Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1872-05-17
THE OPEN POLAR SEA.
BY H. W. DODGE.

BYH. W. DODGE.
IT has been well and perhaps truly said,
that the world will never be satisfied un-
til the north-pole of the earth is discover
ed Whenever this much-talked-of and
hoped-for event occurs, it will also follow
that the veXed question of an "open
Polar Sea" will receive an equally desired
for solution.
Many eminent scholars and geographers
deny, or rather dispute, the existence of
any such sea; but the idea, or tradition,
of it comes down to us as a legacy OF past
ages, before the navigators of the fifteenth
century boldly ventured out intoprevious-
ly unknown seas; and from the days of
Columbus and his tutors, there has con-
stantly fingered in the minds of men an
idea regarding large body of open, un-
explored water at the far north.
In some of the oldest charts on record,
the north-DOle of the earth was laid down
as lofty rock, surrounded by open water,
from which flowed four large rivers to-
ward the cardinal points of the compass.
In others, again, the supposed rock is
replaced by basin, into which the rivers
empty themselves. These, however, were
not the result of any actual explorations,
but fantasies coined in the brains of am
bilious map-makers, who cared more to
flatter their royal patrons than to posi-
lively established fixed fact and it is
now generally supposed that Hendrick
Hudson, early in the seventeenth century,
was the first modern navigator who lent
his reputation to the establishment of this
theory of an open sea.
Certain it is that, from his time to the
present, the matter has been much dis
cussed by theorists, while practical men
have earnestly striven to penetrate the
icy barrier surrounding this sea, laboring
in the cause of science; and, again, sturdy
old Dutch fishermen, who only thought
of reaping rich harvest, claim to not
only have reached the pole, but also to
have sailed two degrees beyond it, thus
establishing the fact of open water-if
. they could only be believed; but it is ex-
tremely difficult to ascertain the exact di-
viding line between fact and fiction.
During the last three hundred years,
more than one hundred exploring eXpedi-
tions have been sent out by different ma
tions, searching either for northeast or
northwest passage to the Pacific Ocean,
or else to cross the region of the pole;
while thousands of whalemen have sailed
in the same direction, and, in many in
stances, this latter class have gone farther
than their scientific compeers. From
Nova Zembla to Spitzbergen, by Green
land and through Baffin's Bay mot men
tioning Behring's Straits), the struggle
nas been conducted by such men as Will
oughby, "stout old Humphrey Gilbert"
Hudson, Vancouver, Behring, Barentz,
Phipps, and many others equally famous
for courage, skill, and conduct; but we
find no proof that any of these worthless,
except Parry, in 1927, ever reached the
parallel of 81 deg north. He reached 81
deg. 45 min, but only in open boats from
Spitzbergen; and, instead of finding open
water, these boats were dragged over foe
ice, which was carried south by the cur
rent faster than Parry's men could travel
over it in the opposite direction.
Thus far, then, no open sea had been
discovered. Wide spaces of clear water
were frequently seen, through which ships
might sail almost unObstructed by ice, fol
days; but these ere evidently caused by
the action of winds, tides, or currents,
and were, without exception, more than
six hundred geographical miles from the
pole.
1t remained for one of our own day and
generation to stamp the seal of veracity
upon the long time fluctuating idea of an
open sea. From the days Of Parry, near
ly all Arctic voyages were made in search
of the northwest passage, or else in trying
to find Sir John Franklin and his men
who, while engaged in the same pursuit
had been "sent by the Arctic frosts tt
death and immortality" until, in 1858
our own country man, the lamented Kane
inspired by new idea, pushed on t
to Smiths Sound He was the first ont
who ever attempted to winter there, and
though finally compelled to abandon hi
vessel, one object of the expedition wal
accomplished, for in June, 1854, Morton
one of his men, reached the northern eX
tremity of Greenland, in latitude so deg.
40 min, where, from an elevation of foul
hundred feet, he saw open water extend
ing beyond his line of vision. This wa
claimed as the first actual discovery o.
the "open Polar Sea-"
Next came DIR. Hayes, who in 1856
crossed Smiths Sound on the ice to Grin
nell Land, and in the month of May
reached latitude 81 deg. 45 min, where h
planted our national flag on the mos
northern land ever gained by any ex
plorer This land continued still farther
but, having no boat, Dr. Hayes was stop
ped by open water, and the clouds o
doubt that hung over DIR. Kane's discov
cry were dispelled by this second vision o
the "open sea-" though many European
scientists we're extremely loath to admi
the verihcation.
The southern limit of this open waite
was only five hundred miles from tn
pole, and extended indefinitely to tn
northward and eastward. Unfortunately
the doctors little vessel had been 81
crippled in the fall of 1860 that it wa
not deemed safe to attempt driving he
through the i e barrier intervening be
tween this place and her winter harbor
distance of about one hundred fift,
miles; and for this reason it was impossi
BILE to farther prosecute the search as tn
hummocked ice was too rough TO admi
the transportation of boat over it.
Here, then, the matter remained unit
the Germans renewed the search in 1865
under the direction of DR.. PeteTmanI
the well.known geographer of Gotha. i
the mean time, however, several mino
expeditions had made short summe
cruises from Sweden to Spitzbergen, but
as their researches were confined prime
pally to physical geography and nature
history, the results of them do not proI
eTy come under consideration at present
In 1868 the Germania was sent, unde
Captain Koldewey, with instructions t
look for passage along the eastern coas
of Greenland, or rather between Spit
bergen and Greenland. The highest lat
tude gained was 81 deg. 90 min., nortl
in longitude 10 deg 81 min, east, but
was impossible for them to penetrate tn
ice-barrier farther, nor was there visibl
beyond il any open sea.
In the same year Swedish ship, con
manded by Captain NordenskiolC
reached latitude 81 deg, AZ min, in long
tude II deg. 80 min., east, where she wa
stopped by masses OF ice, containin