Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-12-27
-nnEAr noIAR coNrI1eENr.
A valley Of Mastodons Exploring a
N ne OF Ivory.A Mountain OF loo
One Thousand Feet High.
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The ship Cadmuss has arrived at
San Francisco on its return voyage
from the Arctic Ocean, whittier it
had gone to collect the remnants OF
the shipwrecked whaling fleet. On
the 2sth of September the Cadmus
received from the captain of the
whaler George Robbins certain dis
patches addressed to the French
Geographical Society by our coun-
trymcn, NJ. Pavy, now on an cxpc-
dition to the North Pole. These
dispatches are dated the 25th of
August, on the eastern coast of
Wrangel Land. We present an
analysis of the interesting docu-
mcnts which have been brought by
the Cadmus:
The expedition, composed of M.
Octave Pavy, commander; Prots.
Thomas Newcomb and Henry Ed
wards, of San Francisco, NJ. Jean
Brml and four seaman, landed on
the 18th of June on the eastern
coast of Iolyuchin Bay. On the
22d of June the explorers, reinforc-
ed by eleven natives, started in the
direction of the east, along the
north bank of the Siberia, having
provided themselves with dogs and
sleds. On the 18th of July they
reached the mouth Of the river Pc
trolitz. Near the mouth of this
river they encountered immense
fields of ice moving in in Il. north
eastcrnly direction. They travers-
ed one single plain Office sixty miles
in extent. Their bearings indicat-
ed n deviation Of eighteen miles
from their intented course. This
was caused by the movement of the
ice, this fact going to confirm the
theory of NJ. Pavy concerning the
concentration and augmentation OF
the great japanese current, known
rs the Ku-Ra-Sirod, which flows
through Behring Strait on the right
and thence toward the east off the
coast Of Siberia.
The explorers reached the shores
Of Wrangcl Land near the mouth of
n great river, running from the
northwest, and which is not set
down on any chart. This NJ. Pavy
considered as confirming another of
his theories that there exists a great
polar continent, and of which the
temperature is sufficiently warm to
melt the snow. The current of this
hitherto unknown stream flows in
an castcrly direction along the
coast, with rapidity of six knots an
hour.
NJ. Pavy and his party followed
the plain of this river toward the
north for about $50 miles. The
plain is uniformly level, its width
varies from so to 60 miles, and is
bordercd by mountains of great
height, with many perpendicular
peaks. About so miles from the
mouth of the river the travellers
found upon the plain the re-
mains of mastodons, and on clear
ing away the snow in Il place where
tusks were visible, they brought to
light the enormous body Of one of
the animals Of an extinct race, in n
perfect state OF preservation. The
skin was covered with black and
streaked hair, very long and thick
on the back. The tusks measured
IL feet inches in length, and were
curved to a level with the monsters
eyes. The animal was in knceling
posture, the front legs being bent,
while the hind parts were deeply
imbeddcd in the snow, indicating
that the mastodon had persisted in
struggling to get out of a mire hole
Or snow-dritt.
Prof. Newcomb could not find
any special characteristics distin-
gushing the extinct mastodon from
the elephant of to-day. He took
from the stomach some specimens
Of bark and herbs, the nature of
which he could not analyze on the
spot. For the space of many miles
the plain was covered with the re-
mains of many mastodons, indica-
ting that u numerous drove of these
gigantic animals had there persisted,
owing to some sudden change or
CONFUSION of nature. This region
abonnds in Polar bears, which de-
YOUR the remains of the mastadons.
About 1870 miles from the coast, and
a half league from the river, rises
an ice mountain about 1000 feet in
height, the base of which is sur
rounded by gravel and rocks deeply
imbcdded in the soil. The smooth
ness of the rocks and their rounded
form prove that they were at one
time in the bed Of a river, from
which they have been cast up by
some strange phenomenon. Arctic
animals are numerous in the valley,
and myriads of arctic birds fly about
the river and it's banks.
At the date of these dispatches
NJ. Payy was preparing to winter
under the seventy-fifth degree of
latitude, in the valley of the great
river polar continent. Both he and
his companions were in good health
and courage, and were confident of
arriving, during the coming season,
at great polar sea Of moderate
temperature, at the extreme north
of the continent.
How Ha Handled tho Fail.