New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-10-04
RELIEF FOR ARCTIC CoLOMsTS.
FROM ST. JOHNS TO GODHAvN IN THE NEP-
TUNE


DENSE FOES AND IcF-PACKs NORTHUMBERLAND
ARRIVAL OF THE EXPEDITION AT DISCO ISLAND.
IFRoM SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNEI
GoDHAvN Disco Island Greenland. July H.
The steamship Neptune with the relief party anu
supplies destined for Fort COnger, Lady Franklin
Bay, left So Johns, n. F., July s, at 1850 D. III.
The day opened fair, but toward noon heavy mist
settled down upon the waters of the pay anu TUG
adjacent land and the wind veerinR TO SOUTHWARK
and eastward. drove in the fog, which soon COW
ersd everything with dense envelope Inc Nep
tune put to at once, after dischargins her po'
steering northeast course 50 as to Let beyond the
track of cefergs floating down along the new
toundland coast not very far of shore. By so dong
she was enabled though the weather was very
thick, to proceed on her Journey at very TAR ra'e
of speed and with comparative safety. Iowaru
evening the weather became clearer ana so me nan
dozen or more bergs of various sizes were passeu O
the port side. About sunset peculiar FOG enec1 was
noticed A dense bank of mist was lying 10" Oh
the water about a mile and half to the WESTWARD
The blue line of the actual horizon IN the distance
appeared like land raised above the irregular out
line of the intervening fog
Up to July IS, with the exception OF an ocea-
siopal iceberg. noting occurred to relieve the
monotony of the voyage. Fog, head WINDS anu
cross seas were the almost daily experience. AT
A. H., however on the 18th instant, the steamer
encountered the lower border of the ice iioe whch
makes down the eastern coast of Greenland anu
nassinr around Cape Farewell is borne along Dy
the warmer current in a northwesterly dlreetion
toN ard the Labrador coast For htty-sl1 ho'is
the Neptune threaded her way through this moving
mass of ice: zigzagging her course hither anG
thither toward some open space which almost al
ways disappeared before it could be reached
Pushing. jamming, crowding, buttng her sLFons
IT, sltarf IN fIlC
fog which limited vision to a distance or from one
to two hundred yards; now running along al easy
speed. now slow. then stopping and reversing at
full speed: pushing her bows into IL cu-de-sGc;
twisting about; turning ether tack, the Nep-
tune at last passed through $50 miles OF this Grlt-
ing ice and came into the open water Deyouu.
For eight hours she lay tied up to huge hat pan
of ice some two acres in extent. tue thlcKness VI
the fog rendering any definite progress mpossoe'
Many of the passengers and crew awaited them-
selves of this opportunity for stroll upon the ice
Occasional glmpses through vistas in the fog showed
vast fields of pack-ice TO the eastward, In whlch
were countless cebergs enormous IN proportion ana
infinite in variety The spans" also-a name
given By sailors to these masses OF 1Oatng Ice
were of all Sizes from few feet to several hum
dred yards IN extent of surface, and of almost
every conceivable form and outline, suggesting
with scarcely any assistance from the Imagination
nearly every form IN art anu natule' 'i"ny 'o'ii,
both the warp and the hooded, were seen upon anu
among the foes. and occasionally whale or n
school of blackfsh appeared alongside blowing
their foam-iOuntainS into the air.
On apprOaching the Greenland coast the rocky
shores stood ont in high and bold relleI, ana the
coast line as we'll the country further miami
showed Itself remarkably free from snow anu ICE
The valleys and the CULTS between the hlhs con-
tanned SNOW in considerable quantity ana occa-
sional ceberes were floating southwark, but In no
great numbers At this same time last year very
extensive pack reached all along this shore from
HolsteinbOrg to Upernavlk, studded with an IN
The presence last summer OF vast body OF Ice
along the southern end as well as along the west
coast of Greenland waiting only to be set free by
favorGu winds and currents; the TACT tnat the
prevailing winds this year have been for the aIOst
part easterly winds: the fact also that strong
current coming from the northeast passes around
Cane Farewell and up the western eOast OF Green
land in a nortnwesterv direction until il Is nearly
lost in the neighborhood of HolsteInborg; ana
again the fact that the remaining currents IN
Daviss Strait and Baifins Bay are southw ard,-au
these facts taken into account would seem 10 90
a reasonable explanation Of the source and the
causes of the remarkable and urnsual amount Oh
ice on the eastern coast this season.
After emerging from the Ice-nOe IN ABOUT LATITUDE
$50 ~, longitude 530 w, the Neptune hau open
water and tolerably clear weather. Very many
isolated icebergs, some Of great SIZE with an anu
tude of go to 800 feet. were seen bearing away
snuthward. No further hiDdrance or delay now
ever was experienced. and the steamer arrived IN
safety at Godhavn. Disco Island on Monday, July
IL at 1 D. IN. Here IL is proposed to take ON Doaru
an additional quantity Of stores, LesIdes SAN
clothing fuIs and dogs then to proceed alrecty
north for the station at Lady Franklin Bay. III
il shall be found iTpractcable TO reach the station
on account of the ice blockade the stores clothing
e,c will lie cached along the coast nj two dlii-Ient
places one cache To be located at Littleton Island
and another Mt Cape Hawkes. on the shore OF
(irinnel Land, after which the steamer Will
return TO St. Johns. n. f.