Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1873-06-26
NO. 81

desola,ion ,ha, reigns about the North
Pole-virgin yet Of the presence Of in'ru-
ding foot or sail or any evidence OF our
human kind-so when we catch vsgus
glimpses of that land of silence. cs ats en-
abled to liz, the curtain OF icIorance that
hangs about its outskirts. nothing can moro
strike the mind With its imprcssiveness
We all nov that in some lonely. iec-bound
spo, lie the remains of brave explorers
Sir John Franklin aud his company-nev-
er perhaps to be brought back TO the world
of green fields aud pleasant places. But
+~-.~ti~.s .hA secrets Of the far north ara
unlocked: sometimes the shadow o:ignor-
ancc which envelcps i. and hides i, from
our sight gives way to the Iii eht of knowl-
edge. and the world reads . curious story
in the revelation.
1t has been reserved for Captain Carl
ser, Norwegian navigator. 10 pierce this
veil of mystery. in ose instance ut least.
ara to make discovery which. in the re-
cital of il. seems more like \ strange fairy
tale Of the far North than sober narra-
tive Of our rrosaic day Wk;lc so many
trave r.cn are exploring the arctic re-
gions. searching for ,ha, North Polc. slc
geographical phantom whi.h ever ailures
and ever eludcs. \ curious i.crcst will at
,ach to his discovery Bin in order to
approach this subject VIC must follow \ cir
cuitous route-wc must 60 back, nearly
o1S years, to Period lase ~ :hc sixteenth
century. about the year 1896, when one
William Baren,.. Dutch avigator. sail
cd away on his second voyage of di>cove
" to trace ont. il possible. the northwest
assagc--;hat famous imagined highway
TO Asia by way of the Arctic Ocean III"
fac, of the existence Of which SO many 9TH
cr navisators have vaiu!y endcavored tn
realize. Baren,r failed in this search but
he discovered Spit.bergcn. tha; vas, arch
ipclago which lies in the heart Of the Arc
tic Ocean He found 1t cxpeiirnt to land
upon this coast. and there built huts for
shelter and for temporary residence for
himself and for his company. Here hs
tarried during the dreary months of an
Arctic winter. and in due course Of time
abandoned the spot. leaving the huts and
their contents, and returned to his owh
country. never TO revisit his quaint settle
ment
Three centuries nearly have passed away
since that event The years have como
and gone over these silent witnesses 10 tho
presence Of the ancient mariner and his
s.arIy crew Ia all that .;me. rs We may
believe, no living thing has invaded tho
sacred solitude of this spot haunted with
memories Of that coming. long ago. et
Barcniz and his men. Possibly. from a
distance, the walrus and the seal may have
gazed upon it. and from his rapid figh:
in the other some arctic bird Of passage
NAV have termed curious eye upcn the
scene. But no dus, has settled there; no
moth has stolen in to bring decay. Even
the elements seemed to have abatcd their
severity aud Is have protected with kind
ly hand the legacy left TO their undivided
keeping.
The sequel almost rartakes Of the char.
actcr of one Of those tales wherewi,h the
princess u the Arabian Nights deferred
her threatened and delayed fate by Will
ing away the tedious evenings of her cru.
el caliph. One day in the year 1871
Captain Carlson bore sicscwsrd in hi'
i. ship TO this icy coast of Spitzbcrsen. ii,
landed at the spot where Barcntz ha"
landed before him. and to his perplcxc'
eyes appeared the vision Of the old cn
campmcnt.
The hu,s were still there. Just as Myn
,, hccr had left them nearly three hundrc'
, !, years ago. In the rude hearth lay TN
-efc. Of the utterly dead and long cxtin
cuished fire. Upon a ste'f were book
from the old Du,chman's library-a worl
on navigation. the latter edition publshc'
before he had vailed. and history of Chi
na translated into Dutch Jugs and dish
: e., wherein had been prepared the drlh
: and food OF the airenturcrs. were scatter
: Cd here and .hctc. and even pair Of sho.
r was found which had belonged TO cahi
n boy. who, rs say the records. had die
: upon the voyage. There were also qua''
! cngravirCs. aud a curious mathematics
1 instrument intended to assist in obtainin
: Longitude. All these articles were careful
Y " collected. and were brought to Europ
i on Carlscn's return.
II There is touch Of the pathetic in ,hi
: revelation Of the long-kcpt secret of IL
= arc,ics. |, is as pathetic, indeed. as ,h'
: story Of another old Dutch seaman. Myr
:. hcer andcrdcckcn. whose ship-wc ha-
l. i, upon excellent. authority of sailors VIII
&c come TO port, and who themselves ha'
= witnessed the strarge., spectacle |
:. seen, at dawn and twilight. in fair wca,l
n c. aud foul rushing like the chcs,ly shi
&c ,ha. it is through the startled sea. or bca
z iug ainlessly abou. the approaches to Il
Zane Of Good Hone