Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1876-11-22
Observation-Disclosures

News comes by cable from London
of the recent arrival at Valencia, Of
the ship Alert which, with the Discov
cry was fitted out by tho British Gov.
ernment, and year ago last Spring
sailed on voyage OF discovery towards
the north pole. The Alert parted com.
pany with the Discovery in the Allan.
tic ocean, and the latter vessel will
doubtless be heard from in n few days.
Tho report forwarded to the admiralty
by Captain Mares, of the Alert, is i'm.
portant and is of such q character as
probably TO put an end TO any
further efforts at discovery in that
direction. This was one of the
best equipped expeditions that has
ever been sent ont by any government,
and the officers had had much previ-
Gus experience in Arctic explorations.
The result therefore has been looked
for with much interest, not only in
Europe but in this country.
The Alert and Discovery left Port
Foulke on the 29th Of July, 1875, and
first encountered ice of Cape Sable,
Aftcr a severe struggle they succeeded
in reaching the north side of Lady
Franklin Bay, where the Discovery
was left for winter quarters. The Alert
then pushed on and reached the ex-
tremc limit of navigation on the shore
Of the Polar Sea, and wintercd IN lati-
tudc s2027'. The sunat this point was
invisible for the space Of one hundred
and forty-two days, and the tcmpcra-
ture was the lowest ever before re.
corded. Two detachments with slcdges
were dispatched northward, which
were absent more than seventy days,
and reached latitude 5000, or within
400 miles Of the pole. This was the
highest latitude ever before reached.
Another party rounded Cape Colum-
bia, the northernmost point in Amcri-
ca, and Travelled two hundred and
twenty miles westward from Green.
land. Tho slcdgc parties found no
signs either Of animal or vegetable life ;
in fact nothing but vast fields of ice
met their gaze in every direction. The
mon suffered from scurvy from want
of fresh provisions, and were obliged
10 hasten their return TO the ship. Four
men died on the slcdgc expedition, one
from frost bite and three from other
causes. Hfaf Ef lH.rU
The Discovery wintercd in well
sheltered barbor on the west side of
Halls Basin, and few miles north of
the Polaris Bay. The Alert rounded
the northeast point Of Grants Land,
but instead Of finding, MS was expect.
ed, a continuous coast stretching for
miles toward the north, she found her
self on the border Of sea with impen.
ctrablc ice on every side, and no bar-
Dor. Tho existence, therefore, so long
believed in, Of an open Polar Sea, is
thus cmphatically disproved. The
Alert went us far north as IL is posi-.
bic tor u ship 10 60, and the passage
TO the pole by slcdgcs was found TO be
entirely impracticnblc. Tho floating
masses Of thick polar ice had in meet
ing, pressed up quantities Of intcrme-
diato ice into blocks, sometimes mile
in diameter, and from ten to fifteen
feet high. Before starting with the
slcdgcs the party was obliged TO make
o road with pick-axcs, nearly half the
distance. As !. was always necessary
to drag the slcdgcs by installmcnts,
the party actually travelled nearly
three hundred miles, although making
but scvcnty.threc miles towards the
pole.
Tho lowest temperature during tho
winter was sevcnty.two degrees below
zero. For two weeks the mcrcary was
steadily at fifty.nine below. During
the winter rich collections in ratnral