The Portland daily press., 1875-06-07
Arctic Exploration.

ATctlC EApIOIdttUHs
Of late the object of Arctic explorations
has changed. For two hundred years and
more, from Baffin's expedition to McClure's'
ships went out in the interest of trade to dis
cover northwest passage to the riches of the
East. Mcclure found the passage, and found
it useless for all purposes of navigation and
commerce. The disappearance of Sir John
Franklin and his party caused voyages to be
made in the name of humanity with the pur-
pose of effecting his rescue. The, return of
the "Fox' in 1859, cleared up the mystery
which had hung over the ''Erebus" and the
"Terror," and for a time put stop to fur
ther exploration in the ice-bound regions OF
the North. The great search however seems
to possess peculiar fascination for the north
ern nations, and has been renewed, not in
the,interest of trade nor at the dictate of hui
manity, but with the avowed object of en-
larging the domain of knowledge, coupled
perhaps with sentimental desire to reach
the pole Little beyond the determination
of desolate coasts incapable of supporting life,
or Of seas upon which no ship can sail, has
yet been effected. But the well-equipped
English expedition now on its way, has good
reason to hope for more substantial results.
We may expect to learn something of the
surface aud the natural history Of that vast
area of two million square miles, now as un-
known to us as the Hyperborean regions
were to the ancients, and to acquire knowl-
edge of great value to the sciences of meteor
ology and magnetism.
Of the four routes to the Arctic regions the
English expedition has wisely chosen the one
to the west of Greenland, already made tol-
erably familiar by the voyages of the cad
vance," the "United States" and the "Polar-
is" The other routes have all been tried
and found impracticable. The enormous diff
ficulties encountered in the old, search for the
Northwest passage have demonstrated that
nothing can be accomplished in the direction
of the Pole by the way of Behring's Straits.
The speculations of DR.. PetermaDn led many
10 indulge in the hope that the way to solve
the mystery was by the route leading between
Greenland and SpitZbergen, or that between
Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla. The learned
German insisted that the Gulf Stream enters
the Polar Sea from the southwest, and NOV
ing in north-easterly direction, keeps the
sea clear of ice as far as Nova Zembla on the
last, and northwards as for as the pole itself.
1t is admitted that the broad current sweeps
along the coast of Norway and round the
North Cape until it reaches the southwest
shores of SpitzbergeD, where it is still able to
modify the rigor of the climate. Beyond
SpitzDergen no man has traced it, and the
theory of DIR. Petermann seemed reasonable
enough. 1t is true that the skept'cal English
geographers argued that the sea east OF the
island has been at all times covered with
dense ice-pack, that the half. mythical Gillis
Land has not been seen more than three
times within as many hundred years, ard that
Wiche's Land passed altogether out OF sight
from 1917 10 1870; but German enthusiasm
was little affected by English doubt. In 1868
the first German expedition was fitted out,
and started for the east coast of Greenland.
1t was complete failure, and the Germans
only had for consolation the fact that the
German flag had for the first time crossed
the Arctic circle. A second expedition Jared
little better, having to battle through nearly
the whole voyage with continuous ice-fe.ds.
The Austrian expedition of Weyprecht.
passing between Nova Zembla and Spitzber-
gen, met with far more apparent success.
1t passed up through the ''ice-cellar'' to lati-
tude 70 deg, where 1t found the sea free
from ice; and then was forced to return for
lack Of supplies. The expedition which fol-
lowed this, elaborately fitted out, served to
dispel the hopes to which the success of the
other had given rise. 1t found beyond the
clear water the most utterly desolate Arctic
land yet discovered, land Of mountains and
glaciers offering an insurmountable barrier to
ships, and utterly impracticable for sledging.
These four expeditions effectually disposed
of the Gull Stream theory, and left only one
practicable route, that pursued by Kane, and
Hayes, and Hall.
This route to the West of Greenland
through Smiths Sound, has been navigated
to so deg. higher latitude than ever else
where attained. Kane mapped its coast line
10 81 ueS. anu lounu lhuicaeiohS vi au oPen
polar sea. Far to the north he deserted the
water-sky, and not sign of ice-blink. Hayes
reached the shores of great polar basin, and
demonstrated that by the establishment ol
well regulated depots, exploration may be
carried on by sledges and boats many degrees
Hall, with the worst fitted out expedition
which ever set sail, took the Polaris from
latitude 73 deg. to 80 degrees in five days,
| found an open channel to the north, luxuri
ant Arctic vegetation, and temperature
twenty degrees higher than in Rensselaer,
Bay. So the English expedition has fail
| grounds for hope.