Mexico weekly ledger., 1876-11-09
ARCTIC EXPLORATIONS.
Return OF the British Arctic
Within D Miles of the North Pole,

Return of the British Arctic Il
Within 400 Miles of the North Pole.
LONDON, Oct. PA telegram has
been received announcing The return to
Valentia of the British Arctic expe-
dition under Capt. Mares, comprising
the steamers Alert and Discovery
Progress to the North Pole was found
impracticable. Capt. Mares reports
that no land could be discovered to
northward of the highest latitude reach
ed. namely 80 dogs. 20 Min; but in
other respects the expedition was sue
cessful. The Alert has proceeded to
Queenstown and Capt. Mares to Lon
don. All well.
The Alert arrived at Valentia at $50
this afternoon, being the first landing
made since leaving the frozen regions.
She parted company with the Discovery
in the Atlantic.
The Alert and Discovery left Port
Eoulke on July 20, 1875, and entered
the ice off Cape Sable. After a 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. The Alert wintered in lati-
tude 80 deg. 81 min. at this point. The
sun was visible for 142 days, and tenn
perature the lowest ever recorded was
experienced. A detachment with
sledges was dispatched northward. 1t
was absent 20 days, and reached lati-
tude 80 deg. 20 min. Another party
rounded Cape Columbia, the
NoRTHERNMosT POINT OF sAMERICA,
and traced 22O miles westward from
Greenland, and also explored far to the
eastward. These sledge par les met
with no game and suffered from scurvy.
Hans Petersen died from frost-bite, and
James Hans and Charles Paul died on
sledging expeditions. No Esquimaux
were seen, nor were there any icebergs
met with beyond Cape Union.
The lowest temperature during the
winter was 104 degrees below freezing
point.
During the sledge journeys the ice
was so ragged that it was only possible
to advance a mile a day during the Win
ter. 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 wintered. The ex-
petition experienced the coolest
weather ever registered, the tempera-
ture being SO degrees below zero, for a
fortnight, and falling once to
104 DEGREES BELOW THE FREEZING
POINT.
The health of the crews, with the
exception already mentioned, has been
good. Frost bites were severe, but not
numerous. Petersen, the interpreter,
died 40 days after both feet had been
amputated for a frost bite.
All the members of the expedition
declare it impossible to get nearer the
pole than their northern exploring par
ty, which penetrated to within 400
miles of it. On returning from their
sledge journeys they were in a very
helpless condition, and it was necessary
to draw some of them ON sledges. The
planking of the Alert vas much dam
aged by ice.
A member of the expedition tele-
graphs to the Daily NeWs that the
northernmost land reached was in lati-
tude IS deg. Z min. After that there
was ice. The point furthest west reach
ed was in long. IS. Lady Franklin's
Straits is really a bay. Peterman Ford
was closed by a glacier. The north
ernmost point in Greenland seen was in
latitude 80 deg. 81 min.