The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-01-03

VsluIG VI
Thousand Feet High.
From the Courier des Flats unis.I
The ship Cadmus has arrived at oan
Fr,nc;sco on its return voyage from the
Arctic Ocean. whittier it had gone to col
Loot tho remnants of the shipwrecked whal-
inc fleet. On the 2Sth of September the
Csdmus received from the captain OF the
whaler. George Robbins, certain dispatches
addressed to the French Geographical So
ciety by our c~ountryman, M. PaVy, now
On an eypedition to the North Pole. Ihese
disnotches are dated the 25th of August,
On the eastern coast of Wrangel Land. we
present en- analysis of the interesting docu-
,nents which have been brought by the
Cadmus. %, ou
pavy. commander, Profs. Thomas New
comb and Henry Edwards, OF San Fran
cisco. M. Jean Bruil and forty seamen,
landed on the 18th Of June on the eastern
coast of Holyuchin Bay. On the ga Oh
lime the explorers, reinforced by eleven
natives. started in the direction OF the east,
along the north bank of the Siberia, having
provided themselves with sleds and dogs.
On the 18th of July they reached the mouth
of the river Petroliz. Near the NOUN Oh
this river they encountered immense neios
of ice moving in a northeasterly direction.
They trayersed one single plain OF ice
e;xty miles in extent. Their bearings in
Dictated a deviation of eighteen miles from
their intended course. This was caused
hv The movement of the ice, this fact going
to confirm the theory Of M. Pavy concern.
ing the concentration and augmentation OF
the great Japanese current known as the
Krra .Sirod which flows through Beh-
rings Strait on the right, and thence
toward the east off the coast oil Siberia.
The explorers reached the shores OF Wran-
gel Land near the mouth Of a great river,
running from the northwest, and which Is
not set down on any chart. This M. Pavy
considered as confirming another OF ms
theories. that there exists a great polar
continent and of which the temperature IS
sufficiently warm to melt the snow. Inc
current of this hitherto unknown stream
flows in an easterly direction along the
coast, with a rapidity of six knots an hour.
M. Pavy and his party followed the
plain of this river toward the north for
about $50 miles. The plain is uniformly
level, its width varies from fifty to sixty
miles and it is bordered by mountains oil
great height, with many perpendicular
peaks. About eighty miles from the
mouth of the river the travellers found upon
the plain the remains of mastodons, and on
clearing away the snow in a place where
tusks were visible they brought to light the
body of one OF the animals o.
an extinct race, in q perfect state OIL
preservation. The skin was covered with
black and streaked hair, very long and
thick on the back. The tusks measured
eleven feet eight inches in length, and were
curved up to a level with the monsters
eyes. The animal was in q kneeling pos
ture, the front legs being bent, while the
hind parts were deeply imbedded in the
snow, indicating that the mastodon had
persisted in struggling to get out of a mire
hole or snow drift.
Prof. Newcomb could not find any spe
cial characteristics distinguishing the extinc
mastodon or elephant of to-day. He tool
from the stomach some specimens OF bari
and herbs, the nature of which he coult
not analyze on the spot. For the space 0
many miles the plain was covered with thu
remains of many ~mastodons, indicating
that a numerous drove of these gigantl,
animals had there persisted, owing to sem'
! sudden change or convulsion of nature
This region abounds in Polar bears, which
deyour the remains of the mastodons.
About 100 miles from the coast and
half league from the river, rises al ic
mountain about 1000 feet in height, to
base Of which is surrounded by gravel ant
rocks deeply imbeddcd in the soil. Th,
smoothness of the rocks and their rounded
form prove that they were at one time in tn
bed Of o river, from which they had bee
cast up by some strange phenomenon
Arctic animals are numerous in the valley
and myriads of arctic birds fly about tn
river and its banks.
At the date of these dispatches M. Paw
was preparing to winter under the seventy
fifth degree Of latitude, in the valley of tn
great river polar continent. Both he an
his companions were in good health an
courage, and were confident of arriving
during the coming season, at a great pola
sea of moderate temperature, at the e1
IRENE north of the continent.