Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-07-16
[RCTIC ICE FLOES.
lows LITTLE STEAMER FRTcEE Up
AGAINST A BIG PACK
q, Straits Of Belle Isls-ShOOfng Birds Jgging
4. e,S-Fhus he Greenland Explorers Pass
Away the Tims-Sailsd Friday, But
All Hands Are Well
c,.-.,Bonanes Of As Hs,O York Herald.

ff,srffr0n 1tElt % tie -Nrt- AoFN ueF0tl.
cprrN ISLAND, Straits Of Belle Isle,
,owfouudland. June Is, 1s91.-The
-ctie steamer Kite, bearing the Peary
edition and the representatives Of
.be philadelphia Academy Of Natural
c.isnees. bent on the exploration Of
Creepland, has had her first tussels with
the ice.
She reached this point at noon to-day
:, find the Straits blocked by a mass Of
Dock ice, in some places from twelve to
twenty feet thick. Repeated assaults
rnop the pack with the pillow failed to
make any impression on il, and the
brave little Kite was compelled to re-
treat for the time being and take up a
vantage point in the open sea to await
the breaking up of the pack.
We left Sydney, Nova Scotia, on Fri
5av evening last at eight o'clock. The
,entain had sworn not TO leave on a
friday for fear of the Fates and fixed
The starting moment at few minutes
ef-er midnight. When we all got
aboard, however, just before eight
i everything and everybody was found to
i he fin readiness and the skipper gave an
j unexpected sailing order.
Perhaps it was starting on Friday
! thai hoodOed US. On Saturday it blew
Great guns and the Kite staggered
against a head wind that wouldn't let
her make more than two knots an hour
4
/ themselves religiouSly to seasickneSs.
SHOT BIRDS AND BOTANIzED.
At Sydney the best of Peary's New
foundlond dogs elOped. Prof. Sharp,
DR. Hughes and DR.. Burk had made
GOOD use OF their time at Sydney, the
first two shooting birds and the latter
botanizing.
They collected enough material to
keep them busy for two days. On Sat
urday the weather was beautiful. This
morning oTened with fog, and at
o'clock we ran into pack ice. For over
an hour We were practically helpless
and learned little of our position by
heaving the lead. BY and by the fog
lifted and we found that the pack ex-
tended over 20 the coast of Labrador
bat tlat Newfoundland was clear. We
steamed along the edge until we came
10 Green Island, where we remained at
q standStill.
In the thick of the ice and fog we
found a large open fishing boat floating
tight side up and three-Quarters full of
water. We circled around it, but found
We could not pick it up, as it had no
rlngbOltS and We had no appliances
ready 10 hoist il.
IL told, perhaps, mOurnful story Of
disaster 10 some fisherman and a DESC
lated hearth in some Newfoundland
cot.
AFTER WHALES WITH RIFLES.
We have sighted large numbers Of
whales coming up the StIaightS. Half
a dozen spOrtSmen gunned for them
with rifles Mr.. Gibson, 1 believe, hit
one, for the monster beloved IS il in
distress. We shot many ducks and
prfins, out did not succeed in getting
single one.
When we retreated from the ice we
lay to and the entire party are engaged
in fishing for cod with ''jiggers." An
enormous ish is hooked every minute
by some one.
The digger" consists OF lead fish
attached near a pair of hooks on the
end Of line. This is ''jigged" or pull
ed very rapidly so that the lead fish APP
pears 10 the cod TO be streaking it
through the water. AT this stage Of the
game you get bite.
If the firearms are discharged at the
rate az which they are going oil now for
q few more hours we shall reach Green
land helpless and the bears will be
saved.
Our detention here israther a feather
In the capof Captain Pike, who argued
strongly against the Kites taking this
route so early in the season. He want
ed to 20 on the east coast Of Newfound-
land. but Peary vas in a hurry and con-
WINGED that the ice would be open, do
cided on this route.
BEAUTIFUL SCENERY.
We are recompensed for the loss OF
time, however, by the beauty OF the
scenery. To the westward are the
snowy hills of Labrador, cold and unin-
vitidg, despite their picturesqueneSs'
To the east is the warmer and more
hospitable shore Of Newfoundland, the
hills clad with trees. Big piles OF Ice
make the Labrador side inaccessible.
On the other We can see clusters OF
houses, and the sea is dotted with hsh-
ing boats.
Busy hands pull in the Goldfish, and
everv now and then one of the fisher
men will raise his fOwling piece and
bring down a duck, a putin or gull
lemOtte, Of which there are thousands.
This would be pleasant place for New
Workers Of sporting instincts to sum-
mer.
Mrs. Peary has suffered somewhat
from seasickness, but the level seas OF
The past two days have improved her.
She seems bent on remaining at Whale
Sound during the winter. In this idea
She receives little encouragement from
the others Of the party.
WILL, TRAVEL IN wHALEBOATs.
Pearv appears to have made no pro-
vision whatever for his relief next year,
attending to make the trip from Whale
Sound south to Upernavik in his whale
boats.
His marty could not handle more than
one Of these. however. DR.. Cook his
surgeon. has an immense Saratoga trunk
with which he fondly imagines Peary
will incommode the whaleboat. Idouot
1t. ,.
We are now going to make an attempt
TO pass through the ice on the LaVra sIo
shore, with very slim chances OF SUI
cess. We may wait here four days OF
week; we may get through al any mO-
ment.