Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1873-05-06
An Arctic Revelation.
From the New York World

From the New York World
As there Is nothing 80 solemn 10 ma
ture as the vast desolation that rcigns
about the the North Pole-virgin YET
of the presence ofintruding fsot or SAIL
or any evidence OF our human kind.
so when we catch vague glimpses OF
the land Of silence, or are enabled TO
lift the curtain Of Ignorance that hangs
about Its outskirts. nothing car more
strike the mind with Its impressive
ness. We all know that In some lone
,ly ice-bound spot lie the remains OF
brave expiorers-Sir John Franklin
and his eompany-neyer perhaps TO Dc
brought back, to the world OF green
fields and pleasant places. But some
times the secrets of the far North are
unlocked; sometimes the shadow OF
ignorance which envelopes It and hides
IL from our sight gives way 10 the
light Of knowledge, and the world
reads a curious story In the revelation.
1t has been reserved for Captain
Carlson, q Norwegian navigator, to
pierce this veil of mystery, In one In
stance. at least, and to make a dis
covery which. In the recital Of 1t seems
moro like a strange fairy tale Of the far
north than a sober narrative Of our
prosaic day. While so many brave
men are exploring the Arctic regions.
searching for that North Pole, the geo
graphical phantom which ever allures
and ever eludes, a curious interest will
attach to his discovery. But, In order
to approach this subject, we must fol-
low a 'circuitous route-He must 60
back nearly 27S years. to a period late
In tho sixteenth century, about the
year 1886. when Willem Barentz, a
Dutch navigator, sailed away on his
second voyage. of discovery to trace
out, If possible, the northwest passage
that famous imagined highway to
Asia by way Of the Arctic Ocean the
fact Of the existence OF which so mahy
other nayigators have vainly endeay-
ored to realize. Barentz failed In his
search, but he discovered Spitzbergen.
chat vast archipelago which lies In the
heart Of hefArctic Ocean. He found
It expedient 20 land upon this coast,
and there he built huts for shelter and
for temporary residence for himself
and for his company. Here he tarried
during the deary months Of an Arctic
Winter, and In due course Of time
abandoned the spot, leaving their huts
aud their contents, and returned to his
own country, never to revisit his quaint
settlement.
Three centuries, nearly. have passed
away since that event. The years
have come and gone over those silent
witnesses to the presence Of the ancient
mariner and his sturdy crew In all
that time, as we may believe. no living
thing has invaded the sacred solitude
of this spot, haunted with memories
of the coming, long ago, Of Barentz
and his men,. Possibly, from a dis
lance, the walrus and the seal may
have gazsd, upon 1t, and from his rapid
flight In the ether sone Arctic bird Of
passage may have turned o curious eye
upon the scene. But no dust has set
tied there; no moth has stolen In to
bring decay. Even the elements
seemed to have abated their severity,
and to have protected with a kindly
hand the legacy left to their individual
keeping. u @~
The sequel almost partakss Of the
character Of ono Of those tales where's
with the princess In the Arabian
Nights deferred her threatened and
delayed fate by Willing away the tedi-
Gus evenings Of her cruel caliph. One
day, In the year 1870, Captain Carlson
bore shoreward In his ship to this Icy
coast Of Spitzbergen. He landed at
the spot where Barentz had landed be-
fore him, and to his perplexed eyes
appearsdt the vision Of the old encamp.
ment.
The huts were still there, just as
Mynhcer had left them nearly 800
years ago. In the rude hearth lay the
relics Of the utterly dead and long ex-
timgulshed fire. Under q shelf were
books from the old Dutchman's library
a work OIL navigation, tho latest sdi-
ton published before he had sailed,
and a history Of China translated into
Dutch. Jugs and dishes. wherein had
been prepared the food and drink OF
tho adventures, were scattered here
aud there, aud even . pair Of shoes
was found which had belonged to q III.
tie cabin boy, who as say che records,
had died upon the voyage. There
were also quaint engravings, and a
curious mathematical instrument In
tended to assist In obtaining longitude.