New Britain herald., 1925-07-03
BATTLE HARB0R IS
 THE FINAL STOP
MacMlllan Plans to Halt Here
 Before Last Plunge

Washington, D. C., July S-"Bat- tle Harbor, lsat stopping place of the MacMilan Arctic Expedition. on the mainland of North America. a small fishing village on the east coast ot Labrador, is a few miles north Of the Strait of Belle Isle. q region well known to trans-Atlan- JIG voyages by the St. Lawrence route'' says a bulletin from. the Washington, D. C., headquarters of the National Geographic Society. Clouds and mist often obsc,,r. the coastlino in this region, where the hills and mountains rise rapidly rom the sea. On clear days the great domes of gray rock stand out against the grayer sky. their tons often covered with patches of snow and ice, even in summer. On clear days too. hundreds of icebergs can De seen along the coast at this point huge masses of competed ice and snow born of a parent glacier in the Far North and beautiful be- yond description in their glitterinr Whiteness, marvellous in their chang ing coors. .--.--
 Was Glacial Dumping Ground
 Ever since the days of Cart. wright and others early explorers of the St. Lawrence region, Battle Harbor has been frequently mem toned as a port Of call or provision point. Although the coast of Labra- dor Is fringed with deep fiordlike fluctuations and protected by nu- merous islands, the water along the island fringe, which In places is something like an archipelago, is shallow. This region was once the terminal morain. or dumping ground, of huge glaciers from tn, Inland ice cap. The runs or pass ages into the deep. shut-in harbors are drowned valleys formerly run ming streams in them, for the coast was once higher than it Is now.
 The town is collection Of neat white frame houses. At one time it had a highly valuable export trade in seals. Ten thousands of these valuable animals were taken in tho vicinity in 1874.
 Fish From Small Boats
 Today cod fishing is the main occupation. Many Of the fishermen are too poor 10 own sailing vessels and do their fishing from small rowboats, which they maneuvsr with great skill and for long dis. tances without fatigue. One obser. er watching one of these small l boats fly through the water at the lnsistence of rugged pair of shoulders, stated 1t Is his belief that q crew of oarsmen could be mister cd here which. with proper shaping up, would show any Olympic or Poughkeepsie crew It's wake, add ing naiNely that they might go l through a good deal of rowing gear 1 first. -..
 Battle Harbor was named, .ac- | cording to one authority. to com ! memorate a fierce struggle between ] tho Indians and Eskimos in early 1 days. There are several evidences ! that battle did take place here, 1 hut it is not likely that the barbor ] was named for il, for it is found on many old mays as 'Batar before ths 1 fight is said to have taken place. The meaning Of the carly name Is quite clear. being the Portuguese word for a boat or canoe. @
 As late as the latter part of the 18th century Eskimos came Rs far south as the Strait Of Belle Isle and in the time of Jacques Cartier many of them lived along the eastern and some on the southern coast of the Labrador peninsula, There are now no Eskimos south of Hamilton inlet or EsQuimaux Bay.
 Had Two Hospitals .
 With the exception Of New foundland government boats (fcr Labrador Is a part of the British colony of Newfoundland and not . provice Of Canada) fishing smacks and an occasional exploring expedi- tion, such as MacMillan's. vessels generally keep clear ot the coast. There are no wharves. the ship beats go ashore and the shore boats come alongside the shipS-ths latter generally filled with natives 10 see the doctor, if there is one CD board. During the fishing season few on shore have time to he sick. kut
 during other seasons the govern
 mcnt boats are often long delayed atSach stop. Bad teeth are common,
 many coming aboard with tied ur,
 swollen faces. sometimes to yell
 most Justify under the torceps. Bat. tie tlarbor now has two small hos pi,als maintained by English philan.
 thropical societies
 "MRcMillan. who spent q sumnel
 canoeing along the Labrador coasi
 and knows many Of the natives ey
 name. describes them as a simpl' people. honest and frank"