Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1872-11-13
The RedlscOvery OF the Open Polar
Sea

The second instalment of valuable
tidings from the outstanding Polar ex
peditions has just been made public
by DN Augustus Peterman, of Gotha,
The intelligence that now reaches US
gives new discoveries in the Arctic
Ocean lying east of SpitZbergen, and
also northeast of the islands winch
skirt its eastern shores. The new
vision of the open Polar Sea. like
every former observation of this mys-
terious phenomenon, will be Of uni
versal interest. The following is a
translation of DIR. Peterman's circuIar
announcing the facts: u, a
GoTHA, Oct. II, 1872.
The Polar Search Expedition, which
during the past three years has un-
ceasingly given many and extensive
results, has a. so again in this Summer
made considerable progress, although
the first news from the, Polar Sea has
just reached US. The land lying east
of Spitzbergen, which for 255 years
has been danced about upon different
positions on the map, and which was
for the first time reached by Captain
Altman, of Hammerfest, was reached
for the second time by Captain Nils
johnson, of FTomsoe, in August, who
landed upon and more narrowly ex-
plored l..
Captain Nils johnson sailed onMay
S in the sailing yacht Lydionia, of
twenty-six tons buFthen, with a crew
of nine men, from Fromsoe, Norway.
he directed his cruise in. June TO-
wards the western half of the open
sea, and in the second half of this
month, when the Austrian exploring
Tegethoff had just left the
German coast, was already some fifty
miles east-sOutheast of the islands Of
East Spitzbergen, in the middle Of the
usual DO sition. of the Polar stream,
which generally carries an enormous
mass of ice towards Spitzbergen and
the Bear Islands.
In July and August of this Sum-
mer the ice current held q more east
erly course towards Nova Zembla and
left the western half of the sea free
from ice, as the reports already re-
ceived from Captain Altman at the
end of August had announced.
Captain johnson. who during July
lnh LuG lull vi udu OCEu
engaged in whale fishing mot exclu-
sively)on the broad Spitzbergen bank,
which reaches from the Bear Islands
over four degrees of latitude towards
the northeast, had at noon of August
l6 pressed as far as as deg. IS min. 46
sec. north latitude and 80 deg. east
and shortly thereafter came
IN sight of land, which first appealed
upon the map in 1918 as Wiehe Land,
md which was then gwen as extend
ng from 7Sl deg. to 753 deg. north {
attitude. -.s h7a
The whole sea to the south and east
If this land Captain johnson found
free from ice on August Is. I
On August is he anchored near the |
1oint of this land in north latitude 20 |
leg S min., and east longitude 80 deg.
.5 min., for the purpose OF fishing and |
himself with fuel from the |
immense pilss of dfiftwood which |
we're accumulated along the shore. |
Landing to explore the land, which /
le was the first to set foot upon, lie 1
seended a mountain near the coast,
rom which he obtained a view over a |
vide circuit. He thus discovered .
hat the land masses which, by Can
ain Altman, had been supposed to be
eparated by channels into three large !
stands, were ultimately reunited so as
o form a continuous though deeply
ndented island. On the evening of
he 18th of August Captain johnson
gain set sail, and followed during
hat nIsht and the two successive
ays wiz, the 18th and leth of Au-
.ust) the entire east and southeast
oast Of the land, which was every
lhere. as well as the open sea, far and
1ider wholly destitute of ice. The
cean lying towards the east-north-
asst was also perfectly FREQ of ice, so
lr as it was distinguishable from the
1mmit of the hills Only on the
orth coast was there any ice.
Fuller communication, as coon as
will appear in the Geo0rd-
lische 1nittheikungeTl, with maps and
harts illustrative Of Captain John
ln's exploration, and also of those
lst made by Captain Altman.
Among the most important discov-
ries made by Captain Nils Johnson
ere the fauna and fora of these far
lands. Birds, seals and
,indeer abounded, the latter of re-
Iarkable fatness. The immense
piles of driitwOt d, which
IN along the eastern coast some
yenty feet above the highest tidal
ark, are suggestive of the current
,nditiUns of the Arctic Ocean, and
so of the meteorologic and other at
ospheric connections in the "Icy s
as" ..sr
He PAYER -wEYPRECHT EXPEDI-
a.f. TION.
DIR. Petermann has received infor- f,
alton. from the Payer-Weyprecht '
ipedition, dating from the 10th of {
ugust, when il was near Bear Is 9
nds, in 76 deg. IL min. north lali. 1
de, and go deg. "A min. east lOngi- '
de. The expedition found immense /
asses of thick iee-since it is driven I
the west half Of the sea-but Payer a
rOte, for steam easily penetrabie. g
DIR. Petermann con- 8
1des, "the expedition arrived on the a
Tia of July at the ice barrier, in 744 r
g. north latitude, and rs deg. east
Dgiiude, ii was enabled by the 10Th Il
August 10 make its way to its po- il
ion in sight OF Cape Nassau, at least 4
% hundred and twenty leagues in a
-aight line. ii
A writer in the GALAXY says the q :,