The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-11-15
THE GRAVES ON BEECHY ISLAND.
Monument House"-A Scene OF
Devastation and Ruin.

breeze arrived In the entrance TO Lancaster SOUND
the morning of the goth and soon were hi sight of
ice Here had another bear hunt. Forty miles
away from any land We found an old she bear and two
cubs swimming about eisurely as though water was
their natural element A boat was instantly lowered
blowing at the time which caused rough, chopping
sea- and the hears struck out 10 windward though
they nstinctvely knew this would put the boat at o
disadvantage They appear be very intelligent and
atectionate animals. The old bear swan short dis
lance ahead Of the young ones, hut kept continually
turning about as If to encourage them and urge them
on II was pitiiui 70 the poor beasts swimming
thus for life without hope of escape and tho more
they appeared to be quite aware of their danger,
and made the most desperate efforts to get away 1t
all in vain. What chance had they against four
pair OF pulling light shell of boat that
shot over the rapid stroke the oars
nko arrow? In quarter of an hour the boat mad
got up within three four yards OF them; there
we're two shots and the old bear and of the cubs
stopped swimming and lay lfeless on the water Cap
lain Young had shot and Mr. Prize tho other But
hey dcterm ned to capture the third and with much
difficulty succeeded at last In throwing a running
his head.
He resisted with all his might setting up fierce
howl and trying to capsze the boat, which he would
very soon have succeeded in doing had he but been
able to get one paw over her thwarts Finding the
boat was too swift for him he tried hold back. He
iwam and struggled and dove and and bit Mt the
rope, and half drowned himself bowling savagely all
The time. They at last brought him alongside and
fastened him up to the MEETINGS giving him line to
swim about, while the bodies of the other two were
dragged up the side He watched this operation
with strange wild, intelligent eyes, though
wondering what his mother meant by going in so
nd ha1 m
ret in too. He was only baby bear after all
and thought that II his mother in it must be all
right. He did not resist when hauled in his turn,
but scrambled up willingly, swapping vicously ut
everybody, however when he got chance, evidently
much frightened nevertheless. He chained up to
the side but kept up terrible bowling until the body
of the other cub still warm thrown him. He
Instantly sprang upon it and began roofing and smell
Ing at 1t, pushing IL with his nose, uttering all the
while plantive moan, and occasionally biting II
gently as though trying to awaken it. Then he lay
down beside it, with his head the body, and
watched with his sharp, inquiring, intelligent
eyes, in an imploring way, though asking US
what we meant by treating him in that cruel manner
He howled hideously when the body taken away
from him. but consoled himsefwth the skin OF the old
one, which thrown to him. and upon which he lay
down and slept Poor little fcowi He was as fright
ened child by the terrible and powerful beings
around him. and found dreary kind of company In
the skin Of his dead mother
ICE
We pushed forward steadily during the Goth and 2lst
seeing only little ice and that along the northern
shore on the evening Of the 21st when off Cape War
render enyeloped in heavy cloud Of fog
which rolling of the land and after came
into loose drift ice and could not what might
be before US we were obliged TO heave to and
wait. As this fog and drift Ice betokened
pack before us we kept of during the
night and worked slowly down toward the south
When the fog cleared away next morning we found
ourselves on the edge Of an extensive pack, which
seemed to the whole sound and through which no
land could be SEEN SO We stood again for the north
shore pushing through the loose ice here and there
but keeping outside the pack until two in the afternoon
when close enough to the land TO there
hope of lead here than there the south
side and therefore hove to again So much ice in Ian
caster Sound in August is very unusual thing and we
were greatly disappointed at finding our way blocked
the It was already getting late in the season
and had not yet arrived the critical part our
voyage. However, there nothing to do but wait
patiently Tor a change An Arctic navigator com
init greater mistake than to plunge pack be
Yond which he open water, for the
slightest movement OF the ice is sufficient to make
either advance retreat impossible, that after hav
ing made only three or four miles perhaps he finds
himself beset for the winter, with open in sight
which he would be able reach had he not allowed his
ship 10 get besct The best plan wait for the light
est wind VIII sometimes wonderful changes the
Ice in few hours
DANGER FROM IcR.
We had proof Of this upon the present occasion. The
ship had been allowed TO drift against a Zoe to which
she moorcd, but had not been mere more than
two hours when the began TO move and before We
knew it we almost caught by the loose which
came drifting down upoR us threatening to jam US
against the pack. II required some sharp lodging
escape which we effected with little delay
as possible, and again proceeded along the edge OF
the pack toward the southern shore light souherly
breeze had sprung up and this which had put the
Ice in notion driving it the northern shore We
were delighted with the view open water here on the
southern side Of the SOUND and putting on sail and
steam, we were soon far past the barrier which but
lew hours before had appeared impenetrable hav ng
been delayed here Just twenty four hours.
Lancaster Sound was discovered by Sir John Ross In
1870 and pronounced BY him be a bay although he
bad scarcely entered IT, 1t aflerward naygaed BY
Parry 1925 who proved it 70 be sound which con.
nected with strait which he called Barrow, that ia
It's turn conducted into channel which he named after
Wellington and another broad, ice bound sea, after
ward named Melville Sound Lancaster Sound
has Of late years become fishing ground for the
Dundee whaIcts who generally fish here in July aud
sometimes push as far west as Regent Inlet, They
cave about the lst Of August with the whales, and We
,aw neither whaer nor even a single real whale
although there were many white ones aud any mum
Der OF nnbacks
on the morning OF the oath, when about opposite
Regent Inlet, we were again cnveoped dense
!og which settled down over US like huge wet
blanket, and chung for two days, almost stopping
'ur progress We CROPPED our way cautiously
through Barrow Strait like blind man, for We were
iow 50 near the magnetic pole that the compass was
utterly useless while the fog completely hid the sun
md stars, and made It impossible TO get
observations At length, about I'VE O'Clock in tho
evening, the fog suddenly lifted aud showed Us,
y the distance of abont half mile, tremendous wall
rock several hundred feet high which, in the slowly