Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-12-06
Artic Explorations.

The second installment of valu-
able tidings from the outstanding
Polar expeditions has just been made
public by DR.. Augustus Petermann,
Of Gotha. The intelligence that
now reaches us gives new discoy-
erles in the Arctic Ocean lying east
of Spitzbergen, and also northeast
OF the islands which skirts it,, east
ern shores. The new vision of the
open Polar Sea, like every other
former observation of this mysteri-
GUS phenomenon, will be of univer-
sal interest. The following is a
translation of DR.. Peterman's cir
cular announcing the facts:
GOTTA, Oct. II.
The Polar Search Expedition,
which during the past three years
has increasingly given many and ex-
tensivc results, has also again in
this summer made considerable pro-
gress, although the first news from
the Polar Sea has just reached us.
The land lying east of Spitzenbergen
which for 255 years has been danced
about upon different positions on
the map, and which was for the
first time reached by Captain Alt
man, of Hammerfest, was reached
for the second time by Capt. Nils
Johnson, of Fronsoe, in August,
who landed upon and more narrow
ly explored it.
Capt. Nils Johnson sailed on May
sth in the sailing yacht Lydonia, of
twenty-siX tons burden, with crew
of nine men, from Fromsoe, Nor
way. 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 ex-
ploring steamship, Tegeshoff' had
just LETT the German coast, was al
ready some fifty miles southeast of
the islands of East Spitzbergen, in
the middle Of the usual position of
the Polar stream which generally
carries an enormous mass of ice
toward Spitzbergen and the Bear
Islands.
In July and August of this sum-
mer the ice current held n more
casterly course toward Nova Zem-
bla, and left the western half of the
sea free from ice as the reports al
ready received from Captain Alt
mann at the end Of August had an
nounced.
Captain Johnson, who during Ju-
ly and the first half Of August had
bceu engaged in whale fishing mot
exclusively on the broad Spitzber-
gen which reaches from the Bear
Island over four degrees of latitude
toward the northeast, had, at noon
of August ld, pressed as far as Is
deg. Is min. 80 sec. north latitude,
and 80 deg. east longitude, and
shortly thereafter came in sight of
land, which first appeared upon
maps in 1871 as Wiche Land, and
which was then given as extending
from ISL deg. to 754 deg. north
latitude.
The whole sea to the south and
east Of this land Captain johnson
found entirely free from ice on Aug.
l6th. On the 18th of August ho an
chored near the point OF this land in
north latitude, 79 deg. and 8 min.,
and east longitude 80 deg. Is min.,
for the purpose Of fishing and sup
plying himself with fuel from the
immense piles Of driftwood which
were accumulated along the shore
Landing to explore the land which
he was first to set foot upon, he. as
cended mountain near the coast,
from which he obtained aview over
wide circuit. lie thus discovered
that the land masses which, by
Capt. Altman, had been supposed
to be separated by channels into
three large islands, were ultimately
reunited so as t. form 4 continuous
though deeply indented island.
There were also a number of small
outlying islands. On the evening
of the 18th of August Captain john
son again set sail, and followed dur
ing that night and the two success
siye days, (viZ., the 18th and 10Th
of Anguish the entire east and south
east coast of the land, which was
everywhere, AS we'll as the open
sea, as far and wide, wholly desti-
tutc Of ice. The ocean lying towards
the east-northeast was perfectly free
of ice. Sc far as it was distinguish
able from the summit Of the hills.
Only on the north coast was there
any lee.
Among the most important dis
coverics made by Captain Nils
Johnson were the fauna and fora
of these far Northern lands. Birds,
seals and reindeer abound, the latter
of remarkable fatncss. The i'm.
mense longitudinal piles oftirewood
which ran along the eastern coasts
some twenty feet above the highest
tidal mark, are suggestive Of the
current conditions of the artic Ocean
and also Of the me teorologic and
other atmospheric commotions in
the ''icy seas. ~. y. Herald.