The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1872-04-12
DISCOVERY OF A NEW WORLD
The Fate Of Sir John Franklin.

story which ~ designed To Introduce
the theory that the Globe is hollow
and inhabited. The idea is not alto.
gether new one rs Symmes long
years ago advocated the same propo-
sition and attempted to prove the ex-
istence of u vast melstrom at the
North Pole, which in some of the ge-
ographies is still referred to as
"Symmes Hole" The theory is
also in accord with the beautiful le-
gend that st. John still lives in an en-.
chanted land away North, far beyond
the frozen regions and that at the
second coming OF Christ he will ap-
pear III Jerusalem.
The author OF the story thus dis
poses of Sir John Franklin:
"Sir John Franklin sailed anil was
lost. What world of mystery has
ever since hung around his fate
Was he crushed to atoms between the
ice islands of the Arctic seay Did he
venture too far out on the billowy
plains and perish b, inches for want
of food? Did the vast SHOWS and
mists clog his sails, until they be-
come laden reefs OF ice, while the hull
beneath troze firmly into the ice-rocks
that eDvironed il, and the sea foam,
and the slcct, filled up the spaces be-
tween hull aud masts, aud sails. and
buried all IL tall iceberg on some
boreal shore that conccals forever and
ever the dread sleeping place of Sir
john Franklin and his hapless crew
No
Sir John Franklin left England with
the brave dcterminat, M OF settling
the question of an open intcr-polar
sea. lie was successful
Passing out OF sight of t.ie barriers
into smooth expanse of h'a:cr, he
struck boldly out, with the pur,1cse of
passing directly under the pole and
making Behring Straits.
The current set strongly but
smoothly Northward, and the winL
was constant and stiff in the same di-
rection. The great navigator's heart
beat high under his triple vest of firs,
rs he anticipated the fame which the
discovery OF the Northern passage
would bring him. But the currents
become more rapid and the winds
stronger, until vague feeling of un-
rest and danger and finally a despair
crept into the deep nesting hearts OF
his crew, and then of their comman-
der and whisperings came from white
lips we are being sucked into 4 great
whirlpool"
Down, down. down, sailed Sir John
and his crew through a white glaring
glistening canopy that slowly rose
above them. No helm could turn
them from its headlight plunge; no
reeiing OF sail could tempt the prov
from its Northward course. North;
due north. they gldcd swiftly. smooth
ly; toll was in vain. Prayers were
unavailing. The glistening canopy
revealed itself, a yd,ening sea. Ice
berg, and glacier, and rolling pillows,
capped with foam, hung in frown-
ing masses aud glided in inccssant
distant roar over their heads. Through
the telescope they appeared in huge
outline. Now indeed, il seemed TO
these bold mariners that all was lost.
Down, down, down, into the deep
mists, and waves of this mighty inter
polar Mrlstrom. The last prayer
was said, and the souls of that crew
made settlement with Death.
| Death came not, aud still they sail
cd by the compass, North, duo North.
There is no bottom to the gulf, there
is no end to those mists and gloom
Will this downward plunge last for
ever? are we to go by sea TO the
Kingdom of Pluto? Has the grim
old ferryman Of the Styx been sup
planted by Sir John? Cheerfulness
revives; Inerriment is graspcd from
the jaws of death, and feeling be.
gins to preyade the crew of hope and
faith Hope; for what? Faith in
whom? 1t might have been such rs
was expressed by Byron when he
said
"pursue what chance Of fate proclaimcth best
Peace ON shores Of Achern,"
or might have been such as a more
ancient and holy man expressed when
he said:
"Though / walk through the valley Of the
Shadow of Death, l will fear no evil"
And now the mists begin 20 lift; =
the clouds begin to roll away the
suppressed roar seems more distant
the current is not so rapid; the wind
is not so strong, but still the compass.
says, North,cd'd, due North.
There are icebergs ahead, there arc
dark rocks too, and above the head.
of the crew-how strange there are
focks of water fowl pursuing theil
way Northward. Here there is q
sure ground of hope. The wild goose
is our pioneer. But the darkness ant
mists are gone; there is light ahead
1t is beacon light at the North pole
1t glows and CLEANS. And now W,
are passing frozen shores, with here
and there large tracts of rocks cover
ed with linchens and mosses. TIL,
air is growing more temperate, th,
light grows stronger, the prospec
|, widens.
An idea dawns in the mind of the
,, navigator. He invokes the aid of tn,
telescope again, and Sir John Frank
lin and his crew now realize that tn,
great old earth is hollow, and that il
hunting for the North pole SO success
fully they have sailed, sheer and clear
into the light of the coronal of cleo
tricity, into another world, the worl,
of the Trans mundane.
, It is related that Massachusett
. school-boy Though the story can h.