The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-01-18

- fFEArE
light now lasted but for two or three
hours q day, and was then very dim,
photography could be carried on indoors
only, and from the specimens of Esqui-
maux beauty secured, 9 few pictures
were shown.
Lieut.. Peary gave a brief but interest
ing description of the Esquimaux tribe.
with which he came In contact. perhaps
the Oldest on the Western Coptihent.a at all
events, the most uncontaminated BY
contact with civilization. Some few had
seen a white man, none a white woman
and they came from immense distances to
see the strange visitors. One man brought
his little girl. IAN Arctic imp of dark
ness" and there were several delightful
pictures of this fat, oleaginous morsel.
The men wore garments similar to the
women's, but with moccaSinS not so high.
and bearskin trousers. All wear the
undershirt made of the skins of a sea-bird
which the lady Of the house chews. SO AS
to tan properly. "As the shirt takes
some seventy SKINS" said the speaker.
'you can form some idea OF the iron Jaw
of the Esquimaux woman" There are
only 233 of them in all. They live in
tents, or .tupicsn of skins, in summer,
and IN underground novels reached by a
barrow tunnel and rooted with turf and
stones, in winter. For a needle, a woman
would offer anything in the world, n
said the lecturer when l showed one
man a bright new 25 cent penknife, he
immepiately offered me in exchange his
wife aud two children"
OVER HI ICE DESERT.
Finally the commander left his aid en-
camped ut the head OF McCormick's Bay,
and accompanied only by Astrup, began
the perilous overland journey across the
ice-cap to the shore OF an undiscovered
sea. This was the first attempt at such a
journey. Hitherto all exploration had
heen by coasting along the shores, Incl
dentalIy getting caught in the pack Ice.
Thejourney for those long days Was n
monotonY OF snow and sky. the sledges
drawn by the wolfish Esquimaux dogs.
being the only objects to vary the land
scape. Four of the dogs accompanied The
u aud held a reception on che
platform afterward, with Astrup in his
bearskins, and little Miss Herr to pat tine
beasts on the a
The views of scenery on the journey
across the ice cap showed the desolatlon
of the country eighr thousand miles above
the level of the sea. The only variety was
given by blizzards, during which the pair
sought shelter in an improyised igdlOo. or
snow hut, while the dogs rolled them.
selves in balls and let the snow bury them
from sight. Proceeding by sledges, or on
the Morse ''skees" or snow shoes. they
uuhiIy I0dCuOo % N0oo
on the shore of the Polar Sea. less than
five hundred miles from the pole itself.
Here OIL the northernmost point yet
reached by man, they planted in a cairn
the pole bearing two American flags and
the expedition's guidon, and retraced
their way. The view OF "Old Glory"
waving against the Arctic sky was met
with loud applause.
On the return trip they met the relief
party thai had set out from Philadelphia,
with DR.. Heilprin In command, and the
remarkable white Journey" was ended,
an expedition by which it was deter
riined that Greenland is an island. and
not, as has been thought. u peninsula x
tending from a Polar continent, by whose
overland route it was possible to examine
the remarkable desert lakeland of ice
that covers the island, and to determine
Greenland's mort herr boundaries.
at the conclusion of the lecture.
Astrup, in Esquimaux costume, led the
four dogs upon the stage, and there was
an impromDtu reception, at which the
lecturer answered questions concerning
the details of the trip. The dogs had been
comfortably quartered in he Tabernacle
k itchep, wnere they allowed a favored
few to caress them and ask questions
about what they ate.