierrwas there par
ticularly picturesque, and VS.. had
never ceased to admire it,,sEetch
it, aud photograph it,, 1t exhibiz
ted a perfect forest of Gothic
spires, which, originally ragged,
bad, by the action OF the weather,
been converted to something like
regular shape, until it bore the
appearance Of a vast .editice con-
structed by the hands of man
At the base of these spires there
were numerous arches, more or
less perfect, which still further
strengthened the illusion that it
might be Of human and. not et ]
nat raj formation. .,.~.e4
At the very extreme point'there
ras ono snire ihat stnna out alone.