The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-08-17
the KITE WAS IcE-RouNp.
Interesting Letter From One OF The
Pesry Moth Pole Party.

WhO accompanied the Peary expedition TO
Greenland. The letter is dated Godhayen,
Greenland, June %. and the following ex-
tracts show plainly that the old time difficult
ties OF Arctic navigation have not been over
come. "On June 10 the Arctic. exploring
steamer Kite, with the Peary and Academy
OF Natural Science Greenland expeditions,
found herself firmly wedged In the field Ice
at the entrance to the straits Of Belle Isle,
Newfoundland.
After making fruitless effort to force the
passage on the Newfoundland side, Capt
Pike determined to cross over to the Labra.
dor shore and ram the ice there. Four days
were spent in the ice altogether.
As we were about 90 start on trip to Lab
rador on the date named white-bearded
fisherman came to the Kite after medicine
for his sick daughter. He told US that half
the population along the straits were down
with ia grippe"
Lookouts on the masthead agreed ON the
impossibility Of making the passage Of the
straits at present.
At daylight on June 16:h we again steam
ed into the foe. and W 10 o'clock had three
miles to our credit. Then we ran into a
large cake and stuck fast into 1t, retreat or
advance being alike impossible. At 1o45 a.
m. we started crashing ahead again for some
imaginary clear water to the north. The
Kite lurched and cavorted so that writing
was hard work.
Fishermen take the mall from us here.
But we have been cut Off FROM all communi-
cation for two days.
nr Tur 4 tbaf AoH a.tf
beck 30 miles in the ice. We had to go where
the pack took US. BY steamipg and hard
fighting we made this distance up, and got
some more to the good, too. until we reached
Cape Norman, where we wedged In again,
but the pack was drifting at the rate Of two
miles an hour In the right direction. At din
ner time squall struck. and we had just
time to take In the sails which had been left
set. A few minutes later the Kite would
have needed new suit.
AS we were emerging from the concert hall
we saw Peary's Newfoundland dog, Jack,
young and foolish animal, which mad been
well trounced during the day by a bigger
dog, making off over the Ice in the direction
OF the land. This leaves Peary with only
two dogs, the first OF the four having scooted
at Sydney.
Friday, June 10th, one week from Sydney.
opened with pretty clear water ahead ana
the engines went at a gain. After three
hours we reached Bell Island proper. a pretty
Island, as the name implies, but rock bound
and ragged at this particular time. 1t was
also icebound. Big cakes Of ice were piled
around Its coast, and all hopes OF sending off
any mail were blighted. The red flag of Eng
land fioaIed from staff In front of the high
lighthouse and we were saluted. IL we are
lucky we have been reported In New York.
We were out In the open sea now-no long
er land-locked, but the Ice pack was as thick
as ever.
The ice pack Is perfectly mOtionless. ex-
cept when the open sea is near. 1t is this
quality that makes pack such q splendid
harbor. Storm-tossed whalers often plunge
into It In heavy weather, and lie till the blow
is over.
A day and a half Of monotonous level sea
and then couple of days of gale. 1t was on
the succeeding Sunday that we got the lat
ter. On Monday we had continuation of
the same old gale, and 1t nearly took away
our bowsprit. Our PROV went under the
waves completely, and the skipper said that
he didn't expect to own that stick Of wood
any longer, We rose to the occasion, howeV-
er. Sad havoc was played with the cooks
deck galley. 1t was pretty well demolished,
but 1t can be reconstructed. Constant ram.
ming against the ice In the straits had loos-
ened some OF the seams Of the forward deck
and the crews quarters. The cooks galley
below might just as well have been under
the falls Of Niagara. We pitched the last Of
time to save 1t.
On the morning Of Tuesday. June 23d. the
gale modereted and the sea Quieted down
very rapidly. Two knots an hour was as
much as we had been able to do for some
hours, but now we pitched In and began TO
make up for lost time by steaming five. At
l1.30 o'clock on the night Of this day we
sighted the coast OF Greenland. Chief En-
gineer Jordan was the Arss OF the ships
company. and the writer the first passenger,
to see 1t.
For two days we had practically no night
at all. A pretence OF dipping under the h0I-
izon had been made by the sun, but II was a
feeble one, and distinct sham. IL was pos
sibie to read on deck at III D. m. without the
aid of a lamp, spectacles or any concealed
confederate. Soon after midnight flu sh In
the east proclaimed the coming day. Away
to the eastward we made out the blush
loom OF the land and presently, as IL emery
ing from fog bank, a tremendous squared
jowlep mountain. serene and majestic. Sim
ultaneously We saw wall Of ice extending
ahead right across the ships c0urs, looking
very much like floating rocks. Capt. Pike,
who had Just turned In for snOoze, was
tumbled out. Cape Desolation 1t Is" said
the skipper, ''and we shan't run on It just
yet awhile. It's 60 miles away"
IL was just midnight. On looking back i,
dead aft, over the line OF boiling water left
by the propeller we saw the moon almost at
40 Auhs oWOhCu W bWlCC tuo oiL5 AZ WHICH
we are accustomed to see 1t, rising out of the
water, Its blo0d-red face fiecked with fog.
AS FAR as we can see the land Is one noun
tain range. There is one big peak, wonder
fully like the Matterhorn, from which we
take our bearings. The sea Is dotted with Ice
beTgs, snow white In the sun, here and there
tinted with transparent sapphire blue, and
now vieing with the glistening emerald. The
Frederickshaab glacier. they say on board,
presents front Of q miles to the sea. We
are 10 miles away, but we can see it perfect
ly. 1t would not be safe to go nearer than
mile, for masses of Ice falling from 1t, drop
ping into the water as icebergs cause such a
commotion that 1t might easily wreck ship.
Behind the line Of mountains we get an oc-
casional glimpse of the hugh Ice cap which
covers the country. 1t Is the weight Of this
mass sqceezlng itself out between the noun
tains that forms the glacier. Little ieets OF
bergs float slowly from the Frederickshaab
on their way down to the Newfoundland
waters TO block up the straits Of Belle Isle
and get In the way Of the Atlantic liners.
When wedged In among the ice Of Belle Isle
1t was very much more cold than It is now in
this latitude, "a degrees. Oyercoats are
quite unnecessary.
The sun Is warm, although there are mil
lions of tons OF Ice piled up on the land with
In ten miles Of us.