The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-08-23
WHERE ICE
IS THICK
Prof. Barton Tells of
GreenIand's Icy
Mountains.

Prof. George H. Barton, a Boston
geologist of International repute, gave
an interesting illustrated address at
Oahu College last evening, describing
the sights he witnessed on "a Summer
Trip to Greenland Prof. Barton and
Prof. Burton made up a scientific party
which went to Greenland in 1896 with
the sixth Peary Arctic expedition.
Prof. Barton at that time secured pic
lures which were shown by lantern
slides last night. The speaker describ-
ed Lieut. (now Commander) Peary as
a man who has done more than any
other single Arctic explorer interest
ing views We're shown of sights met
with along the Labrador coast at the
outset of the voyage. The first iceberg
they saw was one about 300 feet above
water and considering the great mass
of berg which is below the surface this
was a large one. The lecturer described
the sensation felt on the night the ves-
sci first came in contact with drift ice,
of the vessel caused great noise and to
a novice were startling. Another pic
ture showed their vessel, the steamer
Hope. surrounded by drift ice and doz-
ems of icebergs Prof. Barton described
this as very difficult navigation. An
other view showed an immense white
polar bear, dead, with two live cubs
roped to the deck of the vessel.
When the Hope reached the south
shore of Baff1n Land it encountered d
group of five Esquirno hunting boats.
The views showed novel methods of
hauling these peculiar craft on board.
Prof. Barton described party of Es-
quimo who put out from shore and
boarded the vessel for the purpose of
trading. Cid muskets and sheath knives
We're in great demand. the Esquimoes
being willing to trade very valuable
sealskins for these, one man even offer
ing his wife for possession of a musket.
From Baffin Land the vessel steamed
to Greenland. This was the objective
point of Prof. Barton's party. His pic
lures then showed the crude little vii
lagos which are the main cities of |
Greenland, the rough little shacks |
which house the Danish governors and |
other officials and hundreds of miles of |
territory covered by ice two or three |
thousand feet thick. The homes of the |
Greenlanders We're well described and |
their crudeness in point of interest was
oaly eCHa sed by the stolid appearance
OF the Csreenlanders themselves. Bar
ring some trivial details, mostly in the
way of additional vivid coloring of their
clothes, the women We're garbed in the
same fashion as the men and showed |
some queer characteristics. They wore
their hair in such a manner that their
condition of life could be shown, in one
case Prof. Barton stating that the way
woman wore her hair indicated that
'he was widow but willing and ready
o marry again.
One picture showed an Esquimo wo-
pai;, dressed in furs, carrying a nude
)aby in her hood. 1t was showing but
he baby seemed TO pay no attention
o that Prof. Barton stated that one
1squimo woman visited the ship. Dur
ng the night she slept on a bench and ]
laced her baby on the deck. The latter
vas naked and during the night while
now was continually falling, the lit !
lie one rested in much the same man
Ter as would white baby sleeping in /
cradle in any New England home. In !
he morning the mother picked up the ]
a by, placed it in the hood again. and I
5ent on with her usual work of trading T
nth the white explorers. It
Prof. Bartons lecture was greeted a
18th a fair sized audience and was Civ f
n under the auspices of the Research I
lub. r