Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-05-14
Arctic Explorations.

There has been strange fascination for ad
venturous men in the undiscovered possibili
ties of the Northern seas Now the mirag
that lures them on is the open Polar Sea, be
fore 1t was the Northwest passage In an
event, what may be learned of that portion @
the globe is of interest to scientific men am
to people who want to know you know,
rather than of any value to the commercial
world. Nor have the explorations for th
last twenty-five years had other than a hu-
name or scientific object Previous to that
time there fingered the hope that drew Hen
drick Hudson and Sir John Franklin alike
to their death.
The attempts to find path to Asia by tax
ing the northern route have been the occa.
sion of liberal displays of heroic courage. The
Dutch early tried to find way along the
north coasts of Europe and Asia and had
been foiled In that attempt before Hudson
made his final and fatal effort to reach east
ern Asia by the route between Greenland and
North America. Behring persisted a hun
dred and thirty years later in equally unsuc-
cessful efforts. Capt Cook, baffled by the
ice north of the Pacific, found his death at
tho hands of the Indians whose islands he
had soug hit in the central Pacific. and not bv
ice and cold
In 1918 Sir John Franklin, then an
English lieutenant, sailed with Buchan's
expedition in the same year that Perry and
Ross made their voyage. Sailing aga in in
1926 he quite thOrou ,hly explored the
northern coast of this continent, and adde
greatly to geographical koOwled re, TIE
search for possible strait came to be the
work OF his life, and in May, 1915, with the
ETebus and Terror be sailed on his last ex-
petition. His long continued absence
brought fears for his safety, and fjr the
dozen years succeeding his death, hich &C.
CURED June IL, 1917, the lost knight was
sought by English AMI Americ ms with all
the eagerness which an indefatiy lbe and
loving wife and the feelings of comm
humanity could inspire. his search led to
the American expedition of 1859 and 1851,
in which the Advance and Rescue under D..
II wen took part, and to the expedition Of
1858 command BY Dr.. Kane, The account
by the latter of the discovery Of an open
Polar Sea added still more to the romance
and fascination of no them disco very
III 1859 Capt. McClintocll succeeded in
finding the date OF SIR John Franklin s death
but left the fate of many f his party yet il.
doubt For the last twelve years D.. I,aac
|. Hayes, who was with K tae'5 expeIl5i on
and Capt. Charles F. Hall have been. among
Americans, most prominent in the list q,
northern travellers. DR.. Hayes has several
times made visits to the region of icebergs
and Capt Hal, beginning in 1860 and follow
ing the work with zeal, began an expedition
in 1864, which after nearly FIVE years, ter
minated in 1869 with verifc4tion Of Capt.
McClintOck's discoveries as to the fate of SIR
John Franklin and the discovery of many
additional facts as to the crews Of the Erebus
and Terror.
From 1869 to 1871 Capt Hall was eagar-
ed in enlisting the United States government
In new expedition and IN fitting out the
Polaris for the undertaking on which he
entered two years ago, and which has added
another name to the long list of brave men
lost in the frozen regions The fate of his
little vessel and a portion of his crew is still
in doubt, as the survivors whose story is else
where given, know nothing of their comrades
since separated from them by the storm of
last October. Even the account of the death
of Capt. Hall is doubted by some and surmis-
es of foul play on the part of his men are in
dulged in. DIR. Hayes doubts whether Hall
was able to preserve the necessary discipline
among his men, and thinks it strange that ap-
oplexy should attack a man in those regions.
We see, however, no cause to disbelieve the
story of Capt Tyson, as it is said that Capt
Hall was of the figure usually supposed to be
subject to the disease which is reported as
causing his death. Nor do we condemn the
hberality that gave the means Of gi wing a S.
luton, if one may be had, of certain interest
ing geographical questions These problems
may have no influence, solved or unsolved
on ocean travel but are even in that regard .
and certainly so far as general int. est is con
cerned, of as much consequence as gassz' IS
bugs and fishes, or the researches of &c enti6c
men IN any particular branch Of knowledge
We deplOre the loss of so many noble men as
have met death willingly in these apparently
fruitless expeditions, but each has added
somewhat to the general knowledge, AMI
some facts valuable in science have been
brought to light. Surely as worthy exlm-
pies OF forttude and perseverance have been
given as have ever been recorded in song or
story, and Captain Hall would have deemed
it no unworthy fame which has come to him
as the result OF his lators, to have approach
ed nearer than his predecessors to the North
Pole and to the solution of questions which
will lure men on until they are fully an