El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-10-20


Cherry island lies 400 miles directly
north of Sweden and is the dividing
line between the Greenland and the
Barents' seas. y line dra avn from east
| to west would strike Nova Zembla
on the one end and Hudson's Land
on the other. There are about
60 days in the year when the
| island enjoys the heat and the
verdure of summer but during the re-
mainder there are such cold and bleak
ness and loneliness as man can find no
where else outside of the north pole it
self. In the deep. dark ravines the
earth has never thawed since frozen
tens of thousands of years ago, and on
the north side are blocks of ice which
were cast up there when the Creator
was seeking to bring order out of
chaos.
In the year 1850 an English scientific
society fitted out what was known as
the Cherry island expedition. 1t was
purely in the interest of natural his
tory. Certain fish and birds which had
become extinct in the south were still
TO be found up there, according to the
reports of whalers, and that was the
object in fitting out the brig Albatro
for a voyage from London. Aside from
Il strong handed crew, three professors
and four or five students accompanied
the expedition, and after voyage al
most without event we reached Cherry
island soon after the beginning of its
brief summer. The last 200 miles of
our run was made through field ice,
with giant iceberCs to be seen on every
hand. and we found great length of
shore piled high with blocks Of ice
from TO - feet thick. 1t was A three
days job To warp the brig into n safe
anchorage on the south side of the
island. and when we had her secure
most of the people went ashore to live
for a time in tents. Notwithstanding
the sunshine AMI verdure, there was a
loneliness about the place to make one
afraid. We had expected to find polar
bears and rabbits in plenty, but there
was not n bit of animal life, excepting
few stray seals. to he encountered.
Birds there We're in plenty, however
and of the species desired, while fish
of all sorts We're to he had for the cast
ing of a hook. Each professor had
his work cut out for him. and l was
attached To Professor John Saunders
OF the Royal museum as a helper He
was after birds and their eggs, and
when we had been on the island a week
/ helped him To capture a specimen Of
the great aux. which species was sup
posed to have been extinct for a quar-
ter of II century past Rut three of
these birds We're seen during our STAY
of In days, and we took one away with
us into 4 captivity which lasted for
ten years. 1t was said that the cap
ture OF this bird alone was worth more
to natural history than the cost of the
expedition.
The island. which is OF volcanic ORR
gin. is a mere tumble Of rocks 1t is
IL miles long by i'm breadth and at
the time OF our visit had no tree higher
than ten feet. These grew between
powders and on the slopes. with
patches of coarse grass all about. but
there was not Il level spot half an acre
In extent on the whole island. 1t was
inferSected in every direction 10y ra-
vines. some shallow and some of awful
depth. and during Il storm. when the
surf was bringing i'm great blocks If
ic" and hcavin= them upon the rocks.
thor" We're ruInhliu..~ and echoes in
{ hnS'' dark r:tVint.> t. make i man pale
with fear w, h:l boon on i,:r island
about - day :inI had pretty thorough !
~ explored it when rrat..s=>.,r S;,.u- !
'l"r~ and my humiil, S.if nae; ,>j!h an
accident uu'. ,'Yy whj.h lcd {" "a mes, |
strange discovery. We h:lI -, or 10 |
gel; hri' az Il huut after birds eggs. a;d /
In walking ai"i.s u s!"p, w. struck u |
spot nVrr-ruv-u with u >LrrT Green I
weed. ~ ~. walked over tIi~ bod v,. !
suddenly fnur.i ourselves shipping. ,
There v-aS WATER under H. AMI The /
Whol'' mass gay" Way and sent uS slid
n. into = rariur. We wont SIippiu.
sliding. cl''tchiuy AMI humping II full /
- feet hcf"r" W" brought M. hut mel
her "f u> WAS hurt beyond Il few
bruises. owing IL the wet grass We
'ould not Chamber out at ;hat spot and
go continued on down the raNinr. Hav-
N" presently come upon Il few bones,
which the professor pronounced as be
onGiu- To a polar bear, we decided to
ollow the raVinc to its mouth. 1t led
almost north and south. Ii was dry
low, but there were times when 1t
must have been filed with water from
,ank to bank.
1t was toilsome journey we made,
nut it ended at last ut wall of ice
within half Il mile of the surf. At that
'oint the depth of the raVine was
bout 100 feet. and, though the sun
vas shining above. il was like evening
lown there. y few yards before we
we're brought to Il standstill we found
he body of 4 man lying against the