The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-06-08

time erected, and except some pebbles and sand
picked up on an iceberg there was nothing ID
show positively that there was land there at allj
for the icebergs could not be formed without thera
being land, nor could boulders pebbles and
land be found floating on Ice in the open
sea unless that Ice had been formed on shd
land. For all glaciers are OF mountain origin aud
are formed OF snow, and the iceberg is simply .
fragment broken from the glaciers. When in an
iceberg boul iers and sand are formed, they ara
known among those familiar with the subject "a
have been carried down by mountain torrents and
deposited on the glaciers, or to have been hurled
the Alps. The origin Of an iceberg is simply this,
as shown by the researches Of Hayes. RINK and
the mountain tops, the summer sun party ar
thavs 1t, the winter frosts freeze It, and
thus 2 layer Of Ice is formed. Year BY yea.
there is vast accumulation. But ice q
not IKE rock, solid unfolding mass, hut
the mountain Ice slowly nows down the mountain
sides. Were this not the case the mountains would
climb up to an amazing height.
Rendu estimates the accumulation OF ice on tho
Alps at thickness OF ifty-eight inches annually.
elevate Mont Blanc 1000 feet Ia 1000 years. the
glacier s in fact the river OF the rigid regions Of
the Arctic and Antarctic regions and q lofty
similar to that Of the poles The river It IS true.
tons tons from rom the All air which come in.
Amazon. Missouri and other great streams drain
the precipitauons from the air which come in tho
fourteen r inches daily, according to the deciiVity
and the temperature, but fs very shady and TIRE.
sstible as torrent tumbling from the mountain
and thousands OF feet In thickness In the Alps
and other mountains Of temperate and tropicaN
chimes the glacier comes down to q lower and
warmer level, and the END is then melted on, as,
the end Of a candle would be II held In the door o6
an open stove. Not so however, the Arctic and
Antarctic glaciers, for there being in those
regions no lower line warm enough 1ors
glaciers must necessarily nd its way into the sea-.
and following stll the bed OF The sea, which Is but
continuation n Of the same inclined plain AT the,
wan and 'front.' Of ice. which shortly. sinks
equilibrium Is disturbed and a creek Is formed
which, beginning at the bottom, lIberates NASAL
several miles In diameter, and behold we have an
iceberg on an island, as Wilkes sometimes calls it.,
does which are formed upon the surface or the sea :
rms being the case, IL Is clear that while there.
may and very likely Is not continent in the AM
too, OF considerable extent 1t may not be az
large as North America, but 1t is not small piece
such vast Quantities OF loo In the form OF iceberrs
as Wilkes, Ross, Cook and others describe. ia
whatever may be its extent or limits Isl
covered with an enormous canopy OF ice 4
sssnaraea ON EVERY Ss sao into a sSs
and, the sea being cogEed with iccbergs has in ID
created what all Antarctic navigators call the ice
barrier which is not only OF such great attitude al
to lead the imagination to regard them AZ moun-l
tains, but the effect OF mirage. common in both
North and South. and the absence OF points Of
sion.
There can be no doubt that the non-existence o1
q considerable portion OF Wilkes continent has
been proven by the researches OF the Challenger
expedition, just as another portion was previ-.
ousy shown TO be OF very doubtful existenc0
by Sir James Ross. Who claimed ,n 70
lenger has done in she present instance wfshl
the Termination This, however does not By anL
means disprove the existence OF land 0etween
these extreme points OF the claimed discovery. ~
log Is no less log with Two pieces sawed on ita
curtailed and as log not be worth 80 much to ita
owner; but II is poor policy 10 burn the centraR
piece up In spite and wantonness because the ends
are gone. Let us save what we can OF the Antarc-
tic Continent-a feat which can only be performed
by sending out forthwith government expedition
10 see what Ross and the Challenger have really
left OF our much boasted discovery This tha
honor OF the country and the good name OF the
late gallant and cnterprsing Admiral wiIkes alikQ
leWapds