The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1876-11-30
BAFFLED BY ICE.
An English Opinion of the Failure of the
Latest Arctic ExpeditiOn-Further At
tempts at Exploring the Region Improb-
able.

tempts at Exploring the Region 1mprob-
able.
From the London Daily News.i
In its main point, or at least IN that
part of the enterprise which most APP
pealed to the imagination of the public,
success has been denied. They went
out to endeavor to reach the pole, and
Capt. Mares reports in two words the re-
suit of this part of the undertaking.
:" Pole impracticable " is his summing
up of the position. The next sentence
in the telegram, No land to north
ward" explains the reason why the pole
is held to be imprachcable. 1t was
never hoped that either of the ships
could sail to the mysterious center where
it would be south all round the horizon.
The plan to be acted on was that the two
vessels should go together to the highest
latitude which could be attained before
last winter, which it was hoped would
be somewhere on the north shore of
Lady Franklin strait, in latitude so de-
grees north, or thereabout. Here the
Discovery was to remain while the Alert
pushed forward alone. 1t was hoped
That several degrees further north would
thus be made, and chain of provision
depots was to be established at every
sixty miles of the line between the two
vessels. The Alert would winter in this
advanced position, and, if there was
land ahead would dispatch six sledge
parties, Of ffty-two men altogether, as
early in April as possible. By these
sledges another chain of communication,
if it may be SO termed, was to be estab-
lished over the 500 miles between the
Alert and the pole, only one of the
sledges reaching that desired spot, and
the rest forming line of safe retreat
back to the ship. The scheme was, of
course, frustrated by the discovery that
there was "Do LAID to northward," and
when that fact had been satisfactorily
established the ships had nothing to do
but return. Capt. Mares was known to
be of opinion that to push away from
the land, and get involved in the pack
ice, was to risk failure. No land to
northward, therefore, means no pathway
this way to the pole.
The details given in the telegram from
our correspondent at Valentia explain
the shorter dispatch of Capt. Mares. It
will be remembered that the last news
from the Arctic ships was brought by
Capt. Allen Young last autumn. He had
found cairn on one Of the Gary islands,
which contained letters up to July 26,
1875. These letters described the voy-
age northward from Upernavik, while
letters of earlier date, but received later,
give an account of the doings of the
ships between the time OF parting from
the Valorous at Ritenbenk and the ar
rival at Upernavik. We had, therefore,
full account OF their doings up to July
26, 1875, when they were steaming
nortnward in almost clear sea with the
water at temperature of 40 degrees,
and nearly six weeks of open season be-
fore them. From that time till the re-
ceipt of Capt. Mares telegram nothing
has been heard of them but now the
telegram from our Valentia correspond
ent continues the story. Very soon af-
ter setting out from the Gary islands
with such bright prospects they met with
| ice, and the struggle began. After Sc
we're and continuous efforts, the side OF
Lady Franklin bay was reached, and
here the Discovery went into winter
! quarters, while the Alert pushed on and
reached the limit of navigation on the
shore of the polar sea. Here they win
tered, and were 142 days without sun.
In the early spring, in accordance with
the scheme laid down, sledge travelling
was attempted, not over the land, which
apparently does not exist, but over the
! ice foes Of the polar sea. This expedi-
ton was absent seventy days, and reached
| the latitude of 83 degrees 20 minutes.
as stated in Capt. Mares dispatch. In
the course of this toilsome journey, Cape
Columbia, the northernmost point OF the
American continent, was rounded, and q
large portion of the coast OF Greenland
explored. It was found that no such
land as that called by the American ex-
plorers Presidents land existed. The
polar region seems, In fact, as approached
from the direction Of Smiths sound, to
be vast frozen sea. After terrible
struggle, in which the sledges could
only advance mile day, they reached
the extreme latitude yet attained on any
part of the Arctic region, and were then
within 400 miles of the pole. 1t is quite
obvious that at such rate OF travel
there was no possibility of passing over
the intervening space. The obstacles
were, in fact, absolutely insurmountable.
Ice some hundreds of feet in thickness
covered the sea, and it may probably De
considered as finally settled by the ex-
petition that the pole is guarded at
least on that side by g thrilling regions
of thick-ribbed ice,' as terrible as those
which Shakspeare's imagination con-
ceived as giving new terror to the fea
of death. tal
The report which the expedition
brings back from these frightful regions
is very discouraging to the friends of
Arctic exploration. It was feltwhen the
two ships went out that they were some
what undermined, and some predic-
tions of failure in the sledging enter
prise were based on this assumed defect.
But it is now evident thaG nothing in
the equipment of the expedition nor In
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