The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-11-02

named Cape Gresham.
JUNE 1.-THE men were all busy this
merning writing letters TO send back by
tho Kane, In hopes that they will reach
Norway by the hands of Captain Bottelf-
" sen. The Kane party left us at this aft
ernoon after hearty goodbys between men
who have learned to value ono anothcr's
friendship and round of cheers for our
departing comrades. Half a dozen of our
men accompanied the Kane for several
miles, and the party of ten made the little
boat fairly dance along the smooth snow
OF the shore.
A Mountain Climb.
Today we climbed the mountain side for
q good look at the sea 10 the north. 1t was
not an easy ascent. With an acclivity of
80 degrees sharpness covered with thick
layer Of soft snow with hard crust, moth
ing but skillful use of ski stick saved
US from sliding backward. In order To get
too hold, 1t was necessary TO dig in with
the foot with all ones weight Here and
there was a series OF stones protruding
from the snow, and these would have ia
cilitated the ascent had some of the stones
not been loose, making it extremely dan
gerous TO touch them, for II large stone
should start from its resting place it might
carry an avalanche of other pieces with it,
overwhelming the climbers. Frequently
largo stone came sliding down the steep
hill with frightful rapiaity, and once we
stepped aside just in time 10 avert being
hurled to the bottom. Notwithstanding
these dlscouragenentsw we continued until
a height of perhaps 200 feet had been
reached, where the crust was found SO
hard that it was almost impossible to OBJ
al. ANnt nd 20 tl,or MT
a slide toward the bottom and head
crushed against some intervening rock.
There we stopped and turned to enjoy
the scene. 1t was we'll worth the labor and
danger Of the ascent. AS far as the eye
could reach TO the north was the great sea
of ice, seemingly smooth and easy TO travel,
but as we knew only too well full of hum
mocks and ridges and an infinite variety
of roushness and musby pools, wholly Inn
practicable as IA road. The sunshine and
shadows played games of hide and seek
over this great eSpanse, now filing the
horizon with yellowish streak and then
making it brown and blue Ice nothing
but ice, could be soen, tie infinite, end
less, contrary ice that has plagued so many
travellers before us and viii doubtless
plague to the end of time. The ducks on
the cliffs about US clattered with an inces-
SAINT cackling, and many Of them in their
fearlessness dew SO close To us that we
could almost touch them with q ski
stick. A thousand feet below us our
camp, with the stars and stripes flying,
gave dash OF humsn life TO the otherwise
wild picture With incredible audibility
the voices OF the men came up 20 us, and
we could hear even their ordinary con-
veTsation when the birds chanced TO bo
little moro quiet than usual. We over
heard one of the men say, He was very
foolish 10 go up there" words whose sig
nifcance we did not appreciate until we
started on the descent.
It had boen difficult enough TO climb
the hill, but il was go times as onerous
task to get down again. For rods together
1t was necessary 10 dig hole in the crust
of snow with ski pole and plant therein
heel, then using the pole TO srcady one's
seh to tho next ledge constructed In the
same manner. Thus step by step we picked
our way down, now and thsn finding it
necessary TO slide in the most ungracoful
manner Imaginable. an inch or two at a
time, holding on with ths finger nails
while carefully moving the ski stick down
for another hold. In ! 4 hours we had
safely reached the bottom of the mountain,
though most of the men in tho camp were
surprised that we did not come down like
a house ouS Of a cyclone, heap of ruins.
After supper, which was given dis
tinctive American flavor by the presence
of some fno buckwheat cakes baked by
Mr. Dodge on an iron Shovel a fine deer
walked almost into our camp to be shot,
Professor French accommodated him with
tho first crack of his winchester. Our
l.. et
During our stay hero we do not find Ii
necessary To issue our concentrated foods,
timed meats or arlnebis crackers. We are
therefore daily strengthening our food ac-
count, and we DO so with great satisfac-
tion in vicw Of the discomfort of the men
while we were travelling ON the ice ration
and the probability that we shall at length
be able to increase that little
a Eard Pull.
JUNE 90. "A beautiful morning In the
arcticsl While we are at breakfast upon
the beach enormous stones roll down the
mountain side, carrying avalanches Of
snow with them and producing series OF
laundering echoes. All night we had
heard these snowslides and the rushing OF
water from tho melting snowcaps of the
hills. The snow upon the ice is disappear
lnE Wlln isllANlAys 'JObh by
melting and evaporation, the latter proc
ess being the more destructive of the two.
With temperature OF 43 degrees F.-dur-
ing tho night the mercury rose as high as
81 degrees Eve set out on our journey
this morning. in perfect summer weather.
For part OF the day we enjoyed the rare
experience of taking all our loads at one
trip, the first time we have been able to do
this since leaving Walden island. Our
weights are now down TO about 1900
pounds, or somewhat more than 300
pounds TO the man, and even with as good
an equipment as ours it must be fine ice
over which man can drag that much of
a load any considerable distance. Six men
took one boat in which was loaded its avn
ing, oars, mast, six extra clothing bags,
tho same number of sleeping bags, the as
Economical and other scientific and sur
gical instruments, Photographic outfit
few food supplies, part Of the cooking
outfit and a great variety of small articles
which inevitably find their way into the
boats as well rs large quantity of rein
deer meat, some of it cooked up in the