The New York herald., 1876-11-27
ARCTIC EXPLORATION.
THE WAX TO THE NORTH PoLE-orINIoS OF A
HULL WHALING CAPTAIN.

THE WAX TO THE NORTH PoLE-orINIoN OF A
HULL WHALING CAPTAIN.
Captain Wells, who was :or many years connected
with the Hull whaling fleet, writes to the Eastern
Morning yems as ollows--'The most powerful cxpe-
dt.on sent Arctic discovery has just returned
unsuccessful and, 10 my mind, no wonder. They
have done their very BEST there is doubt and havo
succeeded in accomplishing one OF the most import
ant parts OF their duty-namely, secure safe and
early return without putting the country 10 the
ie,y and expense OF sending searching expedition to
look Tor and, IL necessary, to bring them home.
Thr,y-sx years. experience in the Arctic seas, how
ever that tho Pole is accessible. and win
ere long be reached, but by tho way OF Baain's
Bay and smiths sound for tho following reasons:-
Bafin's Bay, or Davis Straits, is well known
10 be y long Of the stretching
for several hundreds OF miles IRON the
Atlantic and for eight months Of the year nearly To-
tally covered with ice; thence Smiths Sound, com
mcncing at the extreme head OF Baffn's Bay.
several degrees further norhward, and Is a narrow
channel, with high mountainous coasts, thus render
ing il utterly impossible for the ice IN the unknown
space be reached or affected by any swell or
other action OF the likely its upton
rise fall OF the tides and the action of very brief
summers sun Hence the imposso;lity OF finding
passage through u or even getting over IT, IN conse
quence oi It's substance and high rugged surface SO
much for the route tho late expedition has been in
struc,cd follow. ] will now try to point lar
moro likeiy way, and give my reasons. The north
cnd OF spi,zbcrsen, in Greenland, which hes
In latitude so degrees norsh and is therefore
only 600 miles from tho Pole is easily reached
every year by the whalers and walrus hunters and II
has often happened that 81 deg 80 sec, and believe
instances 81 degrees north has been reached
when searching for whales thus reducing the distance
the ship to the Polo 10 4SO miles, and this, IL
must be remembered Is without making any effort at
discovery. Now looking at tho map or chart in this
neighborhood, i will Lc seen that clear unlntcr
rupicd roll OF swell runs up from tho Atlantic for the
most part OF the ycnr and annually smashes UP the
at an early oil tho summer season. myself when
q boy on board the Aoram, oil Hull was in lat-
81 degrees north in the month Of APRIL and It
well known that the average daily drift OF ship when
bcsct the pack from TO twelve miles so,thery,
varying according TO the winds, thus proving that the
Icc in latitude 81 degrees In April isnrvlvng at all
average drift Of ten miles daily Tor three
months ninety days. Now this being the
able 10 survive make. ask what must be The
ural result OF this well known s0uthery drill but the
leaving Of immense body OF water northward, and
convinced that II powerful screw steamer sucn as
hns just returned from the other route (and must DO
remembered this way has never yet been tried by any
such means) could enter tho socaed north water
say by the end Of Juneshe would have abundance OF
TO survey the unknown space tctwccn the degrees
OF So aud 90 north, aud secure, without DOUBT her
turn by tho same route, taken upward, and before
any new leo could be formed TO obstruct her passage
back, il being all daylight during this interval As
10 the certainty of drift rem em5er tho portion OF
the American schooner Polarls crew who were aban-
doncd by their snip accidentally only Two
tnree years ago, pleCc VI ISc III
degrees north, Davis Straits, and IN the month
October, when winter was before them, and ice
constantly making, and more or lcss obstructing the
drift OF the old ccyet they drove down straits
and picked up tho piece OF Ice the coast
Of Newfoundland by one OF the scalcrs In The carly
rart OF the following spring, having driited south
about 100 miles. AS 10 what is in the ncghborho0d
OF the Pole certain there is no land, otherwise
tn re would be glaciers and. then iccbcrgs would
DO found drifting southerly from their native origin
is AL the Arctic coasts, but more
seen or met with north OF Sptzbe gen. venture to
Vh0cn RI hn nlbl Inn
convinced state oil my own mind from many years
pcriencc IN both the above. named Arctic seas'