The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1876-11-08
Return 81 the British Arctic Expedition

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THE British Arctic Expedition under
Capt. Mares has returned after vOy-
age of two years. The Alert and Dis
cOvery left Port FOulke on July 10Th,
1875, and entered ice off Cape Sable.
After 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 l42 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 nOrthernmost 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
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 rudder bolt was dam
aged. The vessels left Smiths Sound
September 9th. They signalled the
Pandora October loth--all we'll. 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 l04 degree below the
freezing point. During the sledgo
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 coolest
weather ever registered, the tempera-
ture being SO degrees below zero for
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 by
ice. The Pandora called at Littleton
Island and Cape Isabella, but was
able to reach Cape Sabine. AS the
expedition did not touch at Llttleton
Island on it's 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 were severe, but not
numerous. Peterson, the interpreter
died in 40 days after both feet had been
amputated for frost bite. All members
of the expedition declare it impossi-
BILE to get nearer the pole than their
northern exploring party, which pen
etrated to within 400 miles Of it. On
the return from their sledge journeys
the men were in a 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 the
northernmost land reached was in lati.
tude 80 deg, longitude deg. After
that there was ice. The point further
est west reached was in longitude IS
deg. Lady Franklin Straits is really a
bay. Petermann Ford was closed by
a glacier. The northernmost point in
Greenland seen was in latitude 80 deg.
81 min.