The New York herald., 1874-09-14
The New Light on the Geography
OF tho North Pole.

The New Light ON the Geography
OF tho North Pole.
The results gathered by the Austrian Polar
expedition, OF which we have obtained as yet
only an inkling, are very suggestive to the
many who take an interest in geographical re-
search. 1t is little curious that the an
nouncement by telegram of the region to
which they penetrated reached us shortly
after laborious Austrian meteorologist, DR..
Chavanne, theoretically indicated the geo.
graphy OF the unknown region in which lay
the scene OF their exploration. This last
named scientist has recently published in
Petermarm's Journal the conclusions he ar
rives at from applying to Arctic geography
physical principle which was proposed by
Lieutenant Maury for ascertaining the nature
of unexplored regions. The principle is very
simple, and consists in interpreting the trend
of the isothermal lines as guide to discovery
in the ice regions
Many years ago Alexander Won Humboldt
sagaciously proposed to the navigators on the
Chilian coasts, where, during the Peruvian
season OF the garata (or mis), ships are una
BILE to recognize the shores and sail past their
ports, to determine their latitude by the local
direction OF the magnetic curves. An analo-
gous use of the isothermal curves, for finding
icy and iceless paths in the mysterious regions
Of the Arctic basin has been ingeniously fol-
lowed up by DR.. Chavanne, with results Of
great geographic interest.
| We're the Polar areas north of eighty degrees
north latitude one uniform ocean we should
expect, as explorers penetrate northward, to
find the climatic conditions of winter and
summer approach more nearly to each other
than if there were large land masses. per-
vading dampness and comparative mildness
in north winds might be counted upon did
the latter blow over an unbroken expanse of
water But an exhaustive analysis of the
mean thermometric ranges, both winter and
summer, of all Arctic places whose mean
temperatures are known, dssipates and ex-
cludes this hypothesis Great extremes and
great dryness mark many of the winds which
blow from the yet unseen land north OF the
eighty-third parallel. The numerical analysis
shows that the mean winter and summer Polar
| temperatures vary from ffty-fve degrees to
sixty degrees Fahrenheit--a variation OBJ
served in no marine districts and wholly in
consistent with the supposition that the North
Polar basin is mainly oceanic The unavoid-
able inference, therefore, is that much of this
basin is insular or continental. The atmO-
spheric indications led the Austrian meteor
ologist to the very conclusion to which, the
%a1a al <ba f.,o
came by actual experience when they found q
land mass north of Nova Zembla, and stretch
ing to rs yet unknown dimensions over this
distant and desolate waste OF the earth.
The theoretic conclusion Of the geographer
points to all extension of the Arctic Continent
far beyond the eghtieth parallel; and Parry s
| journey in 1921 as well as the ice masses COW
cred with vegetable matter, driftwood covered
| with mud, animals rarely seen except near
land and uniform diminution OF ocean
depth-all observed by Payer and Weyprecht-
! corroborate Dr. Cbavannes view. Accord
ingly, be concludes that the major axis of the
Arctic Continent, though probably indented
and disrupted by straits and fiords, lies across
the North Pole, and that Greenland, after
running as far north as eighty-three degrees
or eighty-fou degrees north, is prolonged in
northeasterly direction. He further con-
cludes from the data that the sea between the
coast of the Arctic Continent and the north
coast of America is traversed by branch Of
the warm Kuro Siwo, or japanese Gulf
| Stream, flowing through Behring Strait.
That this is the case, and that this warm
stream, after penetrating the Polar Ocean,
flows over as far eastward as Smith Sound
was apparently demonstrated by the Hall ex-
pedition. The southerly current in Robson
Channel, the mysterious fact that the tide
rises sooner in Newman Bay than in Polaris
Bay (sixty miles further south) and the dis
covery OF japanese driftwood in Robson
! Channel all attest the existence of current
from Behrng Strait to toward Smith Sound
The final deduction arrived at is that the
most promising routes to the Pole are, first,
between Nova Zembla and Sptzbergen, and,
secondly, by the sea north of Behring
| Strait, along the coast of the as yet unknown
Polar land.
It should not be disguised that while these
celebrations throw light on the future paths
Of Arctic exploration they clearly prove thu
immense peril that must forever beset the ex-
plorer. No concourse of physical conditions
can be imagined more fraught with danger to
ship and seaman than that brought to light
by Dr. Chavanne's researches and confirmed
by the observations of the Austrian expedition
! just heard FROM 1t must not be wondered at
| I
hereafter by those who, not without justice,
look upon Polar expeditions as suicidal.
Our PULpITs YESTERDAY sermons we
print to-day show that the religious season in
New York has begun in earnest and that
the reign of crime during the absence of SO