The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1876-11-02
Return OF the English Arctic Ex-
neditiou.


LONDON Oct p. 1t is stated that tel |
eeram has been received ut Portsmouth
announcing the return of the British Arctic
expedition under Capt. Mares, comprising
the naval steamers Alert and Discovery |
The Alert arrived at Valencia at 80 this
afternoon, that being the first land made
since leaving the frozen regions. She part
ed company with the Discovery in the At |
lantic,
Progress to the North Pole was found to
be impracticable. Capt Mares reports that
no land could be discovered to the north
ward OF the highest latitude reached
namely, So, but IN other respects the ex-
petition was successful. The Alert pro-
ceeded to Queenstown, and Capt. Mares
to London. All are well.
The Alert and Discovery left Port Foulke
on July Doth, 1875. and entered the ice off
Cape Sable. After severe and contnu-
Gus struggle they reached the north side
OF Lady Franklin Bay where the Dlscov
cry was left in winter quarters. The Alert
pushed on and reached the limit of navi
cation Oh 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 lat 81
q. At this point the sun was invisible 142
days, and the temperature the lowest ever
recorded was experienced. A detachment
with sledges was despatched northward. |
1t was absent about seventy days, and
reached latitude $50 POI. Another party
rounded Cape Columbia, the northernmost
point OF America, and travelled two hun
dred and twenty miles westward from
Greenland, and also explored far to the
eastward. The sledge parties met with
no game and suffered from scurvy. Hans
Petersen, from frost bite, John Porter of
the Alert, James Hanson and Charles Paul
OF the Discovery, died on the sledging ex-
petition. No Esquimaux were seen, nor
were any icebergs met with beyond Cape
Union. The expedition encountered great
difficulties in returning. The Alert's rud-
der bolt was damaged. The vessels left
Smiths Sound Sept 9th. They signalled
the Pandora Oct 10th, and all were we'll
The Alert parted from the Discovery in a
gale, Oct. 18th. She will SHIFT her rudder
at Nalenti;. and proceeded to Queenstown
to coal. The Admiral ut Queenstown tel
egraphs that the discovery is expected to
arrive hourly.
! The lowest temperature during the Win
| ter was l01 degrees below the freezing
| point During the sledge journeys the ice
was 50 rugged that it was only possible to
advance a mile a day During the winter
rich collections in natural history were
made and many valuable scientific obser-
vations were taken. Excellent coal was
found near the place where the Discovery
wintered, The expedition experienced the
coolest weather ever registered, the TEN
| perature being 80 degrees below zero for
fortnight, and falling once to lol degrees
below the freezing point. The Pandora,
when spoken by the Alert, reported her
screw slightly damaged by ice The Pan
dora called at Littleton Island and Cape
| Isabella but was unable to reach Cape
Sabine AS the expedition did not call at
Littleton Island on its return it missed the
letters left by the Pandora
The health Of the crews, with the eXcep-
| lions already mentioned, has been good.
The frost bites We're severe. but not MI
merous. Petersen, the Interpreter, died
forty days after both feet had been ilmpll-
| tated, from frost bite All the members
OF the expedition declare that ii Is impos-
| Sible TO get nearer the Pole than their
northern exploring party. which penetra-
| ted to within four hundred miles Of it. On
the return from their slcdge journeys the
men were in very helpless condition.
y member Of the expedition teleyraphs
to the Daily News that the northernnlost
| land reached was in LAT. IS o.. After that
there was ice. The point turlhest west
reached was in Ion, 50. Lady Franklin
Straits is really Il bay. petermann Fiord
was closed by a glacier The northern
most point OF Greenland seen was in lat
itude s. 81.
The Discovery Wntered in a we'll shell
tered harbor on the west side OF Halls
Basin, Il few miles north OF Polalis Bay.
The Alert pushed forward and rounded
| the northeast point of Grants Land but
| instead OF finding, as expected, n conlinu-
Gus coast hundre! miles toward the
North, She found herself on the border of
an extensive sea with imnenetrable ice on
| every side and no harb0r.
The ships wintered behind Il barrier Of
grounded ice close to land The floating
masses OF thick Polar ice had in meeting
pressed up quantities of intermediate ice
into blocks frequently a mile in diameter
and varying in height from ten to fifty
feet.
Obstacles OF this kind destroyed all hope
the attempt was made, the Slcdge party
axes nearly half the distance travelled.
| As it was always necessary to drag the
| sledgc loads by instruments, the party
really trayersed PIG miles, although it
only progressed IS miles.
All the cairns erected by the Polaris ex-
petition We're visited at the boat depot in
Newman's Bay. A chronometer was found
in perfect order The wheat left by the
folaris was successfully grown aboard the
ships. When at Polaris bay, the Discov-
cry hoisted the American flag and fired
salute. A tablet with the following in
scrption was fined on the grave of Capt
Hall: Sacred to the memory of Captain
Hall, of the Polaris, who sacrificed his life
IN the advancement of science; this tablet
is erected by the British Polaris exped-
ton, who, following his footsteps, have
prollted by his experience
Two sailors of the Greenland sledge par
ty were buried near Capt. Halls grave.
The sutferings of the sledgc parties from
scuryy were irightful. The expedition I'M
der Markham and Parr, which endeavored
to reach the pole, consisted of seventeen
persons. Nine became utterly helpless
and had to be carried on sledges. Three
could barely walk and We're unable to pull.