The Hawaiian gazette., 1869-01-06

expressed III TWO sentences L, 70 cled
the land. 2, a ship can go where a sleigl
can not"
1t was on the 26th of March, 1921, tina
the courageous men commanded by Wran
gel commenced their journey to the north
For some days they made good time, on {
smooth, icy plain, when, in latitude 70 .
So, the snow becoming moist and salty
warned them that they were not far from
the sea. A little further on, the quick.
silver of the centigrade thermometer began
to rise, and, on the lst of April, reached
400 below zero, and the ponds Of water
were so numerous that they were unable
to pursue direct course. Having thus
arrived at 7lo IL, Wraugel was obliged
to return southwark, for the ice was but
FIVE inches thick, and rapidly melting
away. Some days after, they tried again
to proceed to the north, but on the 7th Of
April, the Expedition was obliged to give
up the hopeless struggle, and return to the
coast. But Wrangel considered this baf-
fed enterprise as trial one, and made up
his mind to renew it, as he was more GER
tain than ever that he would discover land
north of the Polar Sea-a land which
d'Anjou discovered about the same time,
little beyond the Islands of Nova Zem-
bla. In the following year, pro6ting by
his experience to have his ship in good
condition, and everything well fitted out,
he started on the 18th of March, and soon
met with the same obstacles as before.
On the 11th of April, 1922, the signs in
dicative of the vicinity of the sea were SO
characteristic, that he halted, and detailed
Mr.. Matiouchkine to reconnoitre, and as
certain if it were possible for the party to
proceed any further. He accordingly
started, and in a short time, in latitude
7lo 52', he saw the seq, covered with
broken icebergs, now appearing on the top
of the rolling pillows, and then disappear
ing in the foaming abyss, to re-appear,
soiled with mud and sand. Nothing
can convey" says he. San adequate idea
of that terrible destruction. The immense
icy surface, dead and motionless, suddenly
shaken from its basis, broken to pieces,
and mountain-like masses of ice thrown
up ON the waves as if they were mere
fragments of timber. The laundering and
continual noise of the breaking ice min
gled with that of the chiding waves"
Unablet to contend against such mighty
obstacles, the intrepid explorers tried
northwest direction, but on the 18th of
April they were warned that the sea would
soon stop their progress, for they heard
the terrible roaring of the waves, and saw
dense, blue vapors rising, while the ice was
getting thinner nnder their feet, and the
ponds of water more numerous. Wrapgel,
however, continued his journey up to zoe
so, but from that point he was forced to
return ON account of the health of his
men and the want of provisions.
In third and last voyage, in 1923, the
undaunted Wrangel went still further
north, and was allowed to contemplate
scene Of the breaking up of
the ice. Having reached TOE 81, he was
abruptly stopped by large chasm, more
than 300 yards wide, the length of which
he could not determine. He climbed to
the top of block of ice, and perceived
before him "an open and boundless sea-"
The ice was melting with such rapidity
that the field on which they stood, being
attacked by the combined efforts of the
wind and currents, and half dissolved, was
on the point of sinking under their weight.
They had, with the view of discovering
a Polar Land, bravely encountered the
most unheard of difficulties, and now, said
WraDgel, "we were obliged to give up the
idea, the realization of
which had been pursued for more than
three years of unceasing labor, accom-
plished in the midst of numberless obsta-
cles, dangers and privations of all kinds !
But we had at least done what honor and
duty commanded us to do."
All the above statements agree upon
one certain fact that there is Polar Sea,
free from ice, and that sleighing expedi-
ton, such as that proposed by Mr.. Sherard
Osborne, would have but very little chance
of success. There remains, then, to dis
cuss the choice of the way by which ship
may reach the Pole with the least possible
danger. If we cast glance over the lab
yrinth of islands, channels and bays which
is spread northwest OF Bafin's Sea, we
can not help apprehending that the neigh
borhood of the land, and of the mountains
Of ice which are detached from the coast,
should render the navigation extremely
dangerous. Every ship enticed north or
east Of Parry's Islands, into the Polar Ba-
nm, must necessarily be smashed in pieces"
'ays Mcclure. Scoresby's opinion on the
subject is the same, and the fate of so
many ships, which have disappeared in
hat terrible region, is sufficient reason