, 1890-10-16
END OF THE WORLD
AT the Wedge-Shaped South
Cape.
A LAND OF ETERNAL SILENCE
The Magnificent Spectacle of the
Summer Sun Shining at
Midnight.

[Correspondence New York Mall and
Express.
Hammerfeast, the northornmost
town In the world, situated In north
latitude 20 degrees 40 minutes,
has a population of about $500 souls,
and Is the quaintest looking town we
have seen on this far off coast. It's
chief business, of course, Is the fish
industry.
The town Is filed with q multi
tude of fish odors, among which
the cod holds the scepter.
The people are well clothed, we'll
housed and have every appearance
of intelligence and refinement. The
stores are well kept aud bear the
marks of business thrift. In the
harbor you will see some queer look
ing craft, evidently of very ancient
pattern, so awkward In appearance
that you wonder how they can be
sailed ut all. But these Norweglans
are born to the sea, and can perform
almost miracles of navigation.
THE CLIMATE.
Strangely enough the climate of
Hammerfcst IL said to be mild, not
withstanding its very high North
ern latitude. They tell us the same
thing all this Northern coast, but
surely it Is cold enough here, this
July, to make us shiver when we
think what 1t must be in midwinter
If ordinary extremes of season nro
maintained. 1t has been so cold all
along this voyage that wearing all
the winter clothes we own has not
kept us thoroughly warm at all
times. 1t appears to be u country
where summer and winter are so
near together that only cloud lies
between them; when the sun shines
bright it is summer; when q cloud
covers 1t, 1t Is chill December.
From Hammerfest to the North
Cape it is only half days sail, and
much of the time the vessel passes
through the open sea.
The passage was quite rough. But
as North Cape, the goal Of our long
voyage, was to be reached by 10
O'Clock that night, everyone made a
heroic effort to be on deck. AS the
"Cape" Is situated on the north side
of Magero island, of which 1t Is the
extreme promonotory, the steamers
us ually take the course south of the
island going, and take the "Cape"
on the north returning. Thus they
entirely circumnavigate the island.
THE NORTH CAPE.
From this point we turn directly
to the northwest, and in two hours
and half reach North Cape.
All the way we are out in the
| Arctic ocean, under the full sweep
of its pincning winds aud its long.
swinging waves. The whole face of
the sky is covered with mist-drip-
ping clouds; all the elements Of
nature seem combined against us.
AT 10 our toiling steamer stands
before the giant rock of North cape,
but 1t rains and storms so severely
and the sea ~ so rough that n land
ing Is deemed imprudent. And
what use to land and take that hard
and painful climb up the mountain,
when there was nothing to be seen
from its summit but II leaden sky
and the linitless Arctic ocean
stretching away into the mysteries
of the North Pole. Our dream to
see the "midnight sun" from the
top of North cape had already van
ished. We knew that that vision
was not for us. We must be content
to gaze on the dark uplifted cliff
wreathed in the mists of disappoint-
ment.
For an hour we drifted around
this huge rock, surveying il from
different points, trying to realize
that we had certainly come to
THE END OF THE WORLD.
1t was midnight, yet daylight
overhung with kind of impalpable
gray mist that gave very strange
and weird look to the world.
There was no sign of life in all
the range of vision, no sound of
human voice. no song of bird, moth
ing to disturb the awful stiffness
save the moaning of the Arctic
winds through the steamers rig
ging and the roar of the waves as
they broke against the sea-girt cliff.
| Inc pTOInontory IL l,oOo iecI higu +,
but it looks much higher as you be-
hold it from the deck of the steamer,
near at hand, as its almost perpen-
dicular walls seem to overhang you.
So IL must have seem to Longfeilow
when he wrote these lines:
And uprose before me,
Upon the waters edge,
The huge and haggard shape
| OF that unknown North Cape
Whose form is like wedge.
RETURN VOYAGE.
A little after II we started for the
return voyage. After skirting the
| mort h Mestern shores of the island