The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-07-02
NORTH POLAR RESEARCHES.


Remarkable Discoveries by the Norwe-
CLAN Explorers, smyth and Ulve.
From the reports OF various Norwegian, Swedish
and other Arctic voyages, recently published In
Germany by DR.. Petermann, and soon to be repub-
lished by the photographic Once at Washington,
we give the following interesting items:-
The expedition, undertaken by an English gentle
man, Mr.. Leigh smyth, and commanded by the we'll
known Norwegian seaman Captain live, left
Tromso about the same time with that Of Messrs.
Payer and weyprecht, Of which the public has
already heard. After quick passage the latitude
Of the South Cape of spitzbergen was made on the
9Th Of July The highest temperature Of the surface
Of the sea-A degrees Fahrenhet-was observed
In latitude "A north and the water was cOnsldera-
bly, above the freezing point beyond the north
western extremity Of Spttzbergen ranging from "A
to SO degrees Fahrenheit. Throughout this time
fogs prevailed and the temperature of the air was
found to be generally degree lower than that Of
the water.
There was no Ice seen from July when south OF
Bear Island) to the 14th when the vessel had
reached within two miles OF Amsterdam Island.
Now, however, 1t lay to the west, east and north
far could be seen from the top Of the highest
mountain Of that island, with the exception OF a
small strip of navigable water along the coast
through which the vessel penetrated, from the 18th
w oiio Sooh VI GUY, "ioh ciioio iuPuoiAS w
Shoal Point latitude so II north, longitude II 40
east, when thicker ice compelled her to enter
Serge Bay.
The temperature Of the air along the north coast
of Spitzbergen, from the 9th to the 2Sth of July
had been, with prevailing easterly winds, In the
mean SO deg min., and that of the surface of the
sea "a deg. min. In Serge bay, with calm weather
and sunshine, the temperature of the air rose on
the Goth and 3oth to 55 deg, the mean Of the two
days being so deg, while that of the sea remained
at 81 deg, thus illustrating the power of isolation
in bays and near the land. On the 10th Of july in
KObbe Bay, the temperature OF the air had risen to
AZ deg. In the HnOpen Strait, into which the YES
sci proceeded southwark on the 31st OF July, both
the temperature OF air and sea fell to 80 deg. In
Lomme Bay where she lay at anchor on the lst and
I'd Of August the air showed in the mean AZ deg.
8 min, the water 80 deg. 2 min, the bay being,
like Serge bay entirely free from ice. Here
one of the glass balls was found which is used
in the Norway fisheries, proving that the Gulf
Stream, following the north coast of Sptzbergen,
extends also into LOmme Bay. Captain Tive pene-
trated in this region four degrees further east than
the Swedish expedition OF 1884, and further than
any other explorer. At their easternmost point
latitude 80 deg. 81 min north, longitude ~ deg.
rs min east there was, on september Q, "open
water before them, to the eastward and south
ward, as far they could see," and that there
must have been also considerable open water
beyond their horizon, to the southeast, would
appear from the abundant rain, with southeasterly
winds. experienced during the following two days,
the 9th and It'll OF September.
That easternmost point OF Smyth and Ulve is dis
tant less than two hundred miles, or only about q
days run OF a good steam vessel, from the north
ernmost point reached by Weyprecht and Payer
only five days previous, on the 1st OF September.
1t Is of especial interest as regards the solution or
the Polar question: that the navgabity of this part
of the Arctic Ocean, proven by the latter to latitude
7SA deg. north, was thus shown by Smyth and Ulve
to extend two degrees higher north and q little
farther to the westward, nearly three degrees, to
81 deg. "a min., north.
The results OF Captain Ulve'S explorations con-
firm those OF Payer and Weyprecht and throw much
light on the probable success, in the summer OF
1872, of their second North Polar expedition.
Some have ventured the opinion that the sea ex-
plored by Weyprecht and Payer was only acclden-
tally or for the time open and free from ice, the
firm border having receded somewhat to the north
or melted Off; but in the above statements we have
the proof that there Is no permanent Ice even in
latitude sO,s north, in the very throat of the Polar
current. on coast against which all the year the
icy masses of the Central Polar Basin press. 1t
might be said that these observations are only for
two years. 1884 and 1871 but for the latter we have
more observations than for any previous year from
the beginning Of explorations In the Arctic. There
was no firm, impenetrabe ice Off Eastern Green
land, none around Spitzbergen, in the Nova Zem-
ba Sea, around Nova Zembla and In the Kara Sea ;
and even far in the Siberian Arctic Sea as longi-
| tude S2a east, no indication Of Ice was encOun-
| tered by Mack.
Ulve and Smyth met loose drift ice in the very
| Polar Stream north of Sptzbergen, not lower than
latitude 81 deg. "a in north, on the 18th OF Sep
TENDER. All the ice against which they had to bat
tie some weeks before, on the parallel of latitude
10 deg so min north, extending then as far as the
eye reached, had completely disappeared, and at
that highest point the temperature of the air was
81 deg, and of the sea it WAS 80 deg, while Kane
observed at Rensselaer, Harbor (his winter quar-
ters), in latitude 7s deg 81 min. NORTH nearly three
degrees more south, mean daily temperature on
september IL, 1853 of 1871 deg. highest 1913 deg,
lowest 14.2 deg! and on September II, 1854, re-
spectively lO;4 deg 1870 deg. and 2.a deg.
These results are additionally strengthened by re-
ports from several British whalers which have
! been forwarded to DR.. Petermann and also trans
lated by Mr. f. r. KnOrr for the photographic ONCE
Among these are the reports Of Mr. James Lamont
| In the steam yacht DIANA Captain Christian JOhan
nesen, in the yacht Lydanna Captain Soren Johan.
| nesen in the yacht Cecilia; Captain TObiesen yacht
Freya; ROsenthal's expedition in the steamer Ger
mania, and lastly Captain I. Torkildsen, in the
| yacht Ellida.
THE PAVING CONTRACTS.