The New York herald., 1875-11-27
THE PANDORA.

In your editorial OF yesterday on ssArctic Exulora-
tFon you say y:Yet il may be said in answer 10 Dr.
Hayes that have in Sir John FranklIns history at
least one unpleasant result Of passed in those
parts" 1t is indeed But within the whole range
Of Arctic discovery there OF any other
expedition having been completely lost since tho
disaster to Sir Hugh wllloughbys expedition Of 1853
Like Franklin wiloughby had two ships with crews
amounting to seventy souls, all OF whom perished
mseraby on shpboard through hunger and cold, near
the Of Russian lapand The ships were found by
some Russian fishermen, but the men were, IN tho
somewhat exaggerated description OF the poet Thomp-
son, who, describing winter, found
Zach at his several task
Froze into ~ atues to the cordage glued
The sailor, and the pilot TO the helm,
Since that time tho number OF expeditions TO the
northeast the northwest directly toward the Pole and
through Behrng Strait from the Pacific has been very
great vast amount ofreasure has been expended and
an immense number OF have employed in what
has at length proved to be- so far as conmorce
cerned, useless Undertaking But the ships and
lives sacrificed have been surprisingly few in pro-
portion to losses in other fields OF discovery and
enterprise, as for instance the whaling fleets OF Bann
Bay and the Spitzbergen Sea, whore q ship is seldom
lost and life still rarely. Cod fishing on the
'Banksn is esteemed by about four times
more dangerous than whale fishing among the ice
The point is, however, in relation TO winterng there.
SIR EDWARD rARRY,
tn 1s19 was the first to do this deliberately that
great and wise commander kept his crews in good
health good spirits and returned in fine condition
He afterward made three voyages with similar re-
suit, wintering twice and losing but one ship.
frozen fast the coast of Booha about twenty
Eve miles from where the Pandora turned back but he
escaped with his people at the end of the third
season. abandoning his vessel where originally frozen
in The late Captain Mcclure abandoned his ship after
three winters passed in Mercy Bay the northeast
coast of Banks Land, and brought his away in
fair health
SIR EDWARD BELcHER
abandoned the four ships of his squadron after
winters when nothing the matter with his people,
was court martiaed afterward for the unnecessary
proceeding and condemned to obscurity.
The late
HAVEN
with the two ships Advance and Rescue of the philan
thropc Henry Grnnei, caught in the ''pack /" rs
Captain McClintock in the Fox, and drifted down
Off Labrador, but serious harm to either
ships or men, and both in condition to
renew the attempt to push north the fol-
lowing summer The North Star had terrible
time for awhile winterng in North Star Bay, but
capped in safety. AS to the great multitude of ships
wintering in the region west OF Bafin Bay concdent
with those under Austin, the two Rosses Osborne ON
mony Penny Kennedy and others, nothing need be
said, since nothing unusual happened save the loss of
occasional life which, however, was. in proportion
to the number of people engaged exceedingly small and
less than in the merchant marine anywhere in the
world In fact according TO the published accounts of
these various winterings in the ice, officers and men
seem to have had generally jolly good time. They
had mostly double pay plenty of the best to eat moth
ing particular do and managed to bear up under
astonishing amount of good health with theatrcas,
gee clubs, games, &c, to help along. The
expedition Of DR.. Kane attended with
less disaster; but, as i happened to be
Of the party, can say that the first winter was
passed agreeabiy enough, except that Tor the most
part people had the worst instead OF the very
best provisions, and light cases of scurvy
suited The ship was finally abandoned after second
winter. This one of great suffering owing to tho
food such 1t was running short and tho fuel giving
out: but DR.. Kane brought his away boats and
landed them safely after journey Of 1000 miles
with the loss of only three during the entire
cruise one Of whom died from natural causes-such
might have happened anywhere-the other two from
imprudent exposure And in this connection let mo
ask what would have become OF Dr. Kane's party had
they been cast away at sea anywhere else in the world
1000 miles from any port?
Suppose for instance, the vessel had gone down in
the Atlantic that distance from land after giving ahun
provide tho boats with everything needul
for their crews, especially II they such battered
boats Kane had9 They might have reached the
land but their sunerings would have been terrible in
any event and the chances would have been very
greatly against them DR. Kane'sA people suffered not
ALL did not al any time regard their situation
dangerous picked up plenty eat by the way in the
shape OF birds seals, &c and we're in perfect health
This retreat of
has been paraleled only in recent times by the re.
markabe escape OF the Poaris and IN the early
days OF Arctic exploration by that of Borentz whose
ship wrecked among the ice on the north shore or
Nova Zembla in 159A After wntering in a hut the
crew took to their boats when the summer
came all reached place Of safety except the brave
old commander II may speak of my own expert
ence can saw that while frozen up for Eve months in
BortE Eoulk "A M
there any disposition 10 murmur or grow dis
pirited And now lastly, taking the example OF tho
Poaris another illustration. ind that vessel
tering several degrees further north than any ship had
ever before wintered, without any serious i'll health
occurring board and with the loss OF only life
that OF the commander, Captain Hall, who died from
apoplexy which more liable TO occur there than
elsewhere. Even from that high latitude the ship
liberated during the following summer but was wrecked,
probably through bad management ana lack of disci-
pline, on ber way south. Even then not another life
lost injury sustained although the party
drfed through the winter on field of ice 600 miles,
without fire and with no other shelter than snow hut,
with scant supplies of food which, for the part
was gathered from the they drftcd upon their
course through unceasng dangers and privations.
In venturing upon such criticism as have made
upon the action OF
in retreating from Peel Strait would distinctly dis
avow any intention Of questioning Tor moment tue
courage tenacity and high intelligence OF that able
officer These quates he has shown conspicuously on
many OCCASIONS, and his work in the Fox expedition is
beyond all praise have the highest admiration for
his dash and pluck; but while taking 1t for granted
tDat ne qHte 70 lNTOJ0
you that thought as still think, II great pity,
speaking in the interests Of science that while in
favorable a situation with steam TO help him along he
did not remain for another season. But, as you say.
he 'judged the case on the spot" and quite agree
with you that judgment OF that sort is worthy Of all
respect
IN CONCLUSION
! would observe that the public sympathy becomes
very needessy excited when Arctic yoyager takes tho
field. The dangers and priyations greatly exag
gerated and IT happens sometimes that men are forced
TO consider themselves heroes whether or no. have
/
Arctic regions who did not want to go agan-suro
proof that IL is not such terrible thing after all 70 SAL
among the ice foes and cebergs ana 70 winter near tho
North Pole 1t must be confessed that the moral
and mental strain OF the long winter is a
severe ordeal; but this can De aheymiea
by cheerfulness and good discipline Travelling with
sicdge through deep snowdriits and over rough ice
hummocks day after day, with no shelter IN camp but
a snow hut when the thermometer is down In the
.r- rnriatnLu aHearlsnme 10 the flesh y but