Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1884-08-30
UNDER THE POLAR STAR.
The Greedy Expeditions First Years
in the North.

Rlce, OF the freely party, has been |
published in the New York Herald |
The thrilling incidents of their expe-
rience are graphically told. Some ex-
tracts are given below.
On August 20, 1881, DR.. Pavy with
Sergeant Rice started on an expedi- |
tion to examine the depot of one thou
sand rations left at Lincoln Bay by the
British expedition Of 1856. Of the
ditiiculties of the route Sergeant Rice
says: Finding the travelling over the
hills and ravines most difficult and
wearisome and having passed our first
large bay (St. Patrick 81, we wended
our way to the seashore, with the in
tention of reaching the next bay
(WrangelD by the icetoot. We round
ed Cape Beechy, but, arriving at the
Black Cliffs, found the icefoot COM
pletely ground away by the moving ice
in the straits. AS the frowning cliffs
descended almost perpendicularly to
great depth in the water, it was i'm
possible to pass.
''lt was equally impossible to ascend
to the plateau above, and so we were
forced to retrace our steps until a
notch in the bold coast furnished us
with a way to the tableland After a
toilsome ascent we reached the top
elevated 1,400 feet-to find strong
breeze blowing, with drifting, binding
snow, from the north directly in our
faces. The temperature was below
zero, and our condensing breaths ad-
ded to the melting snow on our faces
formed an icy mass on the boards that
was, from its weight and temperature,
extremely unpleasant. We could do
nothing but break off the longest
icicles. 1t was impossible to stop to eat
or rest, as no shelter was afforded, and
we suffered much of thirst from which
the eating of snow gave us but little
relief. The pleasure it was to find a
little water not yet dried up by the
frost when we reached the water
course of Wrangell Bay can be under
stood. We had to cut through foot
of ice to reach it. This was Septem-
Der /.
"Our rest was not very comfortable
that night. The temperature was low.
On placing our small canteen of rum
to our lips it instantly stuck, and on
removal brought with it some pieces
of skin. This will do to point moral
or adOrn a temperance tale. When
about to start or attempting to dress
our feet, our stockings being the only
part of our clothing we changed, oul
boots were so frozen that we had to SIT
shivering on them some time to make
them flexible enough to 90 on. Oul
socks became wet during the march
and on stopping we could change them
placing the wet pair, like liver pads
oh ,i,.tc tn 40 HriaI hV tha hpD
of the body. From Wrangell Bay W.
took the icefoot and proceeded yer!
slowly, as the piled-up floebergs were
difficult TO travel through and over.
Further on he says:
"Lincoln Bay, on its southern side
was crammed with heavy floebergs-
immense masses of paleocrysic ic
that had been forced up by the terri
BILE pressure of the large tlOes movin!
out of the straits. We mistook tn
position of the cache in Lincoln Bay
and finding ourselves beyond it con
cluded to keep on to Cape Union an'
obtain view of the ice to the north
ward from the better lookout AFFORDED
there. We were treated to beautiful
sipht. The sun was in the nOrtheas
part of the heavens, pouring loo
of light down the straits, and, iron
it's low altitude, throwing deep Rem
brandt shades from one side OF tn
hummocks and bergs, while the othe
glistened and sparkled in the ros
light like diamonds. The mountain
of the Greenland coast showed u
with marvellous distinctions, being /
some places distorted by refractio
into remarkable prominence. This wa