The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-11-02
ARCTIC EXPLORATIONS.
The Rediscovery Of the Open
Polar Sea.
The Explorations Of Captain Nils Johnsos
in the Seas East Of Spitzbergen. e
CIRCULAR OF Or. AUGUSTUS PETERMANN

The second nstalment OF valuable tidngs from
the outstanding Polar expeditions has just been
made public by Dr.. Augustus Petermann, OF Gotha.
The intelligence that now reaches US gives new
discoveries in the Arctic Ocean lying east OF Spltz-
bergen, and also northeast OF the islands which
skirt Its eastern shores The new vision of tho
open Polar Sea, like every former observation OF
this mysterious phenomenon, win be Of universal
interest. The following Is translation OF Or.
Petermann's circular announcing the facts:- b.
THE LAND TO THE EAST OF sPTzBERGEH MORE
CLOSELY EXPLORED By CAPTAIN NILS JOHNSON IN
AUGUST, 1872.
GOTTA, Oct. II, 1872. 4
The Polar Search Expedition, which during tho
past three years has increasingly given many and
extensive results, has also again In this Summer
made considerable progress, although the frst
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
Fromsoe, In August, who landed upon and more
narrowly explored 1t.
Captain Nils Johnson sailed on May in the sail
ing yacht Lydiona, Of twentysix tons burden, with
q crew OF nine men, from Fromsoe, Norway.
He directed his cruise In June towards
the western half Of the open sea. and
in the second half OF this month, when
the Austrian exploring steamship Tegethon
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 position Of
tue Polar stream which generally carries an enor-
nous mass Of Ice towards Spitzbergen and the
Bear Islands,
In July and August Of this Summer the ice cur
rent held more easterly course towards Nova
Zemba and left the western half Of the sea free
from Ice, as the reports already received from Cap
tain Altman at the end of August had announced.
Captain Johnson, who during July and the first
half or August had been engaged In whale fishing
mot exclusively on the broad Spitzbergen bank,
which reaches from the Bear Islands over four de-
grees of latitude towards the northeast, had at
noon OF August 10 pressed as far as 70 deg Is
min. as north latitude and 80 deg east longI-
tude, and shortly thereafter came In sight of land.
which first appeared upon maps in 1917 as Wiche
Land, and which was then given as extending from
7Sh deg. to 75A deg. north latitude
The whole sea to the south and east OF this land
Captain Johnson found entirely free from Ice on
August 49, On the nth OF August he anchored
near the point OF this land in north latitude 70 deg
min., and east longitude 80 deg. Is min, for the
purpose OF fishing and supplying himself with
fuel from the immense piles OF driftwo0d which
were accumulated along the shore. Landing to
explore the land, which he the first to set loot
upon, he assembled o mountain near the coast,
from which he obtained view over a wide circuit.
He thus discovered that the land masses which, by
Captain Altman, had been supposed to be separated
by channels into three large islands, were utt-
matcy reunited so as to form continuous though
deeply ndented island. There were also
number OF small outlying islands. On
the evening Of the 18th OF August Captain
Johnson again set sail, and followed during
night ana the two successive days wiz, the
18th and 10th Of August the entire east and south
east coast Of the land, which was everywhere, as
well as the open sea, far and wide, wholly destitute
OF ice. The ocean lying towards the east-northeast
also perfectly free Of ice, so far as it dis
tnguishabe from the summit OF the hills. Only on
the north coast was there any ice.
Fuller communications, as soon as possible, will
appear in the Geoyraphische Aitthetlungen, with
maps and charts illustrative OF Captain J0hns0n's
exploration, and also OF those just made by Captain
Altman.
Among the most important discoveries made by
Captain Nils Johnson were the fauna and flora Of
these far northern lands. Bros, seals and rein.
deer aboundcd, the latter OF remarkable fairness.
The immense longitudinal piles Of drftwood.
which ran along the eastern coasts some twenty
feet above the highest tidal mark, are suggestive
OF the current conditions of the Arctic ocean, ana
also of the meteorologic and other atmospheric
connections in the s'icy seas.n
THE PAYERwEYPRECHT EXPEDITION.
DR.. Petermann has received information from
the Payer-Weyprecht expedition, dating from the
10th OF August, when it was near the Bear Islands,
in 70 deg IL min. north latitude, and so deg. a
min east longitude The expedition found i'm
mense masses OF thick icesince it Is driven TO the
west half OF the sea-but Payer wrote, "For steam
easily penetrablc" "Although," DR.. Petermann
concludes. 1.-THE expedition first arrived on the
Goth of July at the ice barrier in 74h deg. north
latitude, and as deg. east longitude, 1t was
enabled by the 10th Of August to make its way to
its position in sight Of Cape Nassau, at least two
hundred and twenty leagues in straight line"
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