Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-06-18
Qbe freeman.
The pOiariS.
TIE OPEN POLAR SEA.

W. me contrary, should characterize it as
,-,.t success, and one that reflects honor
- American enterprise and courage. Solid
ord ya,uable additions to our knowledge oil
90. r..,ious north Of Smiths Sound have
t-oc made by Captain Hall and his party
onJ the possibility of reaching tie pole by
,ti. route may now be regarded as settled.
Wien in 1854, Mr.. Morton, of Kane 8 par
- stood on Cape Constitution, in latitude
,+ Sl- 45' north, he was satisfied that he
..s the waters IF the open polar sea break
ir., aralast tie headlaud. And when, in
IN DR. Hayes reached latitude 8la 35'
I,c.,,tuJc ~ 50', on the opposite shores of
Gr,1reu's Land, he, too, was honestly OF
tae ,rini3n that Kennedy Channel expanded
M, the ouen polar basin. Little did he
im.oire that, ten years alter, Captain Hall,
- ne Polarls, would sail through these Wa
tqr. and find here bay sixty miles in
Erfadfh from east to west, and eighty-five
,o,is- IN length from north TO south, and that
h. would winter in a harbor on the Green
land aide opposite the spot where he stood,
in r-,cseiv the same latitude, but sixty
mic. farther to the cast. This is what Cap
tam Hall did; and henceiorth Kane's and
Ut,e,'s open polar sea will be known as Po-
la7.. Bay, and their theory Of an open polar
scs at TINS point must now be regarded as
incorrect This important point the voyage
gt the Polars has placed beyond all doubt.
ROBES Ms CHANNEL THE WAY TO THE POLE.
Havin, crossed the mouth of this bay, the
p,arls entered a channel twenty-five miles
IN width and f0rty-fve miles in length,
which Captain Hall named Robes0n's Chan
pe alter the Secretary of the American
Navy. At the northern extremity of that
fIannel he found himself in latitude So l6'.
The land On tie Greenland side here trended
eastward, and another inlet or bay opened
but the weather was too hazy in tnat drec-
ton To determine its extent. On the Amerl-
can side land was visible to latitude 832 ,
within four hundred and twenty miles of the
pJe. " hat glorious Chance of solving
Tie problem Of centuries, and winning the
laurel crown Here the question arises,
Why did not Captain Hall now press on
lie met with ice at this point, but 1t was by
DO means an impenetrable pack. lie could
have gone on, and wished to do SO and the
responsibility of turning back must rest on
Captain Buddlngton, who concluded that 1t
was unsafe to advance, as no harbOr might
be lound IN which to winter. What pity
that the party did not resolve to dare every
tang, and seize the golden opportunity
which NAV not recur in the next hundred
Years Possibly, had they done so, they
might have found that Greenland extends to
the pole, and that watery channel sewers 1t
from Grinnell Land all the way or possibly
lle5 might have found themselves 10 the
Or,n polar sea, somewhere beyond latitude
s. Iac existence of such sea IS not yet
determined, but SO far it seems that the evi-
deuce 5 IN favor Of Petermann's theory o
Greenland being prolonged over the pole.
Some other daring explorer will follow in hi;
track, and the mystery Of the Pole may yei
be solved.
THANk-GJD HARBoR-HALL's DEATH.
After turning south the Polarls agair
passed through Robeson's Channel to its
southern extremity, where Captain liGll dis
covered i cape which he named Cape Luptun
Attic head of Polaris Bay, in latitude 81
49, and longitude about 6l' 81, he found
hartor which he named g Thank God liar
br, lere he wintered. 1t is remarkable
that the temperature here did not sink lower
than fllty-eight degrees below zero, and theT
only tor shor5 time, and that musk-oxeI
were plentiful, also q kind of rabbit and
few birds. The expedition in a d0g-sledg
which Captain nalI undertook, resulted il
the discovery of Newman's Bay, about fv
miles wide, twenty miles north OF their win
ter quarters. This appears to be the arm Q
PJ.ar5 Bay. The death of Captain Hal
was the result OF the htTdships he endure
II this excursion. There is not the slightee
ground tor the vulgar suspicion expressed i
some Of the American newspapers, that hi
death was the result of foul play. No sue
suspicion is entertained by any OF the part
here. DR.. Bessels attended him on his deaf
bed, and we may be sure that every possib
means was used, by one SO we'll qualified, t(
his recovery.
THE VOYAGE ON TIE ICE.
have talked with several of the part
regarding the misfortune by which the
were separated from the ship, and concur
representing it as purely accidental.
may seem strange that the Esquimaux W.
men and children were on the ice, but
seems that Captain Buddington, in the hurr
OF the moment, believing the ship to be l
danger of being crushed, ordered them o
the ice for safety. They are unable to e.
plain why greater effJrls were not made
rescue them by those on board the Polar
but none OF them has any suspicion OF sue
revolving barbarlty as their wllliul abandon
ment ON the lce What is at present my
ter Gus in the movements Of the Polarls c
the day after the disaster will no doubt
explained in due time.
WONDERFUL RUN OF THE PoLARIs.
Tie wonderful good fortune which attende
tie PJlaris during the early part of her vO..
age is without precedent in Arctic explor
ton. She crossed Melville Bay, the dres
Of all Arctic adyenturers, without encou
tering any serious obstacles from the ice, ar
reached the North Water without ar
trouble. Thence her course up Smith
Sound and Kennedy Channel was almo
through open water. Polaris Bay and Robe
sons Channel were found equally clear
Impcdiments from ice and IN eight da
after leaving Tossuc, the most northern po
OF Southern Greenland, the Polaris was
latitude so Ga most wonderful run
such high latitudes. On the 1st of SepteI
Der, lSl |, her course was arrested. In tn
snort time, however, she did excellent seryl
and made valuable discoveries, which W
nave an important be elring on future Arct
explorations. Ali future expeditions W
take the route by Smiths Sound, where
Is now ascertane1 that, at least occaslonall
the highway to the polar sea or the Nor
foIe Is open. But what contrast to tt
were the experiences Of Drs. Kane a
Hayes
PROSPECTS OF TEE P0LARIs.
As to the Poleris, it seems to be but
act OF prudence to despatch a vessel to
Felei, at least as far as .Upernavck, there
await tor time her possible arrival, a
should she not appear within "a reasona
time to 90 in search of her as far as VIII;
sound, at the mouth Of which is NOrthu
oerland Island, where she was last seen.
seems to me that the chief reason for app
hensloh regarding her is the fact that she
Ieit without boats, and should any aecide
'appen TO the ship the crew are without
sources, unless by breaking up they {
build boat. Unfortunately, too, all
doss, eleven in number, were on the ice, a
had to be shot afterwards for want of TO