Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1855-10-18

land of Jittleton Island. selected this latter spo
for my cairn. erecting flag staff and deposiinl
destatehes.
TO the north the ies presented n drifting pack
| Of the heaviest description. the actions nf hum
knocking having in some instances reared baffi'
cades of sixty feet in height In my efforts IL
peuc,ratc this drift. being driven back and near
IL hesct in the pack determined tas the only
means Of continuing the search) to attempt n
passage along the lend where the rapid tide there
| of twelve TO sixteen feet rise aud faill had worn
n preearious opening. Previous To this RESPONSE
bic step depot of provsisns with metallic life.
boat (Franci-) carefully concealed III n large
inlet in lai,ude7s deg 26 min.
| The extreme strength Of the Advance enabled
her to sustain this trying navigation Although
| aground at the fall of the tides, aud twice upon
her beam ENDS from the pressure OF external zee
| she escaped any serious disaster After month
| Of ncessant labor, cheered however. by n small
| daily progress. the new ice So closed around us
| ms 10 make further penetration impossible
With difficulty we found winter asylum at the
bottom If n bay which opened from the eoast IN
latitude ~ deg. A min. Into il We thankfully
hauled nnr batterrd little brig ON the 10Th of Sep
tember 1853 From this point, us centre Is
saed the explorations "f my parry,
The winter was of heretofore unrecorded seve-
rify Whskey froze early as November, and
mercury remained solid for nearly four months.
The range Of eleven spirit thermometers, selected
a. standards gave temperatures (fot yet reduoed)
of sixty to seventy five degrees below zero. and
the mean annual temperature was 52 degrees
Fahrenheit the lowest ever registered
This extreme cold, combined with one hundred
and twenty days Of absence Of sun, gave rise 10
an obscure but fatal form OF tetnnns, tlockJaw)
Tho exertons of DR.. Hayes. the surgeon of the
expedition. had readily subdued the scurvy, but
these fearful tendencies to tonic spasm dehcd our
united efforts. This disorder extended to our
dogs, ffiy-seven of which persisted, thus com
pletely breaking up my sledge organization
The operations of search were carried
der circumstances of peculiar hardship. We
worked at sledges rs late as the 21th Novcm-
Der. and renewed our labor in March Much OF
this travel was in darkness. and some at tempe
natures as low as 80 deg. The earlier winter
travel WINS undertaken by myself in person but
by the aid of single team of dogs, and tho zeal
Gus co operation of my officers, We were enabled
10 replace the parties they bccnme exhausted,
and thus continue the search until the 18th of
July. II is believed that no previous parties have
been so long in the field. Mcssrs. Brooks, Nc
Geary, Bonsall Hayes, and Morton successfully
contributed to the general result. The mra
worked with fidelity and embrace.
briefly detail the explorations of our party.
Smiths Sound has been followed and surveyed
throughout its entire extent. 1t terminates to
the northeast in gulf ITO miles i'll its long diam
eter
Greenland has been trnced to its northern face.
the coast tending nearly due east and west, (E.
II deg. NJ Its further penetration towards the
Atlantic was arrested by glacier, which offers
an impossible barrier to future exploration.
This -tupendons of ice issues in 60 deg. wost
longitude. 1t is concident with the axis of the
peninsula, and is probably the only obstacle to
the insuarity of Greenland, II rises BOO feet in
perpendicular face and has been followed along
its base for 80 miles in one unbroken escarpment.
This glacier runs neatly due north, and dement's
together by an icy union the continental masses
of Greenland and America.
1t explains the broken and permanently frozen
character of Upper Smiths Sound, its abundant
iceburgs, and, TO certain extent, its vigorous
climate. As n spectacle, it was one of the high
ost sublimty.
The northern land into which this glacier mer-
ees has been named Washington, and the bay
which nterposes between it and Greenland have
named after Mr.. Peabody.
Peabody bay gives exit at its western curve
latitude 80 deg. IL min 10 II large channel
which forms the most interesting geographical
feature of our travel. This channel expands to
the norhward int, an open and iceless area,
Astounding in animal life and presenting every
character of an open Poidr sea. \ surface of
1900 square miles seen al various elevations
free from ice with northern horizon equally
free. north wind, iifty-two hours in duration,
failed to bring any drift into this area.
Its with pain that mention 10 the Depart-
ment my inability to navigate these waters. One
hundred and twenty five miles Of solid ice, so
rough to be impossible TO boats, -epared them
from the nearest southern lead. Nv personal #
fonts in April and May failed TO convey one the
smallest lndia-rubbcr beats to wi thin 90 miles OF
| the channel.
My party. including myself, were completely
broken four of them had undergone amputa-
| ton of toes for frost bite; nearly all suf-
ferng from scurvy, and the season had So far ad-
vanced rs to render another journey impossible
To tho north of latitude 81 deg II min til,
shores of the channel became PERCEPTIONS. an,
destitute epen Of passage TO Me siedge. vii
| liam Norton who, with ono Esqumax and
small team of dogs, had reched this spot. pushe,
forward ON foot until mural cape, dashed by
heady surf, absolutely checked his progress.
1t was on the western coasts of this sea that
had hoped TO find traces of the gallant martyrs
whose search instigated this expedition. 1h'
splended efforts {" Dir. Ray-now first known t
me-would have given such travel II merel,
geographical value. Reviewing conscientiousl,
the condition of my party, it is perhaps provden
tal that we failed in the embarkation.
The land washed by this sea to the northwar
and westward has been chartered as high as lati
tude 81 deg. 30 min. and longitude 76 deg. 'rhi
forms the nearest land to the pole yet discovered
1t bears the honored name of Mr.. Grinnell.
As the season advanced il became evident tina
our brig would not be liberated. Our immediat
harbor gave few signs of breaking up. and on
unbroken ice surface extended to the Sound. |
was now too late attempt an escape by boats; GU
fuel was deficient, and our provisions, althoug
abundant, were IN no wise calculated to resis
scurvy. At this juncture. started with 5 volur
teers on an attempt to reach the mouth of Lau
caster Sound, where hoped to meet the Eng
fish expedition, and afford relief to my associate
During this journey we crossed the northernmo'