Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-11-17
THERE IN NO POLAR SEA.

New York Sum-.
Dr. Hayes has written letter to
the Herald expressing his disap-
pointment at the meager result at
tained by the British Arctic oxpe-
dition, and rejecting somewhat
severely on the want Of spirit and
enterprise of those engaged in it.
1t would have been better, before
casting doubts on the courage and
capacity of his brother explorers,
had he waited for fuller accounts
than we have yet received Of their
actual performance and of the ma
ture of the obstacles which they
had TO encounter.
1t was scarcely necessary for DR..
Hayes TO recapitulate by way Of
contrast his own achievements he
has been careful during many years
past that we should never forget
them nor depreciate their impor-
tance; but he unfortunately COM
mitted himself to the theory Of an
open Polar Sea, which has always
been coldly received by arctic geo.
graphers, and which, if anything
remained wanting to disprove it,
has been now finally and forever
disposed of. Considering that ii
was delusion which had taken
some hold OF the popular mind,
that it should now be dispelled is
in itself result of no small value,
and may possibly in some degree
account for the tone Of DR.. Hayes's
letter.
DR.. Hayes tells us that he stood
upon the shores Of an open Polar
Sea in latitude 50 degrees Isl de-
grees 35 minutes would have been
more accurate); that he believes
that sea nayigable, and that he is
utterly at a loss to understand
why the Alert and Discovery did
not sail upon its waters, unle,s We
assume that the spirit which ami
mated Bafiin, Ross, and Parry, and
the long list of Arctic heroes, has
died out with the advance of steam
the telegraph and home comforts.
The simple answer to this is tha
the Alert did sail across it. Th,
Discovery went into winter quar-
ters in 81 degrees AZ minutes as
depot ship, while in the words o
the telegram
"The Alert pushed forward anC
rounded the northeast noint o
Grants land, but instead of crNn
tinuops coast as expected one hun.
Gred mlleg toward the north, she
found herself on the border Of an
extensive sea, VITA impenetrabl(
ice and no harbor."
She was therefore compelled to
90 into winter quarters about fifty
miles north of the point from
which Dr. Hayes says he saw the
open sea, and which latter cross
ing), the Alert found to be closed
by an impenetrablo ice barrier
which was evidently permanent, fol
the ice varied from eighty to ont
hundred and fifty feet in thickness
This is q difficulty which DR.
Hayes has no trouble in meeting
"It is said" he remarks, that tn,
ice was eighty feet thick. In plail
, English | don't believe it." Aitel
this, it seems superRops for him t
tell us "that we are all apt to b
a preiudiced in favor Of ouF Owl
views"
The fact seems to be that tn
r points reached by Hayes, Kane ant
Hall were reached and passed b
both the Alert and the Discover
with comparative little difficulty
. and it was only after passing til
Q limit of former explorations tha
. obstacles Of a kind never befor
!. encountered by the Acrtie explorer
were met with. Hitherto sledge joul
neys have almost invariably bee
undertaken on seas more or les
! surrounded by land, and the mos
: successful journeys have bee
] those which skirted the coast. Thu
i. we find that the Alerts sledge pal
70 ties Hexnlored 900 miles of Goa!