The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-11-30
THE ARCTIC REGIONS.
Capt. Mares Exploration About the
Polar Sea.

Can't, Mares Exploration About the
Polar Sea.
On the 25th oi Augiist, after ifiai1y
Lair-brcath escapes, a well-sheltcred mar
Dor was reached on the west side of HALLS
Basin, north of Lady Franklin Sound, in
latitude 81 degrees "A minutes north
Here the Discovery was secured for the
winter, few miles north Of Polaris Bay,
which was in sight of the opposite side of
the channel. The Alert pushing onward,
rounded the northeast point of Grant
Land" but instead of finding a continu-
Gus coast-line leading one hundred miles
further toward the north, as every one
had expected, found herself on the bor-
der of what was evidently very exten-
sive sea, with impenetrable ice on every
side. No harbor being obtainable the
ship was secured as far north as possible,
inside a sheltering barrier of grounded
ice, close to the land, and there she passed
the winter; during her stay OF eleven
months, no navigable channel OF water
permitting further advance to the north
ward ever presented itself. In lieu OF
finding an "open Polar sea-" the ice was
of most unusual age and thickness, re-
sembling in marked degree, both III ap-
pearance and formation low floating ice
bcrgs rather than ordinary salt-water-ice.
It has now been termed the 'Sea OF An
cient Ice"-the Palyaocrystic or Palao-
crusic Sea; and stranded mass OF Ice
broken away from an icehoe has been
named foeberg. Whereas ordinary
ice is usually from two to ten feet in
thickness, that in the Polar Sea, in con-
sequence of having SO few outlets by
which to escape to the southwark in any
apprcciabe quantity, gradually increases
in age and thickness until 1t measures
from eighty to one hundred and twenty
feet, floating with its surface at the low
est part fifteen feet above the water-line.
Strange as it may appear, this extraor-
dinary thickness of the ice saved the ship
from being driven on shore; for, owing
to its great depth of fotation, on nearing
the shallow beach it grounded and formed
barrier inside which the ship was COM
paratively safe. When two pieces of or
dinary ice are driven one against the 9th.
er and the edges broken up, the crushed
pieces are raised, by the pressure into a
high, long waiflike hedge Office. When
two of the ancient foes of the Polar Sea
meet, the intermediate higher broken.up
ice which may happen to he floating
about between them, alone suffers; 1T is
pressed up between the two closing mas
ses to great height, producing chaotic
wilderness of angular blocks of all shapes
and sizes, varying in height up to fifty
feet above water, and frequently covering
an era upward of mile in diameter
Such an icy road, which was sure to be
continuous, destroyed all hope of the Pole
itself being reached by sledges. Never
theless, it was determined by Captain
Mares to advance as far as possible, and,
during the spring of this year, a party,
headed by Commander Markham and
Lieutenant Parr, made most gallant
and determined attempt. They were alb,
sent sevcnty-two days from the ship and
on the 18th day Of May succeeded in
planting the British flag in latitude SO
degrees 20 minutes, 26 seconds north.
From this position there was no appear
ance of land to the northward, but, curl
ously enough, the depth of water was
found to be only seyenty-two fathoms.
Owing to the extraordinary nature of the
pressed-up ice, roadway had to be formed
by pickaxes for nearly half the distance
travelled before any advance could be
safely made, even with light loads; this
rendered it always necessary to drag the
sledge loads forward by ipstallments, and,
therefore, to journey over the same road
several times. The advance was, conse-
quently, very slow, and only averaged
about one mile and quarter daily; in
fact, much the same rate attained by Sir
Edward Parry in his somewhat similar
attempt during the summer of 1927. AL
though the distance made good was only
seventy-threc miles from the ship, 27O
miles we're travelled over to accomplish
it. 1t is quite impossible for any body
of men ever to excel the praiseworthy
perseverance displayed by this gallant
party in their arduous struggle over the
toughest and most monotonous road i'm
aginable. Their journey, considering
the ever-recurring difficulties, has eclipsed
all former ones. The result of their Sc
we're labor proves the utter impractical
bility of travelling over the Polar Sea to
any great distance from land, and also
that Baron Won Wrangel was perfectly
correct in his expressed opinion that be-
fore the North Pole can be reached it is
first necessary to discover continuous
coast line leading toward it. In the au-
tumn of last year, Immediately the Alert
was secured in winter quarters, provis-
ions and boats were advanced by sledge
parties along the shore to the north and
westward, ready for use by the travelling
parties in the following spring, the depot
being established within a mile of the
furthest north. position hitherto reached
by civilized man. On the 18th of Octo-
Der, two days after the sun had bid the
exhibition goodbye for an absence OF
142 days, the travellers returned from
their cold and arduous journey of twen-
ty-four days duration. Owing to very
heavy snow storm, which, by protecting
the sloppy ice from the intense frost,
caused very wet travelling, a number OF
people were frost-bitten IN the feet, and
three amputations were necessary-onc
officer and two of the men being sufferers.
Lieutenant Aldrich, engaged in pioneer
ing the way for the main party, which
was led by Commodore Markham, on the
9th of September, advanced three miles
beyond Sir Edward Parry's most northern
position, and from a mountain 1000 feet
high sighted land toward the west-north-
west extending to latitude eighty-three
degrees seven minutes. No land was seen
northward. Thus within four months OF
leaving England the mystery concerning
the "opcn Polar Sea" was cleared up
The Alert. advancing to the limit of nav
igation, had reached higher northern
latitude than any ship had previously
been able to attain, and a sledge party r,
had proceeded few miles beyond the
position gained with so much labor and
privation by the gallant men commanded
by Sir Edward Parry and Sir james Ross,
the Union Jack planted by them passing
into the guard and keeping of their coun-