The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-11-06


OF Hudson Bay and that this would be favorable
season for Arctic navigation.
The Governor informed that the English expedition
mad sailed from here on the 22d of July, having only
stopped one day 70 get number Of dogs. II was
blowing and raining hard all the time we were here,
giving promise OF southwest gale, and Captain
Young anxious to get out TO sea again, declined
the Governors repeated invitations to 90
ashore. We therefore. after getting two
dogs which off to us, put to again. hay
Ing stopped only hours and all we saw Of Uper-
navk was passing gmpses through the driving rain
There four little houses, perched round knoll
behind which rose mountains that appeared to
be covered with thin carpet OF grass or moss stu
ated of number OF little islands which hem II
in on all sides and mako its somewhat difficult
without pilot 1t is dangerous harbor with north
west gale blowing, II Is sufficiently protected
from that side and the Junata when feeling her way
in, had TO drop anchor in eghtyhve athoms of water
to avoid running on a rock Whether she ever got 1t
up again ia not stated
CIVILIZATION.
Upernavik was the last Danish station at which we
expected to touch and had seen last OF
civilization until should return We still hoped
have chance OF sending letters by
whaler we would probably meet in Lancaster Sound
but this hope was faint one, rs the whaling ships
usually leave there about the LIST Of August and
now at the 18th.
We stood out to far enough well clear OF the
land and then continued TO the north under
steam and SAIL with foggy, cloudy weather and light
variable winds, mostly from the south The next
morning the fog and mist cleared away, it turned out
. beautiful day, and we found
just of the great glacier which at this part
Of the coast latitude "a deg comes down to the
II is great inclined plane, seventy eighty miles
long and extends back to the interior in smooth, icy
slope that rises higher and higher II recodes until
mingles high up with the sky two or three hundred
miles inland II of bright pale, transparent yell
low, like silver slightly washed with gold, and was
immensely grand and beautiful il lay shining in the
morning sunlight world OF luminous ice. We were
forty miles to sea, and its foot, which presents
perpendicular wall of ice rising between and two
hundred above the that washes its base
below the horizon, but all the better enabled
to form an idea OF grandeur OF the glacier
OF Greenland large enough TO contain within 1t nearly
the whole Of civilized Europe; for, immense as was the
mountain of ice that now beheld, We knew it was
nothing but small of the great lone, silent,
drcary world OF Ice beyond.
ENTERING MELVILLE BAY.
And enter Melville Bay in the northeast
corner of Bann Bay, much dreaded Of whalers, and
place of anxious expectations for Arctic explorers;
for it is the place the great highway tho north
gets quite clear Of ice It continually filled by that
which comes down from Smith Sound Jones Sound
Lancaster Sound, Barrow Strait and Pond Bay All
tins ice moving down the middle of the great
OF Bafin keeps 1t filled up. leaving, however,
passage along the eastern and western shore which in
July barely practicable for ships which August
and September gradually widens, until Is often 100 to
200 miles the last OF the ice slowly down the
middle. But, again. II sometimes happens that Mel
vile Bay gets free, and is often only toward
the end of August that ships get through The
Fox was caught here about the middle Of August
carried down Bann Bay and Davis Strait only dnally
getting free the following July having thus lost year
without accomplishing anything toward the task she
had undertaken The ice in Melville Bay is therefore,
uncertain that IL is place of ireputc, and navi-
gators always enter it with anxious orebodngs and the
utmost caution.
THE RAY CLEAR
Strange to tell had yet seen comparatively lit
tie ice. With the exception of few giant icebcrgs
here and there aground drifting and which
rarely form any lmpedment to navigation had
absolutely no ice since leaving wagat Strait 1t was in
about this latitude that the Fox unfortunately
beset and yes pre whore there full Of
floating ice, there scarcely speck TO be As
had predicted the Winds blowing continually from
the north had already cleared out Melville Bay and
we had only to sail forward smooth
glass over which the ship gllded along as gently as
though she had been some little river.
The days Of the 18th and 10th were beautiful in
the extreme and | thought there coula be nothing
delightful than navigating these still northern
waters when they clear Of ice Up TO this time
had had very little sport the way of shooting we
had seals since left the Spzbergen ice
near Cape Farewell and in truth they are rarely seen
far away from the ice.
BEAR HUNT.
Here, however, evening came running aft
with broad grin his face TO get gun, saying there
a bear swimming the ship. Everybody made
rush for the guns, and in moment lively fire
opened Dir. Brun, who, however of under this
shower Of bullets unharmed In the meantime the
Captain and Mr.. Livingston had lowered a boat and
started after him. IL proved to be close race for the
bear swan with speed had little suspected looking
around at his pursuers now and then and redoublng
his exertions when he saw they were gaining upon
him. pitied the poor brute with all my heart for he
had not OF course the ghost OF chance and he
hard for his life Soon the boat had approached within
ten feet Of him. Then there two shots, and he
suddenly stopped swimming and lay lifeless the
water shot through the head 1t certainly
very good sport the poor brute could in the
neither get away fights but the truth is we were
of seal and needed him change from salt
This bear betokened the presence Of ice they
60 very far away from IT. and, enough,
about ten oclock at night, when the still an
hour and half above the horizon suddenly came
upon 1t. 1t was, however, not very formidable 1t
was only in thin loose foes that offered little
ance the sharp prov Of the Pandora As often hap
pens, however, when getting among the ice, we were
enveloped in thick fog, which prevented
making much progress long it lasted and we did
little during the night The thermometer went down
ave degrees from 81 deg 80 deg the freezing point
in less than an hour
When the fog cleared away. which 1t did very early
in the morning, we found we of Cape York, the
northwest extremity Of Melville Bay. with stream OF
before that looked suspic!ously like pack We
soon made out from the masthead, however, that It
was only tongue point that extended few miles