The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1871-12-15
NORTH POLE.

q
| u8S received a report from Lieuten-
| ant Julius Payer, one Of the two
| leaders of the German expedition to
| The North Pole. tits dated October
/ 9, from the Norwegian coast, on
board the ship Harald Haarfage," j."
| and presents some new facts of very
great interest. After some introduc-
'ory remarks the report goes on to
say:
The preliminary expedition for the
/ explolBtion of the sea between SpitZ-
b..ryen and Nova Zembla, which is
70 be followed next ye4r by an expe-
dition of greater magnitude, has
achieved an unexpected result-one
which is opposed TO all previous cSl-
rulaHons. The reason why the priu-
cipal object Of the peditiOn-Yiz =
he exploration of King RsrPs Land
has not aud could not be consist
entity carried out, will be explained
10 you by Naval Lieutenant Wey-
prrcht personally. As an Offset
sainst this fail re there appears,
however, the discovery of an extern
~ive open polar sea In place of the
unknown waters, which were for
merly considered unnavagable. The
l&us>i ans, the Swedes, aud even the
German expeditions of 1868, vainly
attempted to penetrate even as far
IS the Southern part of this polar
Ca. But the result no obtained
l. ca culated to give different turn
q The - hole polar question, and to
''rRate new basis for the eXplOFa-
ti"n OF the North Pole.
NV 7-vyr V-op.rrB rsr-pxEs - ,-x-DuT,rTvo,-
FAILED.
1t is very much TO be regretted
hat the q .rmsn Nor h Pole expt di-
ion of lS69-70 did not t,ke this
cute, through the Sea o Nova Z m
bi", ~ II WAS originally pointed out
uN D.. Prtermauu, who declared it TO
b The best route tor penetrating into
he heart of the Polar basin.
Ia spie of the 'scu that the highest
authorities have hitherto decidedly
Oppns"d every route east of SpiTz-
bergen, and that the numerous Rus
Ian expeditions during the present
en'ury have not even been abe to
sail round a g Northern part OF \ IVA
Z Innls, and III hough the voyage of
the y rWegian, JohanHrsen, last
esr, close TO the coast of the double
island To the Sea of Kara, 30 the Sra
f B ttentz, WAS considered an extra
'rdinsry and doubtful event, in
sBite of these facrs to the contrary,
our experience has proved the eX s.
euce OF an extensive open sea north
OF Nova Zpmbla. The Sea of Kara
n2- been explored bv the nsvig4IUrs,
Simonsen and Nat:isen and others,
aud IepOT' ed to be almost complete
~ free from ice. SinOnsen has not
'nund any ice even around the White
Is and. On the strength of these eX-
pluratiOns the connection of the open
<pa of Nova Zembla with the waite =
Uf the North of Siberia may be con-
drFed IN, established fact. With
his 'iscovery vanishes an immense
Terri tory OF ice from our m 4ps. The
year 1871 viii undoubtedly be rep
resented as very favorable to the ice
navigation, although "unfavorabie"
years have often been spoken OF
without cause or proof. But the
WalTuS hunters ofNori1gis are unan-
im"us Ia regarding last summer as
rne worst season ever experienced.
Even the steamer GeImania, or the
tisrman expedition, has not succeed
q In penetrating into the Sea OF
Kara. In Norway the fact that sail
nag vessels have achieved higher re-
suits than steamships is attributed to
the faulty construction Of the Ger
~ -'ia a. sailing vessel as well ss
-teamer, and il is therefore a matter
OF great importance TO subject this
vessel to An impartial examination.
THE RESULT OF THE POLAR ExPEDI-
TON.
The question now arises, how
C me the result of the present polar
voyage to be so essentially different
r Im all that had hitherto been ex-
p4rienced7 We are so far from the
presumption TO b5lieve that We have
ac ed with more energy and resOlu-
tiOu chan our predecessors, as from
placing our little enterprise on a de-
gree with the large expeditions that
went before us. The key to the rid
die Is simply this: that nearly all
expeditions have en'ered and left
these waters TOO early in the season.
rhe be4 and only period for nsviga-
sion is In the autumn. Another
rst on TOR the i'll success of these ex-
p-drtinns was thar they kept too
near the coast of Nova Zembla or
Spi zb-rgpn, as it now appears that
10 pe tetra'e north forty TO forty
two degrees lOngitud8 is the IN jst
| suitable part OF the sea of Nova Zsm-
bls. We reached snVeut mine
northrTn latitude almost without any
difficuly. An il was only the want
at provisions that prevented us from
going further north.
Tn pc Jbabie cause of this favOFa-
BILE stare ofthe ice in the sea of Nova
Z .mbla ia the autunu appears 10 be
the Gulf Stream. From the cOllec-
ZION and comp srisOn OF all previous
oh ervatio this cannot, however be
/ said 10 be er,ain, bur only as pr'b u
| b =. In favor of our opinion we may
mnution the fact that in this high tat
! ude the temperature Of the water in
{ ) ptemher is three TO five degrees
/ higher than the air; also the preva-
/ lruce Of fog, the stream 20 the north
east, on the coast Of Nnva Z-mbia,
the characteristic blue color of the
Ga Stream, and the extraordinary
/ n ,mber Of sm ST animals. In the
beginning of September the Gulf
/ S'rran see2s to leave the coast of
Nova Zembla and to appear further
/ " est, or perhaps to extend itself over
a much larger space. This stream OF
warm wafer is not equally deep and
loses power as it extends further
north. Que Of the most noteworthy
4 facts is the large number OF whales
! in fha sea of Nova Zembla. The
scieIti experiments made during
( our voyage consisted in observations
of the temperature of the surface Of
/ the water, IN regular meteorological
: reze trches at different depths, in geo
logical examinations of collections
4 of stones and plants, etc.