New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-10-15
them. rsched the number Of $50, when my eye
became weary. and left the remainder ui''A1 "'
favorable time, and returned 70 dinner ga tfs

In the evening we attended nauVs psi, ", o.N
The ballroom fused rs carpenter-snop uuiiis 'no
dayl il about l6 toet square. and there men, wono
ord ob,dren all nregsed to participate In the tos
.;,,;.;oa % The occasion The floor was generally
o,,sea with dancers, while in tho corners, on the
o.r,,o,ter,s bench and in every space three iee'
| - were huddled together groups OF chiidreh
naroeIv moro than knee-high also engaging III inc
| native dance not wholly unlike the hoe-dowh "a
| the Southern negroes. The dancing. though pecu-
liar was bettor than we expected to Soc ana ia inc
| intervals there was some very good Waiting Inc
hand consisted of two violins, both well played and
n small keg with piece of seal-skin tightly drawn
over one end in imitation Of drum-head. There
was no opportunity given for hirtations at these
dances for the moment that the music stopped the
girls without waiting for their escort rushed to one
side of the room and hudded together like so many
bees Nor is there any fear of torn dresses by step
ping on trails. They escape ALL such difficulties by
being clad in their simple attire of seaskin jacket
brooches and boots.
On first landing on shore we were met by the male
portion of the community. and few feet further
on we met the women, with their infants upon their
backs, carried in a kind of pouch pocket they
greeted us with respectful bow and with broad
grin upon their countenances The next thing which
attracted attention the strong dlsagreeable
smell from the drying slabs of seal meat, seal OIL
seal blubber. and ofal. The comforts of Esquimsux
life are not numerous. Ahalf dozen sealskns con
stitute bed and bedding for two persons; they also
have an iron stove in which they burn peat the only
fuel they have two pots for boiling rice aud other
food rude lamp or pan in which they burn seal OIL
using dried moss for wicking; a half dozen dogs ana
| sledge kayak, with two lances and harpoons;
fishing lines, material and implements for repairing
! clothing; and (no matter how poor they may seem
| Co. phnA mot
sess clock though very few of them are set to tho
correct time. We had sealskins dressed and pre-
pared for making clothing for those on board the
1 Tigress Also for those who comprise the members
of the expedition in our steam launch, to go to
Northumberland Island, via Cape York, in search OF
| the Polaris Our stay at GOdhavn being so brief 1t
was impossible to have the clothing made up, but
the officers and others on board the Juniata who had
purchased some for their own use readily contrib
uted them TO aid the expedition. and the Govern
ent will furnish Others in return to be made up In
| this place.
| DOGS AND DoG-TEAMs.
| We purchased IS sledge dogs at Holsteinborg for
the use of the Tgress and left them at Godhavn IN
charge of native, who is to look after thein anu
feed them until the arrival of the Tigress, when
they will be chartered board OF that vessel Inc
sledge dogs Of Greenland are driven in teams,
| zach numbering from four to sixteen dogs; they
| ALWAYS 20 abreast of one another and frequently
become entangled in their endeavors to branch of
! in other directions than the one intended by the
driver. The harness consist of single trace, made
| Of seal hide which passes from the chest over the
launches to the sledge There are no reins used to
guide them in any particular direction, but they are
directed in their course by whip with q lash about
20 feet long, while the handle is only many inches
in length 1t requires great deal of practice to use
the whip dexterously At first one is apt to get the
| lash wound about his body, or to strike himself
driver though his leading dog is well drilled must
learn to hit any particular dog in the entire team
with this strand of seal hide or else he will have no
| control over them. The natives make practice OF
travelling in couples, 80 that they can relieve one
another in using the whip which they find tedious
employment, and by this means one rest on his
sledge, following along after the forward one
| AMONG THE ICEBERGs.
On the 18th of July we left Godhavn receiving
salute of six guns from shore and sped on our way
by the waving of handkerchiefs by the ladies until
| we were out of sight The sea was full OF icebergs
| and ON the morning of the Both the officer OF the
deck sent us word that's natural bridge was in sight
! We rushed on deck and saw, at distance of about
| four miles, large berg, with a perfectly formed
| archway running through it from one side to the
other the tunnel being about 200 feet long, Later IN
the day we close to an immense berg, whose top
| lowered high above our masts. We estimated its
hight at about 200 feet breadth 500 feet and length
800 feet-a above water. Surprising that times
| as much of it was submerged as was above water,
it gives us. approximately, 64OOOO,OOO cubic feet
equal TO IT, 142 tons of ice We passed hundreds
of these immense masses while making the passage
| to Uperuavik. some of which we saw explode with
! loud report sending fragments in every direction
dense fog setting in before night and shutting the
/ land from our view, we were obliged to run along
very slowly on our AS soon as the fog lifted
the next day, we weighed anchor and ran into Uper-
navik. .r.r .....-
This is very open harbor and liable to be sealed
| ND early in the season by icebergs stRandng them
selves across the entrance where they apt to
| main the whole Winter The harbor has been known
to seal up as early the Goth of August We intend
to remain here until the return of our steam launch
the Little Juniata, which has gone expedition
to Cape York. 800 miles 10 the northward, thence to
Northumberland Island by sledge where they expect
to find the Polaris, if nothing is heard of them at
Cape York "A letter describing this Little Juniata
expedition has already been printed in THE TRB-
| rrNE1 Peter Jensen, who accompanied Dr. Hayes
| On his several expeditions, and is now the chief
trader at the abovenamed place. reports great deal
of ice between here and Cape York. although the
season is more open at this time than is usual Jen-
sen. having been married lately. could not be per-
suaded to accompany the expedition.
| THE LAST MIDNIGHT SUN.
| The DAYS have now commenced to shorten with
ms though we are able to read at midnight without
the aid of candle-hght. On the 3D., party Of us
climbed the hill 80 that we might look at the mid
night sun for the last time for the next night it
hid its lower limb below the horizon. An island
prevented us from seeing the horizon. The sun
commenced to disappear behind it. and at midnight
all we could see was its upper limb; 1t then began
to rise again. The sum- instead of rising in the east