1881-07-24:1881-07-31

More provisioning.

Sunday July 24th, 1881

Left Disco this morning at 2 a.m. and after a run of about sixty miles along the coast of Disco islands arrived in Rittenbank an were welcomed by a salute of three guns from the battery in front of the governors residence. Mr. Clay came aboard looking worse the wear for his months in the arctic. Lt. Lockwood with a small party visited the loonery seven miles from here and brought back 70 birds, principally the small Auk. He reports great numbers of birds and a great many were shot that could not be picked up on account of their inaccessible position on the high cliffs. A great many eggs were destroyed by the birds dragging them off in their fall from their nests on the shelving rocks.

We have taken seven dogs in addition to those already procured. Also, about two tons of the dried fish for food Dr. Pavy and H. Clay are busy getting their effects on board. Arrived at Upernavik this morning at 5:30. The Latitude of this place is 72 48° W. it resembles the other Danish settlements we have visited. Consists of the residence of the Governor, the storehouse, Coopers shop, Smithy and the Inuit huts of the Esquimaux population. Gen. Elberg has received us very graciously and expressed his willingness to aid the expedition all he can. The Inspectors of North Greenland when we were at Disco is also here temporarily on his tour of inspection. We shall take on more dogs here, also skins and skin clothing.

Monday July 25,1881

It is storming hard today and a party that was to leave for Provan did not start. The dogs have been landed on a small rock near the harbor that they may get some exercise— Expect to leave here about five days.

Tuesday July 26, 1881

A party (Lt. Lockwood, Gov. Elberg of U, Cross, Linn and myself) started this morning for Proven to procure two Esquimaux to accompany the expedition as dog drivers and hunters. The distance is about 50 miles. We took the inside passage through the islands as the sea was too rough to go outside. Our conveyance was the little steam launch “Lady Greely”. The scenery in the channels and fiords through which we passed was most remarkable and in the same grand and impressive scale as that of the Waigtt . Some of the passages were so narrow that at first sight it appeared impossible to get through them. But a nearer approach proved them to be as deep as mid ocean; the walls of the adamantine cliffs descend perpendicular to a great depth. Nothing but rock appears and that is evidently of volcanic formation. Occasionally a little carpeting of beautiful green moss covers the evidence of nature’s convulsions and is the only representative of the vegetable kingdom that we can see. We are at Proven at 9:30 p.m.

Wednesday, July 27, 1881

At Proven a better opportunity for studying the habits of the primitive aborigines, is afforded than at any other place we have visited. The whalers and the exploring parties seldom get there so the influence of the white man is less perceptible. They retain their habits of life as practiced before the white man improved their condition in other parts of Greenland. I spent at least three hours in one of the most uninviting (gloots?) or huts I saw. The manufacture of a cap of eider down for which I was waiting gave me a pretext for the long stay. The hut was built of (?) rocks and moss and was entered of a long tunnel so low that I was compelled to crawl on my hands and feet to affect an entrance, a most disagreeable and humiliating proceeding as the dogs and natives, not much better than the former in point of cleanliness, enter in the same way. On reaching the small interior hole, which is at once their living quarters, eating and sleeping room, I was surprised to see the mistress of the housed in a state of almost complete nudity sitting on the shelf or platform on which they sleep. I turned aside to give her an opportunity of donning more complete costume, but a furtive backward glance soon showed me that she appeared to prefer being dressed as nearly A la (?) as possible. I at once face the music and had some made a satisfactory arrangement by which I was to receive a ice cap in exchange for a neckerchief I wore. The former, however was not in issue so the contract remained executory (sic) until it was completed.

The maker measured the dome of my intended with great precision and was intensely employed in cutting up Eider skin and fitting them with a cap. Her scantiness of clothes appeared to give her an advantage as she seemed to get along more expeditiously by holding the skin between her feet while sewing.

The room was very low and the atmosphere stifling and nauseating from the odors exhaled by the skins and oil — no glass in the windows, as a substitute they used the membranous tissue of the stomach of the seal which when oiled is almost transparent. There was no stove or fireplace instead they used a hollow stone for a lamp with fuel oil and moss for a wick. The floor was of stone and earth. The sleeping arrangements were very simple, a platform about two feet high extending from the wall and occupies one side of the room. This is the receptacle of skins and (?) during the day and when the natives retire they make a (?) couch each disciple of morphea drawing over him or herself as many of the skins as necessary for comfort. The costume of the Esquimaux women is so nearly like that of the Inuit that at first sight is not easy to distinguish the (?) although the former make theirs up in a much more elaborate manner(—————–) Their feet are encased in a pair of dainty boots reaching - (?) at the knee, next came the pants or trunks which however are very short coming down, not more than half way of the thighs. The parts arte pulled up to meet them. The upper part of the body is covered by a cassock of sealskin devoid of buttons and pulled on over the head. An attached hood can be drawn over the head or allowed to fall back on the shoulders at pleasure. My cap being complete, I was glad to get away from the nauseating surroundings and into the fresh air again. Many of the natives from here occupy much better dwellings than the one I have described. - such as one represents the habitations of the poorer class who have not ….. with the Danes. In the (?) I entered a large building occupied by a half (missing sentence) need and finding an old violin on the wall I soon had a number of the fair sex dancing enthusiastically to my rather imperfect music. I became very popular with them at once and in leaving Proven which we did at 10:30 p.m. a bevy of dark maidens were at the shore to bid me ‘goodby’ or their Esquimaux equivalent. Through the efforts of Gov. Elberg the two Esquimaux, Christiansen and Edwards were induced to accompany us. They exhibited considerable emotion prying themselves away unlike their stoic North American relatives. On parting with their friends they shed bitter tears that fell indeed until their homes were out of sight.

We had a very pleasant passage returning. The Midnight Sun making it light as day. We shot 130 loons or at least we recorded that many. Large numbers remaining dead on the cliffs inaccessible to us. The females were sitting in rows incubating and when shot the eggs would roll off and come crashing down the rocks in thousands turning the water yellow. The two natives were in their element darting about in their graceful kayaks picking up the dead birds.

Thursday July 28, 1881

We arrived in Upernavik reaching (?) at about 10:30 a.m. Found Proteus about ready to start. Took dogs on board, their number 11 now increased to thirty from former and three pups. I am busy the remaining part of the day in photographing the inspector, the Gov’s children and in getting my things packed away before starting to sea again.

Friday, July 29, 1881

We left Upernavik today at 4:30 p.m. All hands were busy in writing letters before starting to go by the Danish ship which was soon to leave Greenland for Copenhagen. I sent letter to Herald.

Inspector and Gov. Elberg came and bade us farewell not leaving the ship until we had passed out of the harbor. I made photographs at Provan.

Saturday, July 30, 1881

We found very little ice. It has been the experience of almost all Arctic voyages to fall in with the pack after leaving Upernavik. Our departure from Upernavik furnished us with material for reflection. It is the last point at which the least semblance of civilization can be found — the course now leads into that vague unknown region which is so indefinitely marked out to be undefined. Our ship now ploughs waters that have seldom been disturbed. No sails whiten the broad expanse of dark blue water. In their stead the stately bergs stalk majestically along. We can scarcely refrain from descanting in the beauties of the latter whenever the subject is suggested. To think of them only as miniature islands of ice conveys no idea of their remarkable beauty — when lighted up by the peculiar rays of the midnight sun. I shall refer to them again later.

July 30, 1881

Today when in Latitude 74° 30’N considerable excitement was occasioned by the discovery of a veritable Polar bear. We had steamed into a small pack of ice extending in a narrow inlet and his bearship was seen on one of the pieces of ice enjoying an evening meal of a seal he had caught. A bear! A bear! was shouted in excited tones all over the ship and soon our hunters were seen emerging with their rifles. The bear a few hundred yards from the ship and among a number of shots fired, one or two bullets hit him. — up to this time he had been perfectly indifferent to our approach not finding it disagreeable for him. He went in to the water and swam a distance emerging to crawl in the ice again — by this time Kislingbury and Lockwood with Mr. Clay rowed nearer to him and soon dispatched him, bringing him triumphantly aboard. He was soon enthusiastically hoisted on board and as soon as he could be placed in position I proceeded to make a photograph of him. It was a young male in good condition. Our two Esquimaux were in their element dressing the carcass and soon had it hanging.

Sunday July 31, 1881

We are making very good progress North though it is considered strange that no large packs of ice have been met. We fell in today with a small pack. Several seals of the “square flipper” kind were seen on the ice and we succeeded in shooting one I also photographed it. The bear meat which we had for breakfast proved quite palatable although a little fishy, but the ducks rather reconciled us to that taste and the bear was not more fishy than they. Our fare will be still more varied by the meat of the seal which is considered excellent.