Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1871-12-07
HISTORY OF ARCTIC VOYAGES

In modern times. the first attempts TO
| explore the Arctic Sea were made in Eu
rope. and the expeditions went round the
North Cape toward Nova Xembla. The
aim was TO find way to Eastern Asia.
through the Arctic seas but none of the
voyaGers were able to get bevoni Nova
! L"",bla, the sea east Of it being the icicSt
,ollrst, and most foriidding portions of
the Polar world. The climate OF Nova
Icmbla is considerably colder than that of
SpitzLergen. three or moro degrees fur,h-
cr North !; and the climate of the north
shores of Spi'zbergcn is much milder than
that Of It's southern coast. After n time
explorers began to visit Spitzhergen but
they dill not venture far beyond it. because
they assumed that the sea around the roc
was permanent mass Of ice. In 1173
Captain Phipps sailed into the Polar Sea.
north Of Spitzborgcn. to the Slst degree
Of north latitude. In 1927 Captain Par
ry sailed TO tie same parallel, intending
TO 20 farther north but ut that time fields
Of moving ice were encountered, which lie
attempted TO cross. with sledges In 1900
Captain Scoreshy. being on a whaling vow
age. went tn 81 degrees 80 minutes. and
could have gone on TO the pole, for the
sen was entirely open. 1t is said IAN
open sea lay temptinelv before him. and
the absence Office blinks showed that il was
open beyond the visible horizon but he
Was answerable to the owners for the voy-
age. and felt obliged to sacrifice his incii-
nations to his duty" In 1887, the ship
Truelove of Hull sailed up to 81 degrees
30 minutes. and found the sea entirely
open at the north She could have gone
on to the pole, if the character of the vow
age bad allowed her to do so, for she was
already in the open polar sea, although it
was not known. At that time. that the pole
Is surrounded by open water. In SUM
mcr, the floating ice-fclds are usually
/ further south but in the sevcrcr seasons.
they are found further north than the lat
ituie reached by Captain Phipps. What
This signifies in connection with the open
Polar sea. which Kane's men saw little
above the sOth parallel. is indicated bv
the fact that Spitzhcrgcn lies between 76
deg. 80 min, aud 50 deg. - min, north
latitude.
In lS5G Lord Dufferiu made vacht
voyage to Sritzbergen and published q
narrative Of his adventures. The season
was 50 untavorable as to interrupt the bus.
mess Of the walrus hunters. After lcay.
ing Hammcrfest. in Norway. his chict df.
ticultv was the ice fields extending across
tic southern part Of the Spizbcrgen is.
laud>, toward Greenland After sailing
westward and hunting some ten davs fnr
passage, he made his way through them
and found the sen entirely open a. the
north. He could have sailed much furth.
cr north without difficulty, and. probably.
could have sailed to the pole. for the Po-
lar sea mus; ordinarily be open. in this
direction quite as far southwark rs toward
Bafhn's Bay. On his return. Lord Dus.
ferin got through the ice belt very easily.
by sailing further over toward Greenland
but his voyage back was favored by til,
fact that much of the ice had disappeared
aud left the sea more open. Mentioning
this fact. he saws: .'iuStead of being
obliged to run up very nearly to the c;,h.
I
icc), we were enabled to sail westward Al
once" Tie went in this direction abou,
eighty miles. to the far extending Green.
land ice. and then sailed south into III,
Angus; weather of the temperate zone.
There is no record Of the date vher
Spitxbercen was first made 4 whaling sta.
ton. But it was earlier than the yea,
lGll for, in that year, the frs, Enclisi
whalemen went there, aud found tha, III,
Dutch. the Norwegians and the BASQUE.
had long preceded them. The Du,cl
whaling stations vera on the northern
coast. Hunting whales in that Part Of th,
Arctic Sea was continued until the persc
cuted whale learned to avoid il. Admira
Beechy mentions noticing the remains o
about thousand dead sailors in kind O
cemetery near one OF the deserted nu;cl
whaling stations. II we had a conple,,
History of these whaling operations i
would doubtless appear tia, some OF III.
whalers sailed TO much higher nor,her,
: iatiiGdes than have ever been reached b.