The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-06-28
Tho Polnris aud the North Pole and the
south PGle.

| it is expected, leave this port tomorrow for
the North Pole, via Newfoundland, Davis
Straits and Baffia's Bay. His idea Of the
unknown region ten degrees outward from
| the Pole appears to be that it Is region
| locked up in eternal ice and snow, and that
consequently the only way to reach the Pole
after pushing his ship as far north as possible,
say to the eightieth or eighty first parallels
by means of Esquimaux dogs and sledges.
Hence his plan of sedges for traversng the
six hundred miles, more or less, remaining
between him and the Pole, after leaving his
ship. He thinks there may be some open
patches of sea en- route. and for crossing these
he goes provided with some light, portable
canvas boats, expressly built for the purpose
of transporting men, dogs and sledges.
Assuming, however, that Captain Hall will be
able to push his ship as far north as the eighty
first parallel, we dare say that after travelling
day or two in his sledges he will come to
the open sea seen by DR.. Kane and Captain
Hayes, and will discover that he is at the end
of his journey with his dogs and sledges and
portable boats
From. the northern projections and expan-
sions of the land in both hemispheres, East
ern and Western and from the great rivers
of Asia aud America which are discharged
into the Arctic Ocean. and from the two great
ocean currents drifting north into the polar
seas--the Atlantic equatorial current, which
from its outlet at the capes of Florida is
known as the Gulf Stream, and the Pacific
equatorial current, which from the Japan
ese Islands is known as the Japan
| Stream--we are strong in the faith that there
| is great basin of open water around the
| North Pole. The numerous explorations
made in search of navgable passage from
| Bafin's Bay westward have disclosed laby-
| rinth of islands, pennsulas, straits, sounds
| and inlets across the northern flank of our
| Continent which establish the fact that there
is no open sea and no practicable route of navi-
cation in that direction. Those narrow straits,
| sounds and inlets, locked in by frozen islands
on all sides, are themselves frozen over most
of the year and filed with drifting ice foes
and bergs in July and August, the general
outlet of which appears to be Bahin's Bay and
| Davis Strait.
| It is against this outcoming Arctic current
| (unless he can evade BY keeping on the Green
| land side) that Captain Hall is going to push
| his way to the Pole. On this route, however,
even in taking to the ice with his sledges, he
may fail to make much progress north from
| the drifting of the whole ice pack southwark.
| But, as we have said before, we have great
faith in Captain Halls Arctic experience;
though our faith in the success of his adventure
would have been stronger had he chosen the
| route of the Atlantic Gulf Stream into the
Arctic Ocean or the route OF the Japan Stream
through Behring Strait We think that had
he so timed his departure from this port as to
be able to make the circuit Of Cape Horn and
to reach Behring Strait by the LIST Of July, it
| would have been possible this season, in fol-
lowing that ingoing current, to push his steamer
through to the Pole, and down to Baffin's Bay
| with that outgoing current before the return
| Of the winters freezing. We have hardly
| doubt of great basin of open water around
| the North Pole, because Of the immense
volumes from the northern flowing rivers of
1
currents aforesaid discharged into the Arctic
| Ocean. The intervening sounds, straits and
inlets all around this polar basin are frozen
over in consequence of their being landlocked
among frozen islands and the icebergs along
their coasts but beyond these islands and
peninsulas, we are confident, is the open
ocean seen by DR.. Kane, and it is doubtless
kept open by the full play of the winds upon
it.
North of the Equator the proportion of land
upon our globe is much greater than it is south
of the Equator. We believe, however, that
the difference is much less than is generally
supposed from the observations made, estab-
fishing an open sea around the North Pole
| and vast continent around the South Pole.
The Antarctic Continent, coasted by Ross,
Wilkes and other explorers for fifteen hundred
miles, more or less, is q fixed fact; but its
| superficial area remains a mystery still to be
solved. Its solution in reference to the deter
| mnation Of the causes and courses of the ocean
currents, cold and warm is quite as important
to science as the discovery Of the North Pole
Let us have from Captain Hall, however, a
solution Of the mystery Of the North Pole, and
the unknown regions around the South Pole
will soon be made known to the world by SCI
entfc adventurers. Success, then, to Captain
Hall and our hopes of his success, from his
experience on this Bafhns Bay route, are such
that we do not despair Of his running the
Polaris to the Pole.
Captain Hall will probably winter above the
SEVENTEEN degree north latitude, long wintry
night illumined by the aurora borealis. With
the return of the sun in the spring he will have
six months of daylight for his polar excur-
sions. And on reaching the Pole, what then2
i Whu than the Canfain rinhf On fha Mar4h