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

.'"'' ''-'ic"tii ScCspcs, Ncii-SucitcIeu HIT
Dor was reached on the west side Of Halls
Basin, north of Lady Franklin Sound, in
latitude 81 degrees "A minutes north.-
Hero the Discovery was secured for the
winter, few miles nortl of Polaris BAY.
which w;is in sight OF the opposite side Of
the channel. The Alert pushing onward,
rounded the northeast point Of "Crant
Land, but instead of finding continu-
GUS cOastlinc leading one hundred miles
further toward the north, as every one
had expected, found herself on the bor-
der of what was evidently very exien-
sivc sea, with impenetrnble ice on every
side. No har6or being obtanable the
ship was secured rs far north rs possible,
inside n shcltering barrier of grounded
ice, close to the land, aud there she passed
the winter; during her stay of eleven
months, no navigabe 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-
scmbling in marked degree, both in APP
pcarancc and formation low floating ice
bcrgs rather than ordinary salt.water-ice.
1t has now been termed the "Sca of An
cent Icc"-the Pulyeocrystic or Palmo-
crusic Sea; and a stranded mass Of ice
broken away from an iccfoe has been
named hocbcrg. Whereas ordinary
ice Is usually from two to ten feet i'm
thickness, that in the Polar Sea, in con-
sequence of having so few outlets by
which to escape to the southwark in any
apprcciable quantity, gradually increases
in age and thickness until it measures
from eighty to one hundred and twenty
Icct, fioating with its surface nj the low
est part fifteen feet aboic the water-line.
Strange as it may appear, this cxtraor-
dinary thickness of the ice saved the ship
from being driven on shore for, owing
10 its great depth of fotation. OF nearing
the shallow beach it grounded and formed
barrier inside which the ship was COM
paratively safe. When two pieces of or
binary ice are driven one against the 9TH
cr and the cages broken up, the crushed
pieces arc raised, by the pressure into a
high. long waif-like 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; it is
pressed up between the two closing mas
scs to great height, producing chaotic
wilderness of angular blocks of all shapes
and sizes, varying in height up to fifty
feet above watcr, and frequently covering
an era upward of n mile in diameter
Such an icy road, which was sure to be
continuous, destroyed all hope of the Pole
itself being reached by slcdgcs. Never
thclcss, it was determined by Captain
Mares to advance as far as possible, and,
during the spring Of this year. party,
headed by Commander Markham and
Lieutenant Parr, made a most gallant
and determined attempt. They were ab-
sent sevcnty-two days from the shin: and
on the 18th day Of May succeeded in
planting the British flag in latitude S3
degrees 20 minutes, 26 seconds north.
From this position there was no appear
ancc of land to TIE northward, but, curl
ously enough. the depth of water was
found to be only seventy-twO fathoms.
Owing to the extraordinary nature of the
pressed-up ice, a 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 drae The
sledgc loads forward by installments and,
therefore, to journey over the same road
several times. The advance was, consc-
qneltly, 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
seyenty-threc, miles from the ship, go
miles were Travelled ever to accomplish
it: 1t is quite impossible for any body
OF mer ever to excel the praiseworthv
perseverance displayed by this gallant
party III their arduous struggle over tho
roughcst and most monotonou, road i'm
aginable. Their journey, Considering
the hcever-recurring difficulties has eclipscd
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 TINT be-
fore the North Pole can be reached it is
first necessary to discover continuous
coast line leading toward it. In the au-
tnmn 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 i'll the following spring, the depot
being established within mile of the
iurthest north position hitherto reached
by civilized man. On the l4th of Octo-
Der, two days after the sun had bid the
exhibition goodbye for an absence of
l42 days, the travellers returned from
their cold and arluous journey of twen-
ty-four days duration. Owing to a very
heavy snows stor,n, which, by protecting
the sloppy ice from the intense frost,
caused very wet travelling, number OF
people were frost.bitten IN the feet, and
three amputations were necessary-onc
officer and two oe the men being sufferers.
Lieutenant hldrich, 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 mountain 1000 feet
high sighted land toward the west-north-
west, extending to latitude cighty-three
degrees seven minutes. No land was seen
northward Thus within four months of
leaving England the mystery concerning
the "open Polar Sen" was cleared up.
The Alert. advancing to the limit of nav
iigationn, had reached a higher northern
latitude ii.un any snip mad previously
been able to attain, and sledge party
had proceeded few miles beyond the
position gained with so much labor and
priyation 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-
tryinen. to be again pushed forward in
advance during the following SPRING
Owing to the ice in the neighborhood re-
manning in motion until late date the
Discovery was unable to send away any
sledgc parties during the Autumn Of
Alert communicating with her consort.
altllOIIph tho t,vn ah inu ,syorn D,,t,,