Litchfield enquirer., 1874-11-26
NO. 2582
tinuance of tha ice nresuura whan thAI sun

uESI peEulbCoO tuo b01p 70 0ue1Ho Au fAIec- dom from it's vretched prison in the course of the following April Nevefthe- less, with all the means at the command of the expedition, and in spite of nnpre- cendted efforts during the entire summer, 1t was not possible for the ship to escape from the ice that had collected in the viz clnity thereof to a depth of forty feet; and the prospect of second winter in the drifting ice-foe had certainly increased,
 From this dismal and depressing situa- tion the party was quite unexpectedly de- hvered. On the 31st of August, 1873, lof- ty masses of land were seen arising in the north, Tn front of which icebergs were ly- ing in great numbers. To be compelled to forego the entry upon this newly dis covered and wondrous land. fairly in its northern splendor-rendered inaccessible on account of the numberless flaws in the ice, though but few miles away-was a severe trial for the patience and endur- ance of our north polar adventurers, and caused for them. the sufferings of Tantalus. In the meantime the ship was driven on with the ice before the variable winds. When, finally, at the end of October, the ship had been brought to within three nautical miles of one of the islands ahead. our voyagers ventured to undertake visit to the mysterious land, by going over the thousand-fold fractured ice, piled uptower-high to cliff-like wall. Desperate prospect! Snow and ice covered the rocky sides; nowhere was the coloring of the rocks visible; the country seemed bare of all organic life. The first island reached was named in honor of the author of the expedition, the high-minded Count Vile zek; the main body of discovered land, of great extent, was christened Francis Jo- teph Land. The polar night. which, for the second time, commencing October 2, broke in with all it's dreariness-cut of all further attempts to ascertain the shape of the newly discovered region. With great anxiety they went on encountering new perils. Who could tell what the fate of the expedition would be in case the ice press of the past winter should re-enact it's terrible sport? A favored destiny pre- served the ship from the horrors of the Arctic night. The vessel remained un disturbed, in the foreign shore-ice, moor ed to its-Own solid mass of the same. The geographical position of this second win tering was in lat. 79 deg. 51 min. N, and lon. 59 deg. B. from Greenwich.
 The second winter, full of drawbacks, brought frequent snow-drifting for days at time; and through long weeks the ship was wrapped in total darkness, whilst the mercury was frozen for weeks at a time. In spite of these incidents, these influences so cripplng to the energies of both body and mind-the health of the party. thanks to the excellent and zealous care of the ships surgeon, Dr. Kepes- continued good. With the exception of Engineer Kric, who succumbed to the po- lar climate, and whose simple grave was made in Wilizek Land, the extreme north the crew were in fine condition. On the 2Sth of February, 1874, the sun again summoned the polar travellers into a long wished for activity. Although the cold
 was still intense, and the weather bad, an investigation was decided upon, and the first sledge journey to the north was un- dertaken. The two Tyrolese, experienced in glacier-climbing, joined the party. This first journry had in view the attain ing of the western headland. The dis covered region it its entirety consists of several great lobes, and is divided longi- tudlnally by Austria sound, which extends in northerly direction across the 82 de- gree, more than 100 miles in length, with a breadth of 38 miles, until it wldens to basin. The eastern principal lobe was named Wilczek Dand, and the western, Zichy Land A broader sound, running north-easterly, at the 82d degree of north latitude, separates Crown-prince Rudolph Land lying northerly therefrom, from Wilczek Land, and is called Rawlinson Sound This was followed as far as Cape Pesth. The whole group is traversed by numerous fords, which, like the sounds, were filled with tall icehergs. Mammoth glaciers, with, coast-edge of 15 miles in width Gas Dove's, on Wilczek Land; Sun bright, Middendorf's, and others) cover the steep mountain cones and plateaus that rise to a height of 5000. feet, and whose prevailing dolerific formation shows a striking agreement with that of eastern Greenland. The great colonnades, envel- oped in the dazzling whiteness of the sym metrical mountain terraces, stood out as if sugar-frosted, in the cloud-mois ened atmosphere. The temperature, falling to 58 degrees Fahr., made the nightly Div ouac painful, and the crossing of the gla- ciers dangerous; for which reason the first excursion was ended on March 16 Preparations for 8 second and farther sledge-journey required the time that fol lowed up to the 24th of the same month.
 
 tainment of the northermost latitude pos sible. On the 26th of March, Payer eros sed the 80th degree and reached latitude S1 degrees 39 minutes, in Rawlinson sound. The ice, here broken up into chaos-and which covered th1s route broadcast a return to Aus tria Sound, whose farther course to the north could be made out only from sever o1 a1 oo1 which were called Cape Koldewey, Cape Frankfort latitude S1 degrees. p min utes north), and Cape Fligely, 82 degrees, 5 minutes. north. Leaving part of the company on Hohenlohe Island, 81 de- grees. 38 minutes, north, Payer crossed the mighty Middendorf glacier, Tn Grown prince Rudolph Land.
 During thls march the adventurefs met with the disaster of falling into man. moth glacial chasm. whence, however, they were fortunately rescued, but were compelled to give up their further jour- ney across the glaciers. Along the west coast of Crown-prince Rudolph Land, breaking toward the north, they came up- on the singular hanging bird.cage like Ank Point, and Pillar Point. The route, constantly increasing in unsafeness, oyer GU0 bIl1HucI anu 4AOAO AAOAAOAO AOOp AOW terminated in the open water.
 A strange turn of the whole polar na- ture was met with here. In contrast with the dreary southern part of the whole di- vision, there were issolated portions of exalted beauty. A deep blue water-sky overspread the north. The temperature rose astonishingly high. Great focks of auks, pufiins, and other kinds of north ern birds enlivened the rocky walls. Trails of bears, hares and foxes were seen in all directions. The farther they ad- vanced northerly the more plainly were seen the signs of open water. After Cape Germania was passed, latitude S1 north, on the heights of the coast range, the par ty reached Cape Figley, 82 5, the most northerly point of their journey. Here the arctic world showed most sublime spectacle. New and far-reaching lands, covered with mountain ranges, shut in a great sound. This country, from grati- tude and just recognition called Peter mann's Land-maybe traced as far as Cape Vienna. latitude 83 Q north.
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