The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-09-19

er and IL you have steamer to Do what
you like with. But imagine the divine
patience require to navigsss . sailing ship
through the ioe, waiting not only tor the
favorable opening caused by the tide or
current, but for tho wind that will give
one the necessary motive power TO go
through H. Vet Tar $50 years the whale
and seal fishers Of Russia, Holland, Eng
land and Norway have visited these wa.
ters nearly every year coming sometimes
in their old tubs and little sloops as early
as we are here, and under especially favor
able circumstances even earlier. The most
prosperous whale fishery the world has
ever known was that of the Spitzbergcn
waters during the last century. The Rus
slams and the Dutch once had n pitched
battle on Prince Charles foreland not fan
from here, owing TO contention about ter
ritory and at the northern end Of the fore
land you may TO this day SEQ the graves OF
q number Of the victims of that combat,
lying in rectangular boxes open both at
top and bottom, and with thoir skeletons
In a perfect state of preservation anSSheii
garments Of green and red cloth still main
tanning their original appearance and
form.
The result of the consultation between
Captain Bottelfsen and myself In the
crows nest--he hanging by his eyelids, as
10 were, on the rim of it while 1 occupied the
Interior and Bottelfsen furnishing about
all the information and judgment-was
that we should go forward first toward
the coast, and, II no opening could be found
In that direction, then out toward the sea
where water sky indicated open way.
The arctic navigator depends much upon
the color Of the sky near the horizon. II
II is dark or brown, there Is water under
heath. If 1t Is white, rosy or orange, there
Is ice, tho tint being formed by the re-
Election of tho suns rays, or of the light
sven, II the sun is net shining, upon the
ice. This unfailing indication of pack OF
frozen surface Is called the ice blink.
Anchored to Berg.
Luckily we had not permitted the Nor
wegian gentlemen to go ashore, for ON
making steam and approaching the coast
we found way through and were able to
proceed until within few miles Of the
north end of tho forcland, where we were
again stopped by closely packed ice. De.
termining TO wait for the tide to open out
the mass, advantage was taken of the
presence OF large iceberg, against which
the PROV OF the ship was gently run, while
nimble sailor, line in hand, jumped from
the bowsprit to the floe and made fast TO
couple of protrusions from the surface of
the berg, which greatly resembled mooring
posts and appeared as II they had been put
there by the kind hand Of Dame Nature
for our convenience. No better harbor
could be desired. The berg, nearly square
In shape and about 100 feet on each Of It's
sides, rose an average of 10 feet from the
one-sixth perhaps Of Its bulk being above
the surface, to ground In water Is faith
oms deep. Though the tide was carrying
the light ice to the south at a rate Of fully
two miles an hour our anchor berg re-
mained fast, and In the lee of 1t we found
a perfect haven.
This device Of tying up TO icebergs is Of.
ten employed in the arctics and is some
times Of prime advantage to the naviga-
tor. But it has its disadvantages as well,
as many skipper has found to his sor.
row. Ships made fast to icebergs have
been damaged or even sunk by the over
turning of the mass, caused by disturb
ance of tho center of gravity through vast
ing away in its lower parts. 1t Is one Of
the axioms OF arctic navigation that ships
should never be made fast to icebergs un-
less circumstances make IL absolutely nec-
essary, but in our case there was no dan
ger because the mass was so large and
square that 1t could not by any possibility
be overturned. 1t is by far the largest berg
we have seen, and we could not avoid the
thought that IL we had 1t safely anchored
In New York harbor IL would make our
fortunes as q summer resort.
While tied to the big berg occurred one
OF the tragic incidents common enough
to the arctics, but quite shocking to anna
teurs like ourselves A big seal was seen
In tho water several hundred yards from
the ship, and Captain Petersen, who Is
rs sly dog as over navigated these parts
and up to all the tricks Of the trade, be-
gan calling out In a siren voice: "Oo-lah.
oo-lahl Lab, lab, lahl Oo-lah, oolahl
Lab, lah, Iah" whereupon the seal filed
with curioAey to know what these cries
meant, was lured nearer and nearer to the
Jarl. AS he came within about so yards
and was in the act of climbing upon n
piece OF ice Mr.. Franklin let drive with |
his rifle, hitting the poor brute In the head |
and causing the blood to discolor the |
'ea Though we made every effort to get |
! boat hook into the dying victim in time |
% rescue his carcass, he died too quickly |
or us and sank TO the bottom of the sea-
{ looks like cruel sport to lure a poor
ievil of seal to his fate in this manner.
specially when we neither need his flesh
Tor have much chance of getting 1t before
he waters swallow him up.
Divine services were held in the cabin
his evening, at which all the members of
no expedition were present. DR.. Mohun
cad the sermon on the mount, Mr.. Dodge
I'd in singing Nearer, My God, to Thee,
ccompanied by Mr.. Franklin on a har-
monica, our only musical instrument, and
Professor Oyen offered prayer in Norwe-
ian. Thus passed our first Sunday in the
rctics. WALTER WELLMAN.