The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1891-01-24

brooklyn Institute recently, SAYS the
N. Y. Erening Post. on tho Inland Ice
OF Greenland"
Mr.. Peary spoke of Greenland as q
land OF startling contrasts; \ land Of
midnight sun aud MONDAY night: OF
tropical skies and eternal ice. The
length from north TO south. he said. i
greater than the extreme width of the
United States from the mouth of the
Rio Grande 70 the forty-ninth parallel.
and its about the same as that Of
Mexico. or four times the combined
area OF the New England and the
Middle States.
Four-tifths OF this area. or about Co.,
600 square miles. equal to twelve times
the area OF New York state, is sub
merged by the inland ice, which Is in
places undoubtedly a mile in depth.
Greenland is but a narrow ribbon OF
ragged rocky mountains, surrounding
an cc-submerged interior; a titanic
mountain dam. In fact holding in check
n vast sea OF ice. which ponrs through
breaks in the dam in aresistless. groan-
ing torrent. and descends 10 some
ford. or flows through shallow notches
in the crest of the dam, 10 hang sus-
pended In frozen aerial cataracts
In approaching part of the coast
from which the island ice is not far
distant, or In proceeding up one OF the
fjords. II the day be clear. ii will be
noticed that the sky over the mountains
has peculiar silvery lnstre; il tho day
be cloudy. the mountains are seen
standing In silhouette against a pale.
supernatural light which rises over
every sullen peak. streams through
every gap in their ragged profiles. aud
eliminates the clouds above them like
the CLEAN of winter sunset. This
light is the reflection from the inland
ice. and combines the brilIiancy and
steadiness of the electric light with tho
wierdness of the aurora and CHASTITY.
'lifeless glare peculiarly its own.
Seen from the summit of command
ing mountain. the inland ice at mid
night. with the sun just below the
horizon. is smooth. clear-cut. aud blue,
rs a mighty shield of tempered steel.
but grows indistinct and tremulous in
the binding white glare Of noon.
Mr.. Peary then described his expert
ences on the inland ice ia the summer
of 1885. when he. with young Danish
officer from one of the Greenland settle
ments. started from ford at the head
of Disco bay. and penetrated 100 miles
over the ice, attaining an elevation of
! z, 500 feet above the sea. After lifting
and carrying his sledges, on which
were packed his provisions and sleep.
ing-gear. nearly 1000 feet up the
ragged and PERCEPTIONS face of the ice,
he commenced his journey the first
week in July.
After traversing some time miles of
rough ice. cut by numerous creyasses,
in crossing which he aud his companion
had several narrow escapes. he found
the ice covered with "A layer OF snow
which increased ia depth as he adj
vanced. Once he nearly lost one of his
sledgcs by its breaking through the thin
ice OF pond which he was crossing.
Ii being the latter part of the arctic
day, which in this latitude is several
weeks long. the sun was constantly
above the horizon, and Mr.. Pcary
marched between p. IN. aud 6 a. m.
| when IL was coolest and the glare OF
the sun less powerful. Between 6 n.
IN. and p. M. when 1t was warmcst
and the binding reflection from tho
snow was insupportable, he slept. some
times stretched on his sledgc and some
times in pin dug In the snow.
Twice furious snow-storms buried
him aud his companion in the drift as
they lay on the snow with the sledges
turned ON their sides TO shelter them
from the wind.
The last OF these storms continued
five DAYS, aud after two-days' struggle
against il, stopped Mr.. Peary's further
advance and kept him confined Ia =
snow-plt three days. He did not start
To return, however. until clear day
enabled him 10 get satisfactory obser-
Yations. These placed him little over
100 miles from the edge Of the Ice. and
mile and half above the ice level.
Mr. Peary spoke OF his surrounding al
this elevation as follows.
I'VE are more than half as high rs
the tallost giants OF the Sierre Nevada
and Rocky mountains and a trihe less
than half AS high as Mont Blanc.
..The snow and ice beneath our feet
would cover Mount Marcy one-half
mile. and Mount Washington one-
fourth mile. and Mount Mitchell. the
highest peak east Of the Mississippi.
500 feet deep. IL Is evening; the
great. yellow sun is sinking TO the
northern horizon; the binding midday
glare is gone. and we can dispense with
our blue goggles. Beneath our feet the
snow. tine aud dry as graduated sugar.
Is over six feet deep aud expands from
rs 10 the steel-hluc horizon. an infinite
marble slab. From east 10 west and
round 10 east again. from zenith TO
nadir this horizon and the sun are alb
solutcly the only things the eye can fix
upon. In the slant RAYS Of the sun
every snow crystal Is flashing jewel.
and the sky aud snow and air are one
great vibrant chord OF color. There