The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-05-13
.AGREAT LAKE OF ICE.
Wonders Of the Interior Of
Cold Greenland.
LAND OF NlcHTLEss SUMNER.
A Vast Deposas ~ Ice aGiIs Dssp ~
closed BY Giaas Meunsaias-
Psrtls a.d Hnrdships.


Psrtls 40 HarAsAips.
Civil Engineer Peary. q. s. n. lectured
to large audience at the Brooklyn Insti-
tute recently on the INLAND Ice Of Green
hand
Mr.. Peasy spoke OF Greenland as land
Of startling contrasts: land Of midnight
sun ana MONDAY night; Of tropical skies
and eternal ice. Its length from north to
south. he said. is greater than tho extreme
width OF the United States from the mouth
OF the Rio Grande TO the forty ninth paral-
lei. and its area about the same - that Of
Mexico, or four times the combined area OF
the New England and the Middle States.
Four-fifths Of this area. or about six hun
dred thousand square miles. equal to
twelve times the area of New York stats.
is submerged by the inland ice, which is In
places undoubtedly mile in depth.
Greenland IL but narrow ribbon Of
ragged rocky mountains surrounding an
ice-submerged interior: titanic noun
tain dam. in fact. holding in check vast
sea Of ice. which pours through breaks in
the dam in . resistiess. grooming torrent,
and descends to some ford, or flows
through shallow notches in the crest Of
the dam. to hang suspended in frozen aerial
cAtaracts.
In approaching part Of the coast from
which the inland ice Is not far distant, or
in proceeding up one Of the fjords. Il the
day be clear, it will be noticed that the sky
over the mountains has peculiar silvery
luster: If the day be cloudy. the mountains
are seen standing in silhouette against .
pale supernatural light. which rises over
every sullen peak, streams through every
gap IN their ragged protiies. and Eliminates
the clouds above them like the CLEAN Of .
winter sunset. This light is the rejection
from the inland Ice, and combines the
brilliancy and steadiness of the electric
light with the wicrdness Of tho aurora and
Z CHASTITY lifeless glare peculiarly its own.
Seen from the summit Of commanding
mountain, the inland ice At midnight, with
the sun Just below the horizon, Is smooth.
ciear-cut, and blue. as . mighty shield Of
tempered steel. but grows iudistinct and
trenlulous in the binding white glare OF
noon.
Mr.. Peary then described his experiences
on the inland sea in the summer Of lsS6.
when he, with . young Danish officer from
one of tie Greenland settlements, started
from ford At the head Of Disco bay, ana
penetrated 100 miles over the ice, attaining
an elevation OF 100 feet above the sea.
After lifting and carrying his sledges. on
which were packed his provisions and
sleeping-gear, nearly 1000 feet up the
ragged and PERCEPTIONS face OF the ice, he
commenced his journey the hrss week IN
July.
After traversing Some ten miles Of rough
ice, cut by numerous crevasses, In crossing
which be and his companion had several
narrow escapes, he found the Ice covered
with . layer of snow which fucrooeed In
depth . ~ advanced. Once ~ nearly
lost one of his sledges by IT. break
ing through the thin ice Of pond
which he was crossing. II being the latter
tude Is several weeks long. the sun
was constantly above the horizon, and
Mr.. Peary marched between s p
M. and 8 a. M, when It Wa
coolest and the glare Of the sun less power.
ful. Between 6 4 m. and p. M, wnen IL
was warmest and the binding refiection
from the snow was insupportable, he slept.
sometimes stretched on his sledge and
sometimes in . pit dug in the snow.
Twice furious snow-s.Orms buried him
and his companion in the DRIFT. AZ they
lay on the snow with the sledges turned on
their sides to shelter them from the wind.
The last Of these storms continued I'VE
DAYS. and after = two-1ays struggle against
L. stopped Mr.. Pearyb further advance
and kept him confined in sn0w-pit three
days. He did not start 10 return. how
ever. until clear day enabled him 70 get
satisfactory observations. These placed
him little over 100 miles from the edge Of
the ice, and mile and half above the
sea level. Mr.. reary spoke OF hts sur
rouudings at this elevation Is follows:
I'VE are more than half as high - the
taItest giants OF the Sierra Nevada and
Rocky mountains. and = trifie less than
half as high ~ Mont Blanc.
1.-THE snow and ice beneath our feet
would cover Mount Marcy one-haif mile.
Mount Washington one-foursh mile. and
Mount Mitchell. the highest peak east oi
the Mississippi. 500 feet deep. IL IL even
iur: the crest yellow sun Is sinking 10 the
northern horizon; the binding midday
clare is gone, and we can dispense with our
Blue goggles. Beneath our feet the snow,
fine and dry as graduated sugar, Is over
six feet deep and expands from rs TO the
sseei-biue horizon. IN infinite marble Slab.
From, east to west, and round to east
again. from zenith to fadir. this horizon
aud the sun ere absolutely the only
things the eye can FIX upon. In the slafsi
rays OF the sun every snow crystal - {
fashirc level, and sky and snow and dir
are one great vibrant chord oil color. There
are fairsr, softer. warmer places on the
earth. but nowhere else does one get 80
close 10 the mighty heart Of nature a. on
this vind-swept, eioad-wrapped, sun
Here is q gigantic Arctic prototyre oi
the south sea afoii. sea within sea, sep
nrafed by q rocky reef Onjy no placid
heart of asoli il comparable for a moment
in grandeur and spiendor 70 this serene
white sea. And up here behind the reefs
IA an imperial highway. paved with marble
ard rooted with sapphire. stretching away
10 that mysterious ne<llaFd which over.
locks the unknown Northern sea. and
against whose adamansine foot the ice
laden currents dash and separate. 70 Join
again far 10 the south OF Cape Farewell. :
Speaking Of midwinter on The inland Ice,
Mr.. Peary drew the following pictare:
..Fcr weeks the sun has been below the
horizon. tsge ocean at its nearest - hun
dreds OF miles away; blanket 81 Ice. Per
haps mile or more IN thickness, keeps
from rs every partsc.e OF ierresnai wnfmtn
wind there is none: the ar Is dead with thu
6ercsst cos. 70 be found anywhere on To
globe clouds there are nose: sflowstoTms
there ere none 10 Is too cold but almost
microscopic cyys'ass Of Ice fall steadily
hour alter honr and day after day
ara SEEN through 6ese each star Is sur
rounded BY . FAINT halo.
On tie return me mo sedkes were
dashed together Ia cAsAmzran. rugged with
mast yard. and sail from ajpessssocks and
rubber bIanxsf, and ~ midnight Of Tbs
third nixnt. having descended 10 ar
deviation OF eco tees. whsre tbs SNOW
was covered uisa light cFcxt. SID
ire wind very fresh. Mr. Feary and ~
companion stretched themseivss upon ths
s,esiees and began = BIT Of travelling which,
as far As he knows. has no parallels in arc
~. work. from midnight unssi IN III
morning he sailed his sgspronptu icebcsi
aoun shs ICY slope a sy~vi varytuk IRON
raoxInsssssx o: the Lard came into s.s ans
the next bcus be dropped 600 test With |