NORTH POLE OF THE WINDS 



storms, especially near the Orkneys, and these 

 held us back somewhat, but after this the weather 

 was fine. Off Cape Farewell we had beautifully 

 clear weather — unusual for this region — and here 

 we skirted the edge of the ice-pack. On the 28th 

 the radio brought us the disturbing news of the 

 wreck of the Skinfaxe, and the following day the 

 report of its being towed into Holstensborg harbor 

 in a badly damaged condition. On the 30th we 

 passed close to an iceberg about 150 feet high and 

 later in the day during a "gray norther" many 

 remarkably beautiful icebergs, all being borne 

 northward in the strong current which sets along 

 the Greenland coast. These bergs originate on the 

 east coast of Greenland, along which they drift 

 southward so as to double Cape Farewell and then 

 travel northward to Melville Bay in northern 

 Baffin Bay, where they cross to the west side of 

 the bay and come southward along the Ellesmere 

 Land, Baffin Land, Labrador, and New Found- 

 land coasts before passing out into the lanes of 

 steamship travel. 



After passing Fiskenaesset snow-covered high 

 peaks of the Greenland coast were in sight for much 

 of the time. As we approached the Kugsukf jord 

 the lofty snow-covered Hjortetakhen ("Antlers"), 

 3835 feet, and "The Saddle", 3933 feet, loomed 



208 



