The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-11-06


ming 10 the upper air Is not this better than even
life OF luxurious case in the dusty sweerng cities Of
civilizationY
In an hour we clear or the ice and out In the
open water beyond the north water'' Of Balm Bay.
From here our course lay little south OF west 70 Ian
caster Sound, which forms the only practicable en-
trance 70 that labyrinth OF straits, sounds, bays inets
and Islands the north coast OF the American CONT
nenL But the Pandora's head still pointed toward the
north, and all that day and the next until SIX in the
evening, she kept steadily ploughng the waters north
ward against strong head wind and sea, on the track
followed by all the exploring expeditions In search OF
the Pole This was the route followed by Kane, by
Hayes by Hall, and last by the English expedition
OF the present year on the evening Of the 18th OF
August wc were at the Carey Islands in latitude 70 deg
100 miles north OF Cape York and 100 south OF
Ltteton Island where that part Of the Poars' crew.
under Captain Buddington passed their second winter
We como thus far of to get news OF
the English expedition.
LOOKING YoR CAPTAIN MARES LETTERS.
Captain Mares had left letter At Disco for Captain
Young stating that he intended to touch ut the Carey
Islands and leave there dispatches for the Admiralty
The northwest island Of the group was the
he had fixed on, and to this one
we accordingly steered, in the teeth OF a
strong breeze from the north, which made 1t n
somewhat ulHlcult JoD 10 approach Al chetn the
ship was hove TO of the south side Of the island which
rose high, irregular mass Of stones and rock bare
and desolate, to the height OF 700 feet above
the water Although we were two or three miles
out to could perceive on the top cairn, which
we Immediately took to be the left by Captain
Mares that we were in search OF A boat lowered
and Captain Young, with Mr.. Livingston Beynen
myself and four i've sailors put or taking two casks
full OF letters for the Alert and Discovery which we
had brought from England and proposed to leave here
arranged with Captain Mares. Hosting a sail
sharp, light little shell OF whaleboat shot
through the like arrow, and were soon
on rocky beach ina little bay, where we had some
difficulty in landing We found ourselves at the mouth
OF kind Of valley covered many feet deep with
large powders and stones worn round and smooth
by grinding against each other they gradually
forced down into the sea Beneath could be heard
the rushing of little river formed by melting
snow, and on either hand rose mountain OF broken
and rock h@ped up in steep, ragged slope as
though the island was ono monstrous cairn built by
giant.
The ascent to the carn proved TO be somewhat
long and difficult 1t easy to break ones legs
scrambling the round. smooth powders that Gov
cred the little valley and custer still to break your
neck climbing up the steep mountain side on ladder
made ofloose sharp broken jagged stones that threat
ened at every moment to start down in avalanche
and carry you with them TO the bottom. We at last
succeeded in reaching the top when found not one,
but two cairns within few yards of each other. But,
strangely enough neither of these cairns proved to be
the search of although this was the
exact spot Captain Mares had indicated
We searched the ground thoroughly not only twenty
feet magnetic north from each, had been agreed
upon, but in every direction, without discerning a
traca of he was n
pointment. We had lost two days fair wind aud
several tons of coal to reach here, and had ound moth
ing Had pronted by the wind against which we
had been seamng for the last days, might have
been almost through Lancaster Sound by this, IL not
stopped by the ice to say nothing Of the useless expen
dture OF COAL to us the most precious Of minerals We
concluded that Captain Mares had not been able to land
when passing here owing either fog ice perhaps
gale and reluctantly gave up the search. The two
cairns proved have been built bya whaer who had
been here in 1867, as learned from paper he
had left in tile hid away in the cairn
soMR RUN.
He had also left a half pint OF rum, which, having
undergone eight successive freozugs and thawngs had
become as rich and mild as some fine old Rhine wine,
aud we drank the whaling captains health.
On the extreme northwest point Of the island de-
serted another close the waters edge about
three miles distant and Mr. Beynen volun go
and examine it also. II took him quite two hours to
go and return, while in the meantime the wind the
top of the mountain blowing hurricane from tho
north which chilled US to the marrow OF our bones.
We Quilt up wing to one of the cairns TO break the
force of the wind, and crouchcd behind II, Captain
Young writing letter TO be lett here for Captain Mares
case he should send boat down this Tar next sum
mer, informing him where he would find the two casks
of letters
The view from the top Of this island was very grand
Far below could the Pandora looking as small
seagu in the great dark ocean Of water that rose
to the horizon far beyond To the north the OF
Greenland stretching away for miles and miles until it
was lost in line of purple haze that mingled with sea
and sky almost Litteton Island at the entrance of
Smith Sound And far as could see there was not
speck of ice that far at least, the way to the Pole
was as clear OF ice as the Mediterranean.
The English expedition must have passed up here
nearly three weeks previously unless detained in Mel
vile Bays but doubt their having got much farther
than Litteton Island at this time
SMITH SOUND.
Smith Sound is rarely open before the latter part
OF August but through that Captain Mares in
tended put the Discovery into winter quarters some
where near LttIeon Island he would, of course, en-
deavor to reach there early possible But It is
not probable that he would start up Smith Sound
much before the 1st of September. 1t has
been the mistake of all the Arctic navigaors
who have attempted to reach the Pole by
this that they have started too earyin the
son. Where Kane and Hayes found in Smith Sound an
mpenetrabe barrier OF drifting south, Hall found
two weeks open water and the probability is that
had he been ten days later he would have found Robe
son Channel rs clear Smith Sound. The disadvan-
tage of starting early Is that the ice Will be met
drifting before the northery winds that usually
prevail here and the navigator is obliged to either put
about and before IT, thus losing all the ground he
has gained, to take shelter in little harbor
along the coast II he adopts the FIRST course
he has gained nothing by his early start, and
besides has incurred the danger Of getting beset in this
moving pack and held until the is past If he
adopts the second he will be almost Immediately
frozen in by the ice which, even in August, often com
mences forming in sheltered bays and nlets. where II