The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1855-10-25
Return Of the Arctic Explorers.

nal OF commerce the iollOHiuS paIIlcuidls
of the return to that port Of DR.. Kane
and his companions, as passengers on the
vessels of the expedition commanded by
Lieutenant Hartstene, which was fitted
out by the Government for their relief;
The expedition in command of Lieut.
Hartstene, consisting of the screw-steam-
er Arctic and the sailing vessel Release,
left New York on the 4th of June last,
and on the 5th of July arrived at Lievely,
on their trip northward. Thence they
coasted along the shore Of Greenland to
lat. 1888 N, touching at Hare Island,
Upernavick, Hakluyt Island, Cape Hath
erton, and other places. They were twen-
ty eight days boring through the pack
ice in Melville Bay. Thence they cross
ed Davis's Straits and went up Lancas-
ter Sound as, far as Admiralty Inlet,
where they were opposed by solid pack,
which entirely stopped their progress
They then passed down the western coast,
examining Possession and Ponds bays.
They were fast in the great middle pack
for several days, and had fair prospect
of remaining there for this winter; but,
fortunately, the ice after awhile broke a
way, and they were enabled to escape
The expedition passing still southwark,
reached Lievely on the 18th ult., having
entirely circumnavigated the northern
waters as far as the ice would permit
AT Lievely they found DR.. Kane and his
party, who had abandoned their vessel
in the ice. Receiving these men, the OBJ
jects of their search, ON board, Lieut..
Hartstene's vessels left Lieyely on the
18th of Sept, for New York, where they
arrived on the 11th of October.
The Journal of Commerce also gives
some particulars of Dr. Kane's expedi-
ton, which we here subjoin:
The brig Advance of las tons, set sal
in May, 1863, for Smiths Sound, under
the command of DR.. Kane, who was de.
tailed to make explorations in the Arctic
regions by Mr.. Kennedy, then Secretary
of the Navy under Mr.. Fillmore. The
present Secretary of the Navy, Mr.. Dob
bin, entered upon the performance of his
duties before the Advance sailed, and full
ly carried out the views his predecessor
On the 23d of July, 1853, the Advance
arrived at Upernavick, latitude 73 de
grees north, on the coast of Greenland
Nothing further was heard of the expedi.
ton from that time until Thursday last.
The Advance was left in Rensselaer,
Bay, in latitude 70 deg. where the expe
dition passed two winters. The vesse
was abandoned on the 18th May last, (hel
flag and pennant flying imbedded in ice
fourteen feet thick, from which it was
found impossible to extricate her; anc
DIR. Kane and his men accomplished the
remarkable journey of thirteen hundred
miles on foot and in boats, following the
indentations of the bays from Rensselaer,
to Upernadick, where they embarked OF
board a Danish vessel bound to Denmark
This vessel put into Lievely, Disco ISL
and ,)where by remarkable coincidence
she was fallen in with by the Hartstent
expedition AS the propeller of Capt
Hartstene entered that harbor he espied
brig, which Immediately raised the A
merican flag. This cermony was sup
posed to be mere compliment from the
Danish vessel, but Thale-boat soon lef
the brig with DIR. Kane on board, and
spread out ''Pot Rock flag" which had
the name Of Henry Grinnell upon it, wher
the truth flashed upon Lieut.. Hartstent
that the long absent explorers had beer
found. DR.. Kane and his party accord
ingly embarked on board the Release and
the Arctic, the vessels of Hartstene's ex
petition. ,
Three of DR.. Kanc's party died in the
Arctic region, viz: Christian Ohlsen, car
penter, who died of lockjaw, produced BY
intense cold; jefferson Baker, seaman,
who died of the same complaint; and Pier.
re Schba.t, cook, (French,) who died from
the effects of amputation of his foot, which
was rendered necessary from being frost
bitten. The scurvy, hitherto the scourge
of the Arctic region, was entirely under
comm and, but the lockjaw was difficult
of management and threatened serious
disaster. Fifty seven dogs died of it
breaking up entirely the sledge organiza
ton. The most intense cold suffered was
in latitude about 50 deg. north, where the
thermometer fell to sixty below zero, OIL
ninety-tWo degrees below freezing point
When the thermometer was at this low
range DIR. Kane and his party were en-
gagged with instruments in making sur.
vey of the indentations of the bay in
which their vessel was then imbedded.
Tho dicoveries made by DR.. Kane
reach to point northward much further
than ever before explored. Numerous
bays and capes have been explored, and
some of them named. They will make
an addition to the maps of the country
which will ever remain conspicuous
monument of American enterprise On
resching the northermost point of land
the expedition passed in sledges over an
ice barrier of eighty-one miles in width
when they came to open water, which ar
rested their movement Wrangle, Rus
sian. made like discovery travelling
north to the Siberian islands in sledges.
The existence Of this open water, at least
in the month of August, is now made
certain; but the theory hitherto main
tanned that this open water arose from a
mi1der olim q tn noust now MO sunnosa ba