The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1869-04-28
ARCTIC DISCOVERIES.
Failure of the Swedish Expedition.

At the last meeting of the ROYAL
Geographical Society in London. q
paper of the Swedish North Polar Tx
pedition of 1868 was read by Captain
A. Il. NOrdenskIed. This was the
fourth scientific expedition sent out
by Sweden to the Artic region since
1858, all fruitful in results to geology
and other branches ofscience. 1t was
commanded by Captain NordeuskIed
and Captain FIR. w. Won Otter, of the
Swedish navy, and the means for it
III the first place were obtained by
private subscription at Gottenburg.
the government afterward taking it
up and fitting out for the purpose the
steamship Sofia, strongly built of
Swedish iron, and originally intended
for the navigation of the Baltic in
winter. The Swedish Academy of
Sciences appointed numerous party
of scientific men to accompany the ex.
pedition, and it started from Gotten
burg on the 7th of July. fr .a
9After a thorugh exploration of Beeren
Island, on the way, Ice-flOrd, in Spitz-
bergen, was reached on the 3lst OF
July. Already at South Cane ice Was
met with, and it increased as they ap-
preached the Thousand Isles. The
intention was to pass to the eastward
of Spitzbergen, but the ice rendered
this impracticabie. The geology of
1ce-Jnrd Was carefully explored dur
ing the stay here, and the important
discovery made. of post tertiary strata
containing plant fragments and shells
now found living much further eOuth
in Norway. 1t is estimated that 9. 900
or 3, 600 head of WaIrus were annuaIIv
slaughtered in Spitzbergen by Nor
wegian walrus hunters, shoWing.that
there must be large tract of meadow
land free from ice to sustain so large
number OF these animals, unless they
travel over from Nova ZembIa.
Ou the 18th of August the Sofia
proceeded on her courEe further north.
ward. Having replenished her coal
and landed five of the scientific mem.
bers at KnoDbe Bay. to prosecute their
researches on land, the vessel proceed :
ed out to sea, for the purpose of taking
deep sea sOundiDgs with she Bulldog
apparatus and of aseertainin1 the
practicability of pushing between the
ice toward the North Pole. First.
they ,endeaVOred. to penetrate TO
Greenland, along the eightieth paral.
lei of latitude, but impenetrable mas.
se5 Office, tending.nOrthe9st and south
west rendered this impossible. Turn.
ing then to north and northeast they
reached 81 degrees l6 minutes north
latitude. Here the ocean WAS some
times covered with thin coating of
ice, and the old ice northWard was
quite impossible, and the temperature
sinking TO q degrees Fahrenheit. On
the 18th OF August the Sofia entered
Liebde Bay, in northern Spitzbergen.
The deep sea soundings revealed the
interesting fact that Spitzbergen was
connected with Scandinavia by a sub
marine bank, having a maximum
depth of 800 fathoms. North and west
Of SpitzbeFgen the sea deepens to 2, 900
farthoms and more. At the greatest
depths animal life was found. At
$500 fathOms fordDli1si iJeTd WAS broue ht
up. Leibde Bay was now, for the
first time, explored, both In its tOpO-
graphy and geology; its climate was
mild and calm; while out at sea high
winds and snow storms prevaiIed.-
Alter vain attempt TO reach Giles
Land, the Sofia, on the 18th OF Sep
tember, madea Anal endeavor to pen
citrate the ice to the nortbWard, sue
eeeding at length In reaching 81 deg.
~ min, the highest point probabiy
yet reached by a vessel; ScOresbySs
furthest(in ISO6) being 81 deg, 30nniu.,
and Perryis Tin 1887 81 deg. g min;
but Parry, in sledges on the ice, reach
ed 81 deg. 45 min. 80 & 1.-'l h11
The ice to the enoFtbWard ofthis was
broken, hut so closely packed that not
even boat could press forward, and
further westward (on the meridian Of
Greenwich, the limit of this impene-
trabie ice came down to T9 degrees.
At night the vessel lay to beside the
larger sheets of lee; but the tenipeTa-
tHre having SUNK TO Is degrees Faren-
heit, the, risk was run Offinding them
selves blocked up in the morning, =
After returning to Spitzbetgen, leav-
tions, they make another last push. for
the North On the LIST Of October; kUt