The New York herald., 1874-10-23
1CE-LoCKED IN 7HE ARCTIC GLOOM.
TWO Years on an Ice-Bank-A
@ Terrible Drift.
FRANCIS JOSEPH LAND.
Enormous Glaciers and Chaotic
Heaps of Rock and Ice.
sCURvY AND BRONCHITIS.

0OOASvA A1ND DANOANSa 1Os
Sixty.Ssvcn White Bears Supply Fresh Neat
to the Ice.BOund Explorers.
Lieutenant Payers Thrill
ing Story.
The following is q translation Of the report
OF Lieutenant Payer. giving history OF the
ustro-Hungarian expedition TO the North Pole,
which was published In The Vienna Neae Fre6
P1esse:-
On BOARD THE STEAMSHIP FINNnARKEN,l
September, 1874.
The real object OF the Austro- Hung artan expe-
dtion to the North Pole was, as Is well known, to
discover the Northeast Passage, and not at all to
look for land to the northeast OF Spitzbergen
and Gillis' Land, although tho results OF
the previous expedition would, In many respects
justify the suppositi0n that unknown lands ex :
listed In that direction. Bat the expedition OF
1872 to 1874 discovered land that 1t was not in
search OF, and failed to discover the passage 1t
sought 60 ind. Here, then, Is the acknowiedg-
ment that our plan, while Wanting the North
east Passage, was based on nypotheses that were
entirely erroneous.
The extraordinary high latitude Of 10 deg l5 min,
which the previous expedition tls71) had attained
In the sea situated between SpitzperRen and Nova
ZemDla, and tho continually favorable reports OF
the Norwegian sailors. who frequent the latter
island as to the navigabihty Of the sea Of Kara
80 much decried before, we're the motives which
served as the basis OF the Austrian expedition.
But the belief in an 'open polar scar had always
been foreign to us. The nautical part OF the ex-
petition had already come to an end. under the
peculiarly unfavorable influence OF the summer OF
1S72 and that some weeks AFTER having attained
the limit of the ice nelds and at an immense dis
tance from the nnal object OF the projected voy-
age. One thing s certain, that It ts impossible
for ships Of the present construction to attain
the Northeast Passage, or that OF the Northwest,
as to reach the Pole itself. More than that, It Ia
equally impossible for ships. as general rule to
penetrate freely into the depths Of the Polar re-
g1Ons This, OF course, Is only personal opinion.
Az for Us, II invtncible obstacles have prevented
us from realizing our plan, proptttous destiny
has spared us the cruel disenchantment, after
years OF hard fatigues and privauons, Of having
70 return to our country without having obtained
some success.
The following description OF our expedition can
naturally give but . superficial idea OF what we
saw and felt: and as It cannot at all include an
exposition OF the data so painfully acquired by MN.
Weyprecht, Orel and Brosch in the domain OF me-
teorology and OF terrestrial magnetism It's princi
pal object win be, aside from secondary details.
the recital Of the discovery OF the country and
the excursions we made in it up to the highest
possible latitude
years, left Bremernaven on June 13 1872 on board
the Tegethon, screw steamer OF about 220 tons,
with q crew Of twenty -four men, and arrived at
Troms0e after voyage Of twenty-one days. AT
TromsUe the Norwegian Captain Carlsen was taken
aboard in the capacity OF harpooner and guide
through the Ice, being wen known as sucn famil-
lar he is with the difficulties Of the navigation
Of Arctic regions. Having completed her outfit
the Tegethon left Tromsoe on the 18th July
and took the direction OF Nova Zembla. Some
days later we doubled the North Cape and toward
the end Of July the limit Of the Ice fields was visi
ble about latitude u deg. l6 min. north.
Prom this moment unlocked ior olficultles pre-
sented themselves to rs. shut up ior some days
BY the Ice during the first week OF August we sue
ceeded In disengaging ourselves, and drawing close
10 the coast OF Nova Zemba as deg. north latude)
We were able 10 ascertain the TACT, by reason OF
the constantly low temperatures and the enor-
nous accumulation OF Ice, that the summer or 1871
0rmed complete contrast with that OF the pre-
ccding year. We sKirted the coast with much
dif1culty, and it was only at the latitude OF the
William Isles that We found q free passage.
A little to the south Of these isles we
were rejoined BY the Norwegian yacht
lsbjaern, having on board Count Wnczek and
Commodore Baron de Sterneck. The
yacht had made the diflcult voyage from Spitz-
bergen in order 30 establish for our use depot OF
provisions at Cape Nassau. The two vessels sailed
in company as lar as the lower islands OF Barentz.
where compact masses OF ice barred our further
passage for whole week.
ON the 10th OF August Count wilczek established
the depot In the interior OF narrow crevice OF
rock which was inaccessible to the white bears,
and on the 18th we celebrated all together the ma
tional festival, the birthday OF the Emperor Fran
CHS Joseph. on board the Tegethor On the 22d OF
august, some favorable changes having taken
place in the state OF the ice took leave OF the
Isbjaern and, in dark and gloomy weather, We took
our course toward the north In pursuit OF our
object distant 1000 miles away. But with
what vain hope we fed ourselves The
same evening we were caught in the Ice and
held captive for two long yearsi Our destiny
seemed to be accomplished. Instead OF being ex-
plorers on voyage Of discovery We were now but
passengers on an Ice bank. Tue excessive cold OF
the autumn OF 1872 soon welded INTO one solid
mass the sheets OF ice that surrounded us--a mass
that neither saw nor mine could open passage
through. 1t was thus that during the months OF
September and October We were driven toward
the northeast at the mercy OF our tcebank. All
stgn Of land had disappeared.
II this situation was already sad enough It be-
came rishtiui after the 18th OF October, when the
forces OF which we were the sport Gil on sudden
awoke rom their lethargy, and our ship became
exposed TO the dreadful pressure OF the ice, which
lasted all the winter. Many o time we were
called on deck to prepare to quit the ship
IN case she foundered, and to launch ourselves
into the unknown in the middle OF the Polar night
But the ship, far from laundering, rose more and
more above her water mark: but that did not
make her less . source Of constant disquietude to
ms on account OF the dangerous nature or her sur
roundings. All our preparations for winterinQ
had been made beforehand The ship had only