Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1872-11-27
Tiding from the Ioeless Polar Sea-
Its Geographical Import.

The important tidings which we
publish to-day from the great open
Polar Sea will be read with deep in
terest, as furnishing new evidence of
the existence of that mysterious phe-
nomenon first made known by the
American explorers under DR.. Kane.
This time tho explorer is the bold
Norwegian, Captain Nils Johnson,
who, as late as the latter part of last
August, rediscovered and re-explored
for the second time the islands lying
to the east of Spitzbergen, and, more
over, discovered from tho mountains
of the islands seas free Of ice to the
northeastward and the indications of
powerful oceanic currents serving TO
keep open the higher Polar seas.
For two and half centuries, as DR..
Petermann, the great German geogra-
pher (through whom the present in
tellgence comes), has said, these lands
have been "danced about on tho map"
by the various photographers of differ
ent expeditions. Last June Captain
Altman, Of Hammerfest, visited them,
and now the investigation of Captain
johnson furnishes accurate data for
their geography. The value Of this
discovery must not be measured by
the significance or magnitude of the
land explored, but is highly import
ant as revealing certain long.dcsired
points OF observation and research as
to the physical geography of those
high ATTITUDES in the Atlantic and as
to the existence and cause of the
Polyhymnia, seen last year 10 extend
to tho northcastward by the Austrian
explorers, Payer and Weyprccht.-
Captain johnson attained the high lati-
tude of nearly eighty degrees north,
and from the sum mits Of tho hills
found that the sea to the nortoastward,
in the tract Of Payers and Weyprecbt's
expedition Of last year, was "cntirely
free from ice." This corroborates the
Austrian reports of tho iceless sea
stretching towards the Polo, along the
supposed pathway Of the prolonged
equatorial surface current and tho
Gulf Stream, between Nova Zcmbla
and Spitzbergcn. The islands visited
by the Norwegian explorerlie in the
very throat, or, at least on the edge,
of The great Polar leo current, which
in July 1927, when only four hundred
and thirty geographical miles from
the Pole, compelled Sir Edward Parry
to give up bis advance nortbward,
because in that height Of Arctic Sum.
mer all tho ice fields were in motion,
and swept faster TO the south than bis
men could drag their boats to the
north. If the observations now an.
nounced show an icelcss sea northeast
of the newly discovered islands tho
strong inference is that in the. deep
channel eastward and nearer to Nova
zembla this years expeditions will
find warmer weather, southerly winds
and the extension Of the Gulf Stream,
producing and maintaining ON open
water gateway TO tho extreme lati-
tudcs of our globe. The fact observed
by Captain johnson Of enormous piles
Of driftwood strcwn longitudinally
along tho coast of the newfoundland,
proves that the currents Of the Arctic
Ocean are neither idle nor feeble for
ces, but play siupendous part in
breaking up the ices and mitigat-
ing the climate Of tho Pole. Viewing
tho Norwegian exploration in this
light, IL will be Of great interest and
of permanent value in Arctic geogre-
phy.--N Y Herald. Aiia h,ls;Fa