The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-10-28
GREAT BRITAIN.
Return of the English Arctic Expedition


LONDON, Oct 27.-It is stated that a tele-
gram has .been received at Portsmouth an.
nouncing the return of the British Arctic
expedition under Capt Mares, comprising the
naval steamers Alert and Discovery. The
Alert arrived at Valencia at 2 80 this afternoon,
frozen regions. She parted company with the
Discovery in the Atlantic.
Progress to the North Pole was found to be
impracticabe. Capt. Mares reports that no
the highest latitude reached, namely, 1872. but
IN other respects the expedition was success
full The Alert proceeded to Queenstown. and
Capt. Mares to London. All are we'll.
The Alert and Discovery left Port Foulke on
July 29tb. 1875, and entered the ice off Cape
they reached the north side Of Lady Franklin
Bay. where the Discovery was left in winter
quarters The Alert pushed on and reached
the limit OF navigation on the shore of the
Polar Sea. The ice varied in thickness, being
in some places $50 feet deep. President land
does not exist. The Alert wintered in lat.
1927. AT this point the sun was invisible 142
days. and the temperature the lowest ever re-
corded was experienced A detachment with
sledges was despatched northward 1t was
absent about seventy days, and reached latitude
$50 2o' Another party rounded CaDe Column
bia, the northerDmost point of America, and
travelled two hundred and twenty miles west
ward from Greenland, and also explored far to
tu6 edStWaIu iu0 SteuSo pdrUloS met WlCn no
game and suffered from scurvy. Hans Peter
sep, from frost-blte, John Porter of the Alert,
James Hanson and Charles Paul of the Dis
covery died on the sledging expedition. No
Esquimaux were seen, nor were any icebergs
met with beyond Cape Union. The expedition
Alert's rudder bolt was damaged. The vessels
left Smiths Sound Sept. 9th. They signalled
the Pandora Oct 18th, and all we're we'll. The
Alert parted from he Discovery in gale,
Oct 18th. She will shift her rudder at Vaep-
tia and proceed to Queenstown to coal The
Admiral at Queenstown telegraphs that the
Discovery is expected to arrive hourly.
The lowest temperature during the winter
was 1914 degrees below the freezing point
During the sledge journeys the ice was so
mile day. During the winter rich collections
in natural history were made and many valu-
abs scientific observations were taken Excel
lent coal was found near the place where the
Discovery wintered. The expedition expert
enced the coolest weather ever registered, the
temperature be ng SO degrees below zero for a
fortnight, and falling once to 104 degrees below
the freezing point. The Pandora, when spoken
by the Alert reported her screw slightly dam
aged by ice The Pandora called at Littleton
Island and Cape Isabella, but was unable to
reach Cape Sabine. AS the expedition did
not call at Littleton Island on its return, it
missed the letters left by the Pandora.
The health of the crews, with the exceptions
already mentioned, has been good. The frost
bites were severe, but not numerous. Peter
sen, the interpreter, died forty days after both
feet had been amputated, from frost bite. All
the members OF the expedition declare that it
is impossible to get nearer the Pole than their
northern exploring party, which penetrated to
within four hundred miles of it. On the return
from their sledge journeys the men were in a
very helpless condition.
A member of the expedition telegraphs to
Daily News that the northermost land reached
was in lat 88 OF. After that there was ice.
The point .furtherest west reached was in long.
IS. Lady Franklin Straits is really a bay.
Petermann Fiord was closed by glacier. The
norlhermost point of Greenland seen was in
lat 82.57.