Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-10-16
RETURN OF THE KANE ARCTIC EXPEDI-

TION-AN OPEN SEA AT TIE NORTH
POLE-NARROW ESCAPE.
The United States Arctic Expedition, composed Of
the bark Release and steam brig Arctic, H. j. Hart
stein, Lieut.. Commanding Expedition, arrived ut
New York, safe aud sound Thursday evening.
NARRATIVE or THE VOYAGE.
The Expedition, il will be rccucctcd, left New
York, on thc 3Olh May, 1864. Arrived nt Levey,
lale of Disco, Greenland, July 9Th. Coasted along
the shores of Grcrnand from llustenburg 10 lat. Is
IS ~, touching at levey, Hare Island Cpernavik,
lIaklugt Island, Cape lahcrtnn, and ohcr places on
the Coast. They were 2S days boring through the
pucl: IN Melville Bay thence crossed Davis Straits
went up Lancaster Sound FIR Admiralty lnlc;.
where they opposed by n solid pack, which
entirely stopped their progress. Thence they pro-
ceed.d down the western coast, examining Possession
and Ponds Bay. Here, they Were fast IN the Great
Middle Pack for several days, and TO all appcaran2esl
for the winter.
In latitude $3.50 North, longitude 6'3D West, spoke
English whale ship Eclipse, Pc;erhead, bound to
Cumberland Inlet; had taken three fish; all well; ar
rived al Licvcv their return from having entirely
circunnavi.a gated the north waters far the ice
would permit, September 3h They here joined DR..
Kane and his associatcs, thavng abandoned his ves-
sci, the advance" in the cc) excepting three who
hnd died from exposure, viz: Christian Olsea, car
pentcr Pierce Schubert and Jefferson Baker.
Found at Lievcly, the Danish brig Mariana, Capt.
Anmon,lson was loading for Copenhagen. The e1.
pcdon sailed from Lievcly September 18th.
On the 10Th boarded Danish brig Dal'lur, 81 days
from Copenhagen, bound TO Lievely. On the 18th,
spoke English schooner Stella, from Sandwich Bay,
bound to Plymouth.
No traces whatever have been discovered of the
Sir John Franklin party.
The last winter in the Arctic has been unusually
severe, many of the natives having perished from
exposure and starvation aud many have been com
pced TO eat their dogs, the extreme cold having
prevented the usual huntn., expeditions.
RESULTS OF The VOYAGE.
terview with of the officers connected with the
expedition eliciting the following highly important
facts and incidents in addition:
The expedition succeeded in crossing Melville
Bay, and reaching the hcadand Of Smiths Sound,
early rs the Sh August 1913. Finding the ice To
the North completely iinpenerable, they were forced
to attempt temporary passage along the coasts,
where the rapid tides running NJ the rate oi miles
an hour, with rise and fall Of Is feet, had worn a
temporary opening. Previous to taking this step,
which involved great risk and was III tact, equlYa-
lent 10 sweeping the Bay, n Francis Metallic Boat,
with cusk of provisions was concealed rs means
Of retreat. The penetration OF the pack ice WIS at.
tended by many obstacles. The vessel grounded
with running tide, mud but for her extreme strength
would not have been able Ia sustain the shock. She
was on her beam ends, and oucc on fire from the up
setting Of the stoves. Some dcn Of this navigation
may be formed from the fact of her losing her jib-
BOOM best bower anchor, bulwarks, besides about
GOO fathoms of warping line. They were chcered.
however, by small daily progress, and by the 10Th
of Scpt.mber 1873, had succeeded in gaining the
Northern face of Greenland, ut point never touch
I'd before. Here the young ice broke around the
vessel aud compelled them TO seek winter asylum.
The winter gave them degree Of cold much below
any previous registration. lh''kcy trose IN Norr'n-
Jer,-and for four months in the year Mercury was
solid daily. The mean annual temperature was five
degrees below zero (wnter and summer included. J.
This, without doubt is the greatest cold ever expc.
rienced by man. their winter quarters was nearest
the pole.
fearful ~ well as the novel feature Of winter
wgs n 1Isnaus or lock jaw, which 1ctcd all treat
rncnt 1t carried away % of their bcs. EsqIniaux
srdse dogs, mud WIS altogether trghttul sc"urge
The operations of search commenced as enrly rs
March, the first parties under the personal charge Of
Dr. Kane crossing the ice nj temperature OF d be-
low zero. The loss OF their dogs obliged thcm as an
only alternative, Ia adopt this early travel. Many
of the party were frost bitten, and underwent ampu
ta,inn of the toes. Il WIS b. means oi these efforts
that the Expedition succeeded i'll bringing back its
rcaults
The parties were in the field rs late the 10Th of
Juy-only leaving from lnbor when the winter dark.
ness rendered it impossible 10 travel.
THE GEOGRAPHICAL RESULTS OF THE EXPEDITION.
Greenland has been followed by DR.. Kane and
surveyed towards tho Atlantic, with coast line
pointing due South, until u stupendous glncicr nbso-
furry checked their progress This snag Of ice
in lofty precipce 500 feet high, abutting into the
sea- Ii undoubtedly is the only obstacle to the in
sularitv of Grcenland--tho only barrier between
Greenland and the Atlantic. 1t IL. however, an et-
fectual barrier 10 all future explorations This G'a
,er in spite of the difficulties OF fallen bergs, was
followed out to sea by means of slcdges. The party
rafting themselves open water on spnrs, upon
masses of ire. In this manner, they succeeded IN
travelling 50 miles along lis base and traced 1t INFO
new Northern land-lthis gl.cer Id, We believe, by
far the largest discovered by any previous naviga-
tori
THE NEW LASD.
This New Land thus cemented TO Greenland by
protruding ice, is named WAsHISGroH The large
bsy which interyenes between it and Greenland
bears. We believe, the name Of Mr.. George Peabody
Of Baltimore one OF the projectors of the expedition
This new connection of the old aud new world seems
to II. feature, Of singular aud romantic interest
The runge OF the s!edGe journeys may be under
Stood from the fact tha the entire circuit "f Smith
Sound has been effected, and It's shores completely
charted.
THE cPEy POLAR SEA.
But the real discovery of the Expedition il open
Polar Sea. The channel leading To these waters was
entirely free from ice, and tins mysterious feature
was rendered more remarkable by the existence Of
gone all solid ice, extending than l5 miles 10
the South This sea veT.ies the views Of DR.. Kane,
as expressed To the Georgraphica Society before his
expedition. The lnshngs ot the surt against this
frozen beach OF ice was Impressive otyohd descrp-
ton. The several gentlemen with whom we have
conversed, speak Of i, in terms OF admiration. An
area of $3.50 square miles has been entirely from
ice. This channel has been named after Hon. John
c. Kennedy late Secretary OF the Navy, under whose
auspices the Expedition was undertaken.
The land to the North and West of this channel has
been chartered high 81 80. This is the nearest
land to the Pole yet known. II bears the name OF
Mr.. Henry Grinnell, the founder OF the enterprise
which bears his name.
ESCAPE TO THE SOUTH
The gres! belt of ice made it clear th8t no reel eh
pedtions from the South could reach the purity IN te
70 prevent the imprisonment OF third WINTER WHICH,