Lecture on Labrador by Mr. E. B. Barr

Mr. Edward Balch Barr, in an interesting stereopticon lecture in the Union yesterday evening, told of his adventures on the Labrador coast last summer. The object of his expedition was to capture some caribou fawns to be introduced into a herd of reindeer which Dr. Grenfell had imported from Norway, but in this undertaking he was unsuccessful owing to a combination of misfortunes. Landing in Newfoundland in early June, he and his companion crossed the island by railroad and walking, to Trollingate, in order to intercept the St. John's steamer on her northward journey to Labrador. However, as the vessel was a week late, they shipped on a whaling boat bound for northern Newfoundland, intending to cross on her to Labrador. But the floating ice of the early spring kept them at a little whaling factory for some time. While there they were able to watch the whaling industry in its primitive form and also to take part in the capture of a large whale. When the ice permitted, they crossed to Labrador and made an attempt to penetrate into the country by one of its many rivers. A guide they hired proved untrustworthy in the extreme, and after they were well into the interior, lured them away from the river by a series of gross misstatements, up into the barren country of snow and rock. Here the wind, which had been blowing continually, suddenly died down, and black flies, the terrible scourge of the country, settled on them. The reindeer which they had brought as pack animals, they left in a snow drift, while they themselves retreated to a little log cabin which had no opening except a hole in the roof, and a few cracks in the door. Here they remained for three days, at the end of which a little wind sprang up and they ventured out. They found the reindeer in the snow almost exhausted, with great patches where the black flies had literally eaten the hair off down to the hide. However, they managed by great exertion, to drive them down to the coast, where they remained for three weeks, recuperating.

Thence they sailed northward to Battle Harbor to report to Dr. Grenfell the results of the expedition. After seeing Dr. Grenfell, they returned to the object of their expedition and again ascended the river. By now the fly time had passed, and they were able to travel in some comfort. So, after penetrating into the country for some distance, they crossed over the barrens into Blue Lake and from there followed the outlet down to its confluence with the main river. During all this time, they saw no caribou, so rightly judging that it was too late in the season, and that the caribou had gone farther south, they returned to the shore.

On the way home they spent several weeks at Battle Harbor, and had time to see Dr. Grenfell's hospital there--the only hospital on the whole Labrador coast. From there Mr. Barr came home in the fall, leaving his companion to help Dr. Grenfell.

The lecture was illustrated by colored slides, made from photographs which Mr. Barr himself took while in the north. These give a very vivid idea of the bleakness and cold of the summer there, the hardships and privations of its life.