Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-03-27
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LIFE IN THE ARCTICS.

Dakota Territory, who had charge Of the
United States relief steamer PrOteus, that
was sent to the Arctic regions last summer
in search of the Greedy party, was in town
last night, stopping at the Monongohela
House. "rhere is no doubt in my mlnd,D
said he, "that the Greedy party is alive. L
don't see how it can be otherwise. If they
are at Lady Franklin bay, which beyond a
doubt they are, they are certainly alive and
well. Greely had plenty of provisions to
last him through the winter, and he was
stationed where he could get plenty of fuel,
and | see no reason for his not being alive.
| don't see how he could well get away
from the bay. The only season you can
sled up there is in the spring, and that is
the only way he could move. don't think
he would attempt to move further North
under the circumstances, and if he had start
ed South / would have met him when on
that expedition last summer.
at is not so dreadfully hard to live up
there as some suppose, provided you have
plenty to live on. 1t is certainly very cold,
but one becomes in measure adapted to 1T
and does not mind it. We were within
two degrees of Greedy station when our
vessel was crushed by the ice. 1t was rath-
er trying position to be in. Thousands
of miles from any succor and no means of
getting out except by small boat. But
my men did not lose courage. They kept
in good spirits, although our provisions
were limited and we had to use them spar
ingly. You can well imagine mans teel-
ing, placed in such a position and knowing
that when the supply of provisions is ex-
hausted there is no possibility Of securing
any more. But, Notwithstanding what l
have come throug would like to 60 back
again. intend to make application, when
l get to Washington, to join the present
expedition that is now being fitted out. l
have not seen as much Of that region as |
would like to. There is nothing so exceed
1ngly charming about it, but there is a
strange fascination seizes one, when he has
a taste of it, to see more of it. When you
get up among the glaciers and rocks, the
scene is one of terrific grandeur and pic
turesque beauty, but the acme ofdreariness.
No sound or stir except now and then the
terrific crash of huge hyaline boulder, as
it CRATES on the bottom of the ocean and
crushes to pieces. There is a dreary silence
that courts loneliness, and one feels such a
dull dread all the time that approaches
misery.
"In the summer time you can occasionally
hear the piping of sea-gulls, the chatter OF
ducks, and the groWl Of Walrus, but you
only meet these occasionally. If you can
describe vast sea of ice and snow, which
is as irregular as anything you can imagine,
you know what appearance that country
has. The nearest comparison l can make
to the appearance Of one of those icebergS is
looking down on a city from the top of a
mountain. The high and low houses, with
an occasional church Steeple, resemble very
much one of those floating icebergs. The
wind has no effect on them whatever. 1t is
not an uncommon thing to see the hoe' or
soft ice going in one direction, driven by
the wind, and an iceberg moving in an op-
posite direction, being carried along by the
current. There is always seven times the
bulk of ice under the water than is seen
above, and one acquainted with the Polar
region can always tell by the color, rigidity,
and appearance Of an iceberg whether 1t
comes from the North sea or not You will
sometimes see boulder three or four times
as high out of the water as this hotel, and
probably ten times as large, carried along
by the current, and when two of them come
together the force is sufficient to crush the
lesser rigid one. You can Judge what
steamer would be like when caught be-
tweenatWo such icebergs. No boat can ever
be built that can withstand the pressure.
Although they seem to move slowly, they
have terrific force and are often crushed
by their own weight.
"Walrus are very plenty up there in some
places. At the mouth Of Melville bay I
believe saw thousand at one time. They
crawl upon the ice and lie there apparently
asleep, but on the approach of a hunter they
drop into the water in lubberly, awkward
manner, which is amusing. At times they
sport and play in the water and out, and
keep the sea in constant confusion. They
are an interesting study, especially when
they are the only animated creatures that
can be seen. While watching them one
forgets that he is out of the habitable world.
The only land to be seen is an alluvial de-
posit thrown up by the waves near the
North shore of Greenland. There is kind
of moss growing on the rocks, but from
what it draws the substance Of life | know
not. One Of the most interesting sights in
the whole Northern region is the falling
into the ocean of huge fields of ice. You
will see thousands of acres of ice and snow
that extended high in the air. The water
wears this away on the under side, and
when the point projecting into the water
becomes so heavy as to force itself otf 1t
breaks with loud report and falls into the
water The travelling is all done up there
with dogs in sledges. The dogs are almost
as large as Indian dogs, and are able to
draw about their own weight. They usual
ly harness from eight to twelve dogs to a
sledge, and under favorable circumstances
and smooth ice can 60 about sixty miles a
day. If the surface is uneven and soft the
animals are worthless, and the sledge has to
be drawn by hand.
Gas I said, am anxious to join this ex-
petition that is now being fitted up. There
are four vessels that are undergoing thor
ough repair in New York harbor for the
trip. Lieutenant w. II. Emory will have
charge of the Bear. Colonel Schley, who
will have charge Of the expedition, will
have charge of the IHetiS This is very
firm whaling vessel, and was bought at
Dundee Scotland, expressly for the trip.
The British Government has offered the use
of the steamer alert, which will accompany
the expedition. This is the steamer, COM
manded by Sir George Mares, that Wintered
at Smiths sound, about seventy-eight de-
grees fifty minutes North, being the highest
point at which any steamer ever passed the
winter. 1 don't think there will be any
trouble in reaching Lady Franklin Bay,
where Greedy is supposed to be quartered,
some time in August. If they don't get
through by that time they will be compell-
ed to lie up for the winter, as it begins to
freeze up there toward the latter part of that
month. .''-PHtsJWy Dispatch.
HAMPTON IN 4 TIGHT PLACE.-A mid
dle-aged man approached General Hampton
the other day and asked his influence in
pressing a claim before the military COM
mittee of the Senate. The stranger then
said General, l am glad to see you again.
Nnu 5o not ranorpiyp mo bTf Won OprSOn9l-