The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-07-17
The Open Polar SEQ.

The sailing OF the Arctic Expedition OF
Captain Hall, last week, having for its main
object the discovery Of the open Polar Sea,
revives the public interest in previous ex-
plora,ions in the same direction, and espe-
cially in that one which was believed by its
lamented chief to have substantially solved
this vexed geographical question. We reier'
Of course, to.the voyage Of Dr. Kane, who,
with crew of seventeen, officers and men,
sailed from New York, May 80, 1858, in the
hermaphrodite brig Advance, vessel OF
IA tons. After hazardous voyage they
reached point called Rensselaer, harbor, in
lalitude7 7e degrees 81 minutes, on the 9th
OF August; were compelled 10 spend two
winters there, and finally abandoned the
brig May 20, 1855, making their way to the
Greenland settlements by means OF boats
and sledges. The inimitable narrative OF
Kane is, or ought to.be, familiar to all who
are fond of stories Of desperate adventure,
or admire dauntless courage coupled with he
roic self-devotion. Especially noteworthy at
this time is the journey OF William Morton,
one OF the crew OF the Advance, from Rens-
selser haroor to the shores Of the Polar Sea
"a journey made under the orders OF his
commander, and which the latter always
considered as the crowning success OF his
perllous enterprise. The narrative which We
summarize is doubly interesting now, not
only because Captain Hall intends to take
the Polaris in the same direction, but for the
reason that Mr.. Norton himself goes out in
the steamer as second officer. The scien-
tifc world will await with eager interest the
yerifcation Of his strange discovery:
The Advance went into winter quarters
and what eventually proved to be her last
berth-during the closing days Of the summer
of 1853. It was on the 4th Of June, 1854, that
Morton LEFT the vessel in company with relief
.tarty under Mr.. James McGary, going with
them to the base of what Is known as the
Great Glacier, where he arrived on the 10Th.
The next day he was joined. by Hans, the Es-
quimaux hunter, with a team Of dogs, and on
the 18th these two parted from their compan-
ions and went forward alone. They followed
q line parallel with the glacier, and from five
to seven miles distant walking knee deep in
sncw and over Ice which measured seven feet
five inches In thickness. In the middle OF
Peabody Bay they found the icebergs so thickly
jammed toget that it was frequently neces-
sary to crowd the dogs and sedge through q
passage not more than four feet In width. Oc-
caslonally even this narrow exit would be de-
MED them, and they had either to climb over
the lowest part of the berg, or retrace their
steps and find more favorable road. 1t took
them long while to get to smoother ice. but
on the 10th Morton was enabled to discover a
tolerably clear track, and pushed onunlil they
arrived at point nearly abreast Of the termi-
nation of the Great Glacier. The snow here
sloped from the land to the Ice, and the two
seemed to be mingled together for eight or ten
miles to the north, when the land became solid
and the glacier was lost. The height of this
land was about four hundred feet, and the gla-
cier much lower. On the 2lssthey moved in
northerly direction, making for what Morton
thought was cape, seeing vacancy between
1t and the west land. The Ice was good and
free from. bergs, only two or three being in
sight. The atmosphere became thick and mis-
ty; cold, sharp wind began to blow, and 1t
was not until the morning Of the next day that
they arrived at the opening alluded to, which
proved to be ehannel-the fog, as 1t lifted,
showing the cape and western shore. The ice
suddenly grew weak and rotten; the dogs trem-
bled and laid down, and 1t was only by the
greatest efforts that they succeeded in getting