The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-12
THE MAN ON THE ICEBERG.
A Curious story Told by an Arctic
Explorer.


From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat.
Boston, Nashville the Peary expe-
dition steamer Hope was lying in Boston
harbor recently, the writer had a long chat
with Newfoundland scientist, who had
already made several trips to the northern
regions. Among other interesting expe-
riences he related to me the following:
"On the coast of Labrador, two years
ago. we sighted one of the largest ice
bergs 1 had ever seen. 1t was, in fact, a
perfect island of ice. with bays and pro-
montories, tremendously high cliffs and
caves and grottoes innumerable The
Ice island was divided into almost equal
parts by great valley running through
its center, and this valley was half filed
with snow. Near the top of the berg
it must have been 400 feet up--there was
a vast, smooth, CLASSY plane, incining
rather steeply toward the sea, and termi-
mating abruptly in a great overhanging
precipice. AS we gazed at this plane we
observed upon it's surface a small black
spot. The captain turned his telescope to
the object, and presently exclaimed, Good
heavens it is man!
Instantly all was excitement. Orders
were gwen to approach the iceberg as
near as possible, and all eyes were strained
made
by the solitary figure. Going as near as
we cold to the iceberg without having our
view OF the plateau shut off by the over
hanging cliff we hove to. The man was
now plainly visible. He lay on his back.
with one arm folded in an unusual manner
under his head, his attitde being one of
easy repose. Except for the marb.y look
on his face and hands, as seen through
the telescope, we could have fancied that
he was simply taking a quiet nap. He was
dressed like one of the better class of sea-
men, in rough blue pilot cloth, with large
horn buttons. He had no hat, and bv his
side lay small boat hook, to which was
tied a strip of red wooden stuff, apparent
ly piece of the same that he wore around
his neck. This, no doubt, he had Intend
ed to plant on the nights as a signal In
the thin clear atmosphere, the glass show
ed the mans features distinctly, and we
could even see his iron-gray hair moving
in the wind. Our second mate stoutly de-
| clared that he recognized the man as an
old chum and shipmate of his He was
| quite sure of it, he said, because of the
peculiar manner in which the dead mans
arm was slowed away under his head
his shipmate always slept so, even in his
| hammock.
We turned our eyes to the base of the
| iceberg, looking for landing place, but
| quickly saw that the idea Of landing was
| ou' oi JHe question. The thing would
| have been difficult enough IN a calm; in a
| heavy sea, which was now on, ii was i'm
| possible. We saw no sign of boat, or spar,
or wreck of any kind. 1t was a picture of
| utter desolation.
Turning our gaze once more to the soli-
tary figure, we asked ourselves: Who and
! what Is he? How long has he been there,
| and how did he get there? The general
| conclusion was that he was one of the
| crew of some vessel which had dashed
into the iceberg in the dark, and gone down
| like a stone.
Perhaps suggested one, he was
aloft when she struck and got pitched up
! where he is now
AS like to be pitched into the moon,
| rejoined another, contemptuously. why,
! that precipice is three times as high as
| the loftieSt mast ever rigged.'
! Maybe now said a third, its some
awful cruel skipper, who's been ill-using
| his crew ill they couldn't stand it no long
er, and was q, owe TO mutiny, and put him
ashore oil alone to die
But the speaker whose opinion COM
manded the most respect was the old
boatswain. He quietly deposited his quid
in his hat and said IN tell We! That
| there ice island warn't launched yester-
| day, nor yet last year, nor the year before,
! perhaps; and by the looks of him, he's
| been for a pretty long cruise in warm lati-
| tudes-last summer, lmaybe-and then
| come back home for the winter If you
| look away yonder-there-jus this side of
that high point like church steeple, only
J lower down, there's place looks darker