The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-03-02
LIFE NEAR THE POLE.


SCIENTIFIC RESULTS OF THE AUSTRIAN POLAR
ExPKDTT1oN-THE EFFECT OF ARCTIC COLD
NEW PLAN FOE THE CONDUCT OF FUTURE
NORTH POLE EXPEDITIONS.
The following translation from advance sheets
sent US by DR.. Petermann, OF Gotha, contains the
concluding portions OF an interesting address de-
livered In Vienna by the famous leader OF the
second Austro- hungarian North Pole Expedition,
Lieutenant Weyprecht. 1t deals with the scien-
tic results Of the expedition and viii be found OF
great INTEREST,"
The results OF the meteorological observations
Of the second Austro Hungarian North Pole Exps.
dition can only be indicated in q superficial way.
They began on the day OF our departure from
Tromsoe and ceased when We left the
Ship thus covering q period OF twenty-five
months. The readings were held every two
hours and, beside, at nine O'Clock In the fore.
noon and at three O'Clock in the afternoon, Lieu
tenant Bross, Ensign Orel ana captain Lusina
took part IN the observations, and so did Captain
Carlson from the autumn Of 1872 to the spring Of
1873. and Dr. Kepes during the last two months.
The winds we're estimated both in point oil their
strength and their direction. Under Clrcum-
stances like those prevailing in the Arctic region
/ consider this method. by which the errors are
balanced better than the observations with in
struments, which, owing to the constant ice trans
formations and snowdrlits, are botn liable to in
accuracies that are adding up each other instead
OF balancing themselves. Every one who has
spent considerable time on the ocean will find It
easy to attain the necessary precision.
Until the autumn or the second year the winds
varied greatly. In the vicinity OF Nova Zembla we
had many southeast and southwest Winds which
proceeded in q more s0utheasterly direction IN
the spring. predominating direction Of the
winds could only be recognized when we were
below Francis Joseph's Land, in the second win
ter. There all snowstorms came from east.
northeast. and more tnan fifty per cent OF all the
winds. They generally brought with them Ger.
tain cloudiness which only passed on when the
wind veered to the north. We did not experience
any OF those severe northerly storms which the
Germania encountered on the eastern coast
or Greenland, and which seemed to
be the predominating winter storms in
the Arctic region. In fact, we never
observed those extreme wind forces which mani
test themselves . few times every winter in our
seas The winds, as every Arctic seaman knows,
are somewhat repressed BY the ice ITSELF Very
frequently you can see ar An uncomfortable eleva-
tion the wind clouds passing by in rapid night,
while below there Is scarcely any wind at all
PEcULIARITIEs OF ARCTIC WINDS.
Unjust mention one peculiar thing In this con.
nection. alluded further above to the enect OF
Inc Wln0 upon inc lces VIZ 00Q tho singular OK.
perence that the ice.drift never proceeded in the
direction OF the wind, but always from the middle
OF the compass 10 the right OF It. With northeast
winds We drifted toward the west instead Of south.
west; with southwest toward the east instead Of
northeast, and with northwest toward the south,
and with southwest toward the north. This was
the case. without single exception, with every
wind. This peculiarly can neither be explained
BY the currents nor by the deviation consequent
upon the coast In the closest proximity, Tor II
these were the true causes the pposite winds
would produce the opposite deviation.
In the month OF January OF both years the battle
which ensued previous to the beginning OF the
unbroken Arctic cold, between the cold northerly
Ing. The advent Of the warm soutnerly and south.
westerly winds brought with 1t masses OF snow
and produced IN very snort time q rise In the
temperature from so to 80 deg. Rsaumur.
Az to the bal ometric observations little can DO
said without institutiug . thorough comparison OF
the long series OF figures. We experienced some
very extreme barometrio conditions, but no den.
mite conclusions can DO drawn until the more
thorough Investigations shah have been com.
pleted.
Altogether We possessed three tubular and four
aneroid barsmeters. The readings or ave OF these
oarometers were done every noon by Ensign Orel,
and Tor the observations that were meanwhile
necessary an aneroid barometer was employed
A. TO the thermometric observations the lowest
monthly mean OF tue two winters was that for
February, while January most strangely showed
eoth times rise In the temperature % compared