The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1874-10-08
THE ARCTIC UNKNOWN.
The Discovery Of Francis Joseph Land
Polar Explorations Declared Useless.
Correspondence of the N. Y.World.

Polar Explorations Declared Useless.
Correspondence of the N. Y. World.
CHR1suANA, Norway, August 50.-An-
| other link has been formed in the chain
| of discovery which is eventually to unite
| the now unknown regions of the Arctic
| Ocean to the civilized world, and this
! time the finders are Of the Austrian ma
| ton. The discovery which they have
| made viii render their. names famous
| in the now but partially unrolled record
of Arctic Discovery. have just had a
| long and interesting conversation with
Captain Payer, the leader of the expedi-
ton. You have already heard Of the ex-
petition as given by the men them
selves It is wonderful story. Cir
cumstances which they could not control
guided these men to the discovery OF
what may prove to be long sought
Arctic continent. It is certain that they
have discovered new land and one of
great extent After Count Wilczee's de-
parture the steamer was headed north
east, according to the original plan of
the expedition. But the ice was form
ing fast and they soon found themselves
completely EMBODIED in the drifts. To
teen long months this steamer and these
men were imprisoned in the mighty
foes and carried with them in their
never -ceasing motion. Then in Decem-
Der, 1873, land hove in sight. The ice
with which they We're floating was
brought to stand still by the land.
The party disembarked, and with dogs
and sledges journeyed inland. The land
of 90 Il II to
formation, separated by huge glaciers.
The dolomite appeared in some places
as compact limestone, and IN others III
huge crystalline granulated rocks of
cloudy color. But little vegetation OF
any kind was noticed, and with the ex-
ception of few Arctic birds, no animal
life was observed. The party travelled
northward to latitude 80 deg, and then
returned to their ship. ), From the point
gained the land extended to the north
and west as far as the eye could reach.
The discoveries named the land S'E'ran-
els Joseph Land"
The great question now to be settled
is, 'sWhat is this Francis Joseph Land
which Captain Payer has discovered?'
Our geographers here are undecided,
some holding that it is continent by
itself, and others that it is part of East
ern Greenland. This latter theory is
stoutly maintained by the followers of
Petermann, who have always maintained
that the abrupt and mountainous coast
of East Greenland trends away to the
northeast slightly beyond Seoresby's
furtherest point north of Spitzbergen.
The absence of animal life is important
in settling this question, for Hayes tells
us that the whole region around the
shores of Smiths Sound ''teems with
animal life, and one good hunter could
easily feed twenty mouths The sea
abounds in walrus, seal, narwha, and
white whale, the land in raindeer, foxes,
eider-duck, wild geese, snipe, and gulls
of various description, and the ice is the
roaming ground of bears. Francis
Joseph Land seems to have none of
these; but this fact may be explained by
the presence of colder currents than in
Smiths Sound; and the failure of the
explorers to find animal life in their
brief journey is not conclusive evidence
of its non-existence. No limit has yet
been discovered to the existence of ami
NAL life within the Arctic Circle, and a
failure to discover it Immediately in this
new region should not be regarded as
absolute proof of it's absence.