The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1876-11-09
Return Of the British Arctic Expedition.

THE British Arctic Expedition under
Capt. Mares has returned after a voy-
age Of two years. The Alert and Dis
covery left Port Foulke on July 10th,
1875, and entered ice off Cape Sable.
After a severe and continuous strug-
gle 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, where the ice varied in thickness,
being in some places $50 feet deep.
President Land does not exist. The
Alert wintered in latitude 80 de. q
min. At this point the sun was in
visible 142 days, and temperature the
lowest ever recorded was experienced.
A detachment with sledges was dis.
patched northward. It was absent
seventy days, and reached latitude SO
deg. 20 min. Another party rounded
Cape Columbia, the n0rthernmost point
of America, and traced 220 miles west
ward from Greenland, and also explor.
ed far to eastward. These sledge par
ties met with no game, and suffered
scurvy. Hans Peterson died from a
frost bite. John Porter, of the Alert,
and James Hans and Charley Paul, of
the Discovery, died on sledging expe-
ditions. There were no Esquimaux
seen nor were any iceburgs met with
beyond Cape Union. The expedition
encountered great difficulties in return
ing. The Alert's rudder bolt was dam
aged. The vessels left Smiths Sound
September 9th. They signalled the
Pandora October 10th-all well. The
Alert parted from the Discovery in a
gale September 10th. 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 104 degree below the
freezing point. During the sledg>
journeys the ice was SO rugged that
it was only possible to advance a mile
a day. During the winter rich col
lections in the department of natural
history were made, and many valuable
scientific observations taken. Excel
lent coal was found near the place
where the Discovery wintered. The
expedition experienced the coldest
weather ever registered. the tenpera
ture being 50 degrees below zero FOL
a fortnight, and falling once to l04 de
grees below freezing point. The Pan
dora when spoken by the Alert repor
ted her screen slightly damaged b.
ice. The Pandora called at Littleto1
Island and Cape Isabella, but wa!
able to reach Cape Sabine. AS tn,
expedition did not touch at Littleto1
Island on its return, it missed the let
ters left by the Pandora. The health
of the crew, with the exceptions
already mentioned, has been good
The frost bites we're severe, but NO
numerous. Peterson, the interpreter
died in 40 days after both feet had beer
amputated for frost bite. All member
of the expedition declare it impossi
BILE to get nearer the pole than thei>
northern exploring party, which pen
etrated to within 400 miles of it. Or
the return from their sledge Journeys
the men were in very helpless con
dition, aud it was necessary to draw
some of them on sledges. The plank
ing of the Alert was much damaged
by ice.
A member Of the expedition tele
graphs to The Daily News that tn
northernmost land reached was in lati
tude 50 deg, longitude 7 deg. Afte,
that there was ice. The point further
est west reached was in longitude 8;
deg. Lady Franklin Straits is really
bay. Petermann Fiord was closed b,
a glacier. The nOrthernmost point il
Greenland seen was in latitude 80 deg
81 min.