Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1851-10-11
THE ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS.


The following, from the Journal Of Com
merce, is The most interesting OF all the Te-
ports of the cruize of the American expedi-
ton to the Arctic Seas:
SIR JoHN FRANKLIN This intrepid navi-
gator, if alive, will soon enter upon his
seventh winter in the polar seas. The Ad
vance, one OF the vessels fitted ont from this
port 10 rescue him aud his gallant comrades
from their perils, reached our han Dor yester-
day morning. and now lies at the Navy Yard
in good condition, having lost only her bull
warks and part of her false keel, in her long
and hazardous voyage. The Rescue, from
which she parted in gale Oh The 18th o'
September, is expected soon. The eXpedi-
ton was unsuccessful in the humane aud no.
bic object for which it was set Oh foot, but
the generous.heartcd officers who went ou,
in the Advance still entertain hopes of the
safety of the missing vessels, and trust that
the beneGcent exerious still in progress for
We have learned from them, that there is
abundant material in food and fuel, in the
region in which Sir John franklin is snppo-
sed 10 be- for the sustenance Of his party
1t is found in the game which emigrate 10
the Arctic seas, and in the seal and other
marine mammalia found there the latter fur
uishing both food and fuel.
Although the expedition has not been sue
cesslul in the object for which il sailed, the
effort is credlable 10 the humanity of the
1 4 Ill
is eX,ingnishcd To our fellow citizen, Mr..
Henry Grinnell, large debt of gratitude is
due, for his noble aud well planned endea-
vors. The two vessels, the Advance and
the Rescue, after being prepared with great
ski to resist the pressure of the ice; SET sail
from this port under the command of Lieut.,
De Haven, on the 23I of May, 1850, with
orders to return to this port during this Fall.
They were we'll fitted and equipped, and
/ after sailing along the Greenland coast, and
/ up Barrow's Straits, reached the rigion Of
/ Arctic discovery in the month of August,
/ 1850. They found at Beechy Island or its
/ vicinity, traces Of Sir John franklin, for ii
was here that three of his men had been bu-
/ ried. but nothing was ascerlained TO indicate
/ the direction he took from that point, in
/ search of the Northwest passage. An at
tempt was made by Lieutenant De Haven to
reach the open sea, which is supposed TO en-
ist at the extreme Moth, but il was unsuc-
ccsSu The vessels of this expedition were
within about seven hundred miles of the
supposed position of the Enterprise and the
Investigation, the two vessels which entered
into the same seas on the opposite side OF
his Continent, through the stats between
j, and Asia.
The rapid approach of winter forced the
squadron TO seek for winter quuarters, and
they attempted 10 do 40 but the ice gradu'
ally formed around them when of Wellinton
Channel and on the 18Th Sept. 1850, they
were completely fastened in. The vessels
then commenced what was wholly uneXpec'
ted, a northern drift, and reached 10y first o
October The hi.h hliude Of 1928, the
highest latitude ever attained in that merid
an The drift j. owing to The combined ac
ton Of he wind and tide, which on the frs
of October, turned the vessels i'll. a SOulherI
direction, which they continued for the ex
traurduary period Of uine months, and unll
they had noated a distance Of 1910 miles
, The ice about them formed one vast plain
but it was subjected to occasional and pow
eyful disruption. On the Sth Of Decemhe
and 18th Of January, the vessels were expo
: sed 10 constant dangers, and if they hat
! been larger, or less carefully guarded witt
1 double sides aud heavy braces, their destruc
ton would have been inevitable. The dis
; mpion was accompanied with a noise, de
scribed bv the officers as resembling Loco
. motive whistle; and singular and conslan
= pulsalion of the ice, accompanied with tina
noise was constantly occurring.
The drift was frequently at the rate OF te
e miles per hour, and occasionally the vesse
= would be carried near 10 bold and rocky pro
k moniories, from which there was much dan
: ger Frequently when the Vessel was i
e peril, every knarsack was filled with foo,
n with which to retreat upon the ice, in cas-
> of the destruction Of the vessels. During In
eighiv-one DAYS Of This hazardous time, lh
sun did not rise, aud there was total dars
. uess, except at midday, when, for fe'
n moments, paper could be read if held u
IS towards the faint light that proceeded froI
d The south In February of this year, the
,i were blessed with return of daylight, whic
e eAabled their sick 10 take exercise upon Ii
y ice. II was then asceriained that they wei
J, ninety miles from land, and that the ice
g which the vessels lay imbedded appeared
~ be stationary, although from aslronomic
10 observations its motion was known On ii
:, 10Th of June, by severe explosion of II
10 ice, the vessels were liberated, and the
were once again sailing cheerfully upon II
n waters. Sea sickness, however,-so lor
he had they been free from motion-soon ge
,h orally prevailed,