West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1878-10-26
Capt. Tysoh's Account of the Voyage
sf the Florence.

| HowRate, directing me 10 proceed To
Cumberland Gulf, or elsewhere i'm my
discretion, for the purpose of collecting
skins, skin clothing, Esquimau dogs aud
sledges, and other material and sup
plies necessary for long Arctic voyage.
we sailed from New London, CT. on the
2d OF August, 1877, at half-past ten a.
m. After a long and tedious voyage of
fOrty-one days, we arrived in Cumber-
land Gulf. Owing TO the large number
OF vessels we found there, and the
presence of others during the summer.
which had left prior TO our arrival, there
was very great dearth Of skins; in fact.
there we're none. Two of these vessels,
steamers, had carried out such Esuui.
maux who were to the southwark
Other Esquimaux who were accustomed
TO congregate there were on i'm the
mountains deer hunting, and these. be-
fore their departure, had Icontracted
with some of the vessels Tor the skins
they might obtain. - -...,
Under these circumstances YOU can
readily perceive the difficult position in
which we are placed. Ii being too late
20 go elsewhere, | determined To stav
and do the best we could. Accordingly.
we remained at Niantiliic Harbor, iati-
tude 660 10 north, longitude 67o
so west, awaiting the return of the
Esquimaux, which ! concluded would
be about the last Of September or the 1st
October. About the last of the former
month many arrived, but they went inn
mediately to the British vessels from
Scotland, with whom they had ooutrac-
tod. On the 2Sth one boats crew ar
rived and came Immediately to tho Flor
ence. These we engaged, and ON the LIST
OF October We got under way, Intending
TO winter at the head of the gulf and re-
mote from any OF the other vessels. NV
object in this was to kecpth Esqumaux
we had secured from the influence Of the
whites in the gulf
We vi tied the Kcickertons Islands
before going up, and finding nothing
there, continued our way, and anchored
in Annatook Harbor, at the head Of the
gulf, on the 9TH Of October, i'm latitude
&C. 2T north logitude GO So
west, There we passed the winter and
spring, IN the meantime collecting quite
n number of skins. Some of these were
made into clothing Those we obtained
in the spring, however, not having time
to make them up, we secured and packed
away. On breaking out from our winter
quarters in the summer of the presnet
year, we managed TO induce five men 10
accompany us 10 the coast of Greenland.
There were also five women and five
children, making fifteen in all, and they
carried with them large number OF
skins.
On the 10th of July we sailed for
Disco Island, carrying with us the fifteen
Esquimaux, twenty-eight dogs, n fair
quantity of skin clothing and great
many skins, soon 10 be put into shape
by the manipulations of the women.
We arrived at Disco on the last day of
July, where, rs of course you know, we
did not meet any expedition. We waited
patiently until the 22d OF August, re-
ceiying no letters proposed 10 be sent out
by the government, and then, despairing
Of any communication, we started ON
our return to Cumberland Gulf, carry
ing everything with MS.
And now came the most difficult pur-
tion Of our voyage. The season has
been very prolific in ice, none Of the
Scotch whalers being able TO get through
TO Melville Bay on the Greenland side,
and up to the time we left Disco the
Danish ships had been unable to reach
w
tered the ice Of Cape Mercy, latitude
64o 45> north, longitude 656 3O/ west.
and worked our way through the pack
a distance of two hundred miles, often
with the greatest labor, and at times
threatened with serious catastrophe. Hap
PLY, we arrived in the gulf on the last
day of August, and as the season was 80
advanced that no further delay was
practicable, we paid and discharged the
Esquimaux on the ID of September,
and at once started on our return.
With the results of the voyage there
Is every reason TO be satisfied though
the accomplishment Of its immediate
purposes led 10 no practical end. The
scientific gentlemen, Messrs. Kumlin
and Sherman, have been indefatigable
in the performance Of their duties, and
are much pleased with their discoveries.
OF the more interesting results may be
mentioned the finding of meteoric iron
in the trap rock the addition Of five
species of birds 70 the fauna Of The
Atlantic seaboard, and the procuring Of
whales skeleton We have escaped
sickness Of any kind during the entire
voyage, and procured one fine head of
the whalebOne weighing eighteen hun
dred pounds. More than this in the
whaling line it was impossible for ms TO
do and attend 10 other duties, even had
the season been an usually good one i'm
this respect, the fact being that IL has
been almost an entire failure Al Cum.
berland. GEORGE 4. Tyson.
THERE is nothing like medical knowl.
edge. When one sees a man whose toes
have taken sudden notion TO double up
3nd the sole Of his foot turn inward
and Is told that the man had something
the matter with his head about five
years ago and has never been quite
we'll since" one docs rot quite under.
stand but when the doctor beams i'm and
says that the unfortunate has had cere.
bral hemOrrhage, aud that the corpus
stratum, optic thal9mus, choroid plexus,
or ssptum lucidum has been involved
or that probably lesion in some other
part of the brain has been formed, and
that in consequence there Is secondary
degeneration Of the spinal cord and
that the cause Of the toes being fixed and
the foot being turned inward isa con
traction Of the Hexor longus dipitorun
and the iibialis posticus, the whole