Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-10-14

| being raised up and at another time sinking
| down. For FIVE months the explorers lived in
| continual excitement and danger, and this
| constant state of peril by day and night was
| the hardest part TO bear of the whole voyage.
| The boats, with provisions In them, were kept
| always ready on deck, so that the Tegethoff
| might be abandoned at moments notice.
| In January, 1878, they reached 72' north lati-
tude For five months during the summer of
| that year they worked at the extrication of the
| ship, but in vain. Everything was tried, but
| there was no getting back BY the end Of
| August there were thirty feet of ice under the
vessel. so in September the work of extrica
ton was reiinQuished 1t was at the end OF
August that the new land was first sighted,
and this greatly rejoiced the explorers as 1t
was felt to be the first positive result OF the
expedition. BY the middle of October they
were in so, north latitude. The ice-floe
in which the vessel was embedded diminished
in size, and at last reached the main land,
where it fixed on to firm ice, and there the
ship lay immovabe At this point it was that
the explorers were especially struck with the
extraordinary splendor of the Northern
Lights, and here it was that Lieut.. Payer
p,ade his sleigh journey. In the Spring the
explorers resolved to abandon their vessel.
The boats were placed on rollers and pro-
visioned, and at 8 p. M. of the Goth of May
they pushed off from the Tegethoff. The
commencement of the journey was fearful
Between huge ice blocks, deep snow, and
pools of water the boats proceeded, every in
slant death threatening the explorers In
fortnight they had only succeeded in making
seven nautical miles. On the 18th OF June
they came from the land ice into the sea, and
what with the ice and the water and their
labors were tremendous. After two months
they again sighted the ship. Then came
stronger winds and larger tracts of water, so
that they were able to get greater distances
with the boats. lie was not, however, until
the 10Th Of August that they came to perfect
ly open sea, and here it was decided that the
crews should all row in turns, which was ac-
cordingy done, and progress made at the rate
of forty miles day. The expedition steered
towards Nova Zembla in the hope OF finding
there some Norwegian vessels. But none
were to be found The condition of the ex-
plorers was comfortless in the extreme. The
sea ran high, the temperature was low; often
wet through, they were unable to cook any
thing. Nh Norwegian vessel being found
they determined to see if they could find
Russian salmon fishing craft in any of the
bays. On the Gath of August they discovered
a schooner, by the crew of which they were
taken on board and treated most kindly
They shared with the explorers all they had,
and on the 81 of September landed them in
Norway.
Lieut. Payer, who followed Capt. Wey-
precht then rose and gave a most interest
ing description Of the newly discovered Franz
Joseph land. lie said it was doubtful whether
the new land was an island or continent. AT
first they only saw high white wall. Be
tween the 9th of March and the 4th OF May
the explorers made three journeys to the coun-
try on sleighs. The sleighs carried sixteen
hundred weight and were dragged by him.
self, five of the crew, and three dogs. The
explorers found long sound, over 100 miles
in breadth, which divided the country into
two parts. In this sound there were many
islands. The surface of the country is chiefly
monolethic. The general character OF the
land differs widely from other Arctic regions,
and possesses none of the Alpine formations
met with in East Greenland and Spitzbergen
The land is full of plateaux, amphltheatrical
formations, and blunt cones, and it is possible
that the country also possesses volcanoes. 1t
varies in altitude. The hills are from 1000
feet to 5000 feet in height. An immense
glacier, fifteen German miles in length, is
found in the great sound. All the sounds are
full of colossal icebergs, which possibly tind
their way through some Asiatic sea passage.
After joxrneying for twelve days the explor-
ers arrived in latitude Sls 30, and at that
point the barometer rose 70 l00 black clouds
appeared upon the horizon, the ice became
brittle. the birds flew nOrthward, and every
thing betokened that they were in the vicin-
ity of an open sea. They saw many foxes and
countless birds covered the rocks along the
coast. They concluded their journey in a
northerly direction on the 18th of April, when
they had reached latitude S29 s.. Lieut..
Payer does not believe that this country is
accessible to ships, for if they came from the
north how could they return1 In the south
and in the sound of Frarz Joseph's Land
there is no anchorage. and even if a ship
should succeed in reaching the north of the
land, the return would be too dangerous.
Both the speeches of Capt. Weyprecht and
Lieut. Payer were most enthusiastically re-
ceived."