The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-05-18
THE ARCTIC REGIONS.
The New Austrian Expedition I'm
der Payer and Weyprecht.
Reviewed. Former Explorations-Dr. Petermann
and His Previous Labors In the Cold North
Captain Koldney's Plans-The Swedish
Expedition-Whon the Austrian
Explorers viii Start and
Their Chances Of Success.
FaANKpoRr-oN-TuE-MArS, April 80, 1872


discovery and are iecturing on the results Of the
last expedition and the prospects of the coming
one to numerous audiences. The estimated cost OF
the expedition Is l75,O0O FORMS of which fourth is
collected The Emperor OF Austria has granted
sum towards paying the preliminary expenses OF
the expedition. Count WilcZek has made princely
donation OF 10000 FORMS The great German geo.
grapher, DR.. Petermann has given over five thou.
sand forms, and all In all some forty-nve thousand
forms have been collected, sufficient to ensure the
starting Of the expedition The Ausrlans begin to
take great pride In the new enterprise, and,
as they have won DR.. Petermann to their
side they have every hope OF sending out
an expedition, with every promise OF success.
The dispute between Dr. Petermann and the leader
Of the two former German expeditions, it appears,
cannot be healed and Gotha and Vienna have
made contract TO work together for the great OBJ
ject OF endeav0ring to plant the German-Aus-
tran flag upon the Pole for DR.. Petermann still
claims that the German spirit Is doing the work.
THE AUSTRIAN EXPEDITION
will set out with greater advantages than any of
its German predecessors 1t has the scientific re-
suits Of all previous expeditions for its guidance
and the leaders, who discovered the open Nova
ZeInbla sea last year, have their own practical
perlences to guide them. Before giving you the
Views OF Messrs. Payer and Weyprecht as to their
intentions, viii briefly review the previous German
expeditions In order to show you the great chances
Of success that the present expedition has,
PAST EXPEDITIONS
II Is a remarkable fact, and one now generally
acknowledged that DR.. Petermann's first idea OF
North Polar exploration was to proceed by way of
the ocean between Greenland and Nova Zemba, the
very way upon which Payer and Weyprecht made
their great discoveries last year.. In 1865 the
after long lull, and Captain Osborn proposed to
penetrate toward the Pole through Balln's Bay,
west OF Greenland, thence by way Of Smiths Sound
and Kennedy Channel, In the route earlier taken by
Kane and Hayes who there discovered the most
northern known land Of the earth. DR.. Pc termann
opposed Captain Osborn's view, asking why was not
the great ocean north of Europe taken into consid-
Grafton, especially the sea between Greenland
and Nova ZembaY And he had the satisfaction OF
seeing the London Geographical Society accept his
plan in preference to that OF Captain Osborn. But
since that time the English virtually have done
between the Germans and swedes, and now Amer
lea, a race for reaching the Pole has commenced,
though the winning post Is not yet reached cache the
beautiful Legendary, nowery island upon winch SAINT
John resides Is not yet discovered
DIR. PETERMANN
For many years the Germans alone IN Europe
have carried on Polar exploration theoretically.
We ought, indeed, to say instead OF 1.-THE Ger.
MANS Dr. petermann for without him we doubt
His devotion to the work Is shown in some
fifty monographs on exploration and history OF
man expeditions since 1868 are the fruits Of Dr.
Petermann's untiring energy. He called the two
first German expeditions into life INC first cost
were placed under the command OF Captain Kolde-
wey; both expeditions were sent out from tho
basis Of East Greenland, thence to penetrate north
towards the Pole. This route was not, we are as
sured, DR.. Petermanns original intention. The re-
rs co uw Of he little Yacht did
not reach the Greenland coast, but turned towards
Spitzbergen and explored the almost Unknown
siutssTa part .: H1lsRs hnsa made
day of the battle Of Wessenburg discovered the
Franz Josef Ford. But the problem OF the Pole was
not explained in the least.
THE SMALLER EXPEDITIONS OF ROSENTHAI's
whaling vessels ito which Drs Dorst and Besscls
were attached and the Henglm expedition, both Of
which were the result OF Petermann's eXertions,
resulted In valuable scientific discoveries 1t woud
take us too far to note the English, Russian, Nor
the last six or seven years. The French had in
Captain Lambert an energetic Polar explorer, but
his views were never favorably ente tanned at
Gotla. He travelled, lectured and collected funds
for his expedition throughout France during four
years, and aroused French enthusiasm for the
route through Behring's Straits. But Captain Lam
bert found his death on the MontretOut entrench.
ment In the ranks OF the Paris National Guard; his
eXpeditionary vessel lies dismantled at Havre and
all hopes OF the French taking part in North Polar
exploration may be given up for many years to
come. The Poaris has the warm sympathy Of Dr..
Petermann for its success.
TIE PAYER AND wEYPRECHT EXPEDITION
OF the past summer was undertaken at the instance
OF DR.. Petcrmann. The result Of that expedition
has been to give IN entirely new direction to North
Polar exploration. The discovery Of the open sea
between Spitzbergen and Nova Zembl3 will be the
basis for the new expedition. It is now two years
ago since DR.. Petermann published two valuable
charts OF the thermometric relations Of the North
Atlantic Ocean and
when he showed that between Spitzbergen and
Nova Zenlba the Gulf Stream had warmth OF four
degrees 90, and flowed towards the Northern
Arctic Ocean, pointing the direction which
Polar explorers must take. But at that time the
sea towards which this warm Gulf Stream flowed,
northward Of the seventy-slxth degree OF northern
almost unknown. n
ton OF being "iearfnllyn dangerous to navigation.
Koldewey even refused to follow this route
unless DR.. Petermann himself accompanied the
expedition. And yet it was here that Payer
and Weyprecht reached, at about the forty-second
latitude "a point which, with the exception of near
West spitzbeigcn, was never before reached by
ship, without seeing ice; and the Norwegian Cap
eghty-first degree of eastern longitude twenty
one degrees further east than Payer and Wey-
rrechp without meeting ice, but finding water,
with six and threc-fourths degrees OF warmth (C1
and still flowing rapidly to the east. That this
proved by finding the West Indian, entada gigalo-
blum, on the coasts of Nova Zembla, previously
found as far as the coasts of spitzbergen. The
presence OF open water even as far as the ninety
ilith degree or eastern longitude IL proved by an
earlier observation of Middendorf, who reached
Tamyr Bay in the month Of August The Russian
government has made various attempts to pene-
trate from the basis of the siberian coast by sleds
towards the north; but all these attempts have
failed from the noteworthy cause that the further
north the sleds went the weaker became the Ice,
and finally the open, iceree prevented further
progress Six such journeys, undertaken In the
coolest spring months OF March and April In various
years. led to the same result This sea, open In
WINTER, called the great Siberian Poynia,n and
has been seen at various points from 1875 to 175
degrees eastern longitude. The conclusion now
drawn by Messrs Payer and Weyprecht Is that the
newly discovered ice-free Nova Zembla Sea Is con-
nected In the fall OF the year with the Siberian
Polynia, an event brought about partly by the
colossal river system Of Siberia and partly by the
arms OF the Gulf Stream.
have been under discussion. One, requiring two
vessels, Is to penetrate direct towards the Pole,
starting from the most northern point reached last
summer by the Payer. Weyprccht expedition In the
forty-sec0nd degree Of longitude The second Ia to
enter the "Poynia" and thence proceed north
ward at favorable point The former plan has
been given up on account Of the meagerncss OF the
funds. The latter will be the course OF the Austrian
expedition, which Is now definitely settled upon.
The vessel win be fitted out for three summers and
two winters. As soon as the north coasts OF Nova
Zembla are free from Ice the expedition will pro-