Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-11-08
BRITISH ARCTIC EXPEDITION.
X eturn Oh the Alert and DIscOvery-Report
of the Voyage.

Return OF the Alert and DIscovery-Report
of the Voyage.
LONDON, October N.-The British
Arctic expedition, under Capt. Mares,
returned to Valentia. Following is
Geographic report of the voyage to the
north pole:
The Alert and Discovery left Port
Foulke on July 29, 1875, and entered
the ice off Cape Sable, and after severe
and continuous struggle 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 latitude
1927. At this point the sun was in
visible 142 days, and the temperature
the lowest ever recorded was expert
enced. A detachment with sledge5 was
dispatched northward; it was absent
seventy days and reached latitude 80 20.
Another party rounded Cape Columbia,
the northern point of America, and
traced 22O miles westward from Green
land, ana also explored far to eastward.
These sledge parties met with no game,
and suffered from scurvy. Hans Peter
sen died from frost-bite; John Porter,
Of the Alert, and James, Hans and
Charles Paul, of the Discovery, died On
sledging expeditions. No Esquimaux
were seen, nor were any icebergs met
with beyond Cape Union. The expedi-
ton encountered great difficulties IN re-
turning. The Alert's rudder bolt was
damaged. The vessels left Smiths
Sound September 9. They signalled
the Pandora October Is; all well. The
Alert parted from the Discovery in
gale On September 10. She will shift
her rudder at Valentia and proceed to
Queenstown to coal. The Admiral at
Queenstown telegraphs that the Dis
covery is expected to arrive hourly.
The lowest temperature during the
winter was 1O4 degrees below freezing
point,
During sledge journeys the ice was
SO rugged that it was only possible to
advance q mile day. During the
winter rich collections in the department.
of natural history were made, and many
valuable scientific observations taken.
Excellent coal was found near the place
where the Discovery winbered. The
expedition experienced the coolest
weather ever registered, the tempera-
ture being SO degrees below zero for a
fortnight, and falling once to 1O4 degrees
below freezing point
The Pandora when spoken of by the
Alert, reported her screw slightly dam
aged by ice. The Pandora called at
r - I'll Tco 1>,1+
was unable to reach Cape Sabine. AS
the expedition did not touch at Little
ton Island On it's return it missed the
letters left by the Pandora. The health
of the crews with the exceptions already
mentioned, has been good. Frost bites
were severe, but rot numerous. Peter
son, the interpreter, died in forty days
after both feet had been amputated
for frostbite. All members of the ex
petition declare it impossible to get
nearer the pole than their northern ex-
ploring party, which penetrated to
within 400 miles of it, On return from
their sledge journeys men were in
helpless condition, and 1t was necessary
to draw some of them on sledges. The
planking of the Alert was much dam
aged by ice.
4 member of the expedition tele-
graphs that the northermost land
reached was in latitude 49, After that
there was ice. The point furthest west
reached was in longitude IS. Lady
Franklin Straits is really bay. Peter
mann Fiord was closed by a glacier.
The northermost point in Greenland
seen was in latitude 80 deg. 81 min.
LONDON, October 28.-Caph Mares,
commander of the Arctic Expedition,
has sent telegram to the Admiralty
containing the following additional par
ticulars of the voyage:
The Polar Sea is never nav1gable.
The ordinary ice averages eighty feet in
thickness. Animal life and the
northerly migration of birds ends
south of Cape Columbia. A me-
mcrial tablet was erected to Capt
Hall, of the Polaris Expedition, at Po-
laris Bay. Esquimaux traces cease on
the west shore, in latitude 81, deg. so
min, where they cross to Greeland
The impracicability Of reaching the
North Pole was proved. All the neigh
boring lands were examined. The tel
gram confirms all the details of the ex
petition transmitted to the United
States.