The New York herald., 1876-10-30
THE NORTH POLE.
The British Expedition Declared
To Be a Failure.
THE REASON WHY.
What DR.. Isaac I. Hayes Has to
Say About 1t.
NEw YoRg, Oct 2e, 1915.

ters concerning geographical explorations especially
with regard TO Africa and the Arctic regions, venture
60 address you relation TO this last expedition from
England The leading facts were published in the
HERALD of yesterday, and you gave them such promi
that feel that yoc look upon the matter MS OF
sufficient importance TO demand explanation II has
occurred to me that might say word in that drcc
tion 1t announced IN the HERALD that the expo
dition reached within 400 miles OF tho Polc' and
that .'during tho scdgc journey the ice was SO
rugged that IL was only possible TO advance a miles
day. Now tins seems to me strange that The whole
thing should have proved to bo practically such q
failure. bavc disposition 10 blow my own ,rum-
pet but IT. with their great advantages, this English
expedition could not have accomplished something
more than they did II were better had they not
made much fuss about IT, The Alert and Discovery
are two fine ships; both are screw steamers Never
vas there expedition hticd out by any government
10 bountifully. Nothing wanting. They had
svery scientific appliance, and the expedition cos,
less than s15o.0Oo 1t to go to the North
Pole ana mako there and the British flag
vas DO planted the northern axis of tho earth,
and Of course the world to be astonshcd at
British energy and British pluck What is the result?
One year OF trial. ice eighty feet thick and no chance
f getting to the North Polc. In plain terms,
DoS'r BELiEvE WORD OF 1T,
md don't believe that the expedition had any right
10 return when It did. Why, did nearly all they did
with my little bit OF schooner-united statcs-whch
was not much than half the sizc OF the Daunt-
less had no stcam, and could not work to wndward
among the ice fields of Smith sound and becoming
sntanglcd I was forced to go into winter quarters,
IN a crippled condition, IN latitude 1s deg II min
1t the mouth OF that Sound. There renamed
Ven months before the ice broke up and liberated me-
With steam could have gone further, but had no
Dhcr alternative than TO await the spring, and travel
over the frozen with dog slcdges. ! marked, as
nearly as could DO determined, latitude So deg-say
$50 miles from the Pole
Tho journey begun April and the highest lati-
tude was reached May Is, alter toilsome march OF
700 miles The return journey was shorter, but in all
estimated my journey at 1900 miles. aud It occu
pied sixty days. To do this l travelled
over a sea which tho English expedition
sailed over In the summer because they had steam.
they reached, therefore. by water tho point which
reached with sledges-that IS 10 say Lady Franklin
Bay, which crossed and explored Practically, there
fore, tho English expedition began where left on
and why with a winter harbor In Lady Franklin Bay,
they did not 60 is moro than can understand.
Ny winter harbor was in latitude IS deg IL min.,
IS have said; DR.. Kane, with whom | served as
surgeon, wintercd in latIiude rs deg. 81 mn--both
on the G Greenland OF Smith sound Kane reached
ON the Greenland side latitude 81 deg crossed
over 10 the land OF my discovery, Grinncll
Land and went some sixty miles further and looked
Sut Kane did upon an open sea- Kane was there in
June in May and ye, both were interrupted oy open
nade with sedgcs The ice over which we travelled
was thin aud rotten at the further north saw but
little ice beyond the last point. The northernmost
lind seen named Cape Union, which liked, not ac-
Suracy but as near as possible IN latitude 81 deg 40
Rim and for this discovery received, aflcr my return.
medals and other tokens from OF the civilized
nations OF shc EARTH tor having discovered and actu
ally rood tho northcrnmos land ever reached by
civilized man
The Alert seems TO have reached Cape Union Be-
yond this Captain Hall thought he saw land which ho
named President Land The English expedition re-
ports that this land does not exist In this believe
they are correct We arc
IN favor OF our views have always believed IN
the existence OF an open Polar Sea- think stood
upon its shores in 1861 believe that navigable,
ana am utterly al loss TO understand why the Alert
and Discovery did not sail upon Its waters, unless
assume that the spirit which animated bann, Ross.
with the advance OF steam, The telegraph
and home comforts. Now, please remember that this
Tho North Pole only approached by some eighty
miles nearer than approached it. II Is said that
the leo eighty feet thick. In plain English,
don't believe IT., aud don't understand how II hap
pcned that grand expedition fitted out with such
srea, flourish Of rnmps,s a, such enormous cost,
ricd home with the old cry that the North Pole can't
be roachsd They did not stay there long enough 10
Be- sure, the matter Of getting to the
North Polo is Of little consequence in
business point OF vicw. II may be of consequence
whatever, but here Is an expedition fitted out ex-
pressly TO do IT. has unlimited time; has every poss-
bic advantage; has the unqualified support OF tho
British government and yet, frightened by one win
scrs experience, hurrcs home 10 report another fail
ura The Poars did better, Tor even after the death
OF Captain Hall IL stuck until II was crushed by
the ice. Had Captain Budd,ngton been imbued With
the same emotions as actuatcd Captain Hall
] believe he could have steamed TO the North Pole,
and venture 10 say that, whether the Alert could
could not have gone there one years experience was
/ am a arm believer In an open Polar Sea. II IL
not available for the purposes OF commerce, but
It's certainly a sea or ocean, as you may please 70
call Whatever interest attaches to II Is OF purely
scientific character To pursue science requires
patience, and 10 20 with great government expcdi-
tion, especially 10 make scientific discoveries with
the dislinct understanding that thorc Is no other
motive, seems TO me to require something more than
simple 1T can't be done" so far as getting 10 tho
North Pole is concerned,
I AN SURE IT cAS Dx DONE
and IN falling to do u after only ono years trai
think this English expedition has shown iamcnabic
lack OF English pluck They say they had dreadful
time Of IL some people were frozen and three or
four OF them died That their own fault Travel
ling in the Arcuc regions Is not moro terrible or moro
dangerous than travelling nywherc else IL 10 mat
ter OF and judgment Accidents may happen. but
II Is the duty OF commander TO see that they dont
happen. believe have made as long sledgc jour
uey as any one on record experienced tempcra-
turc during that journey OF seventy degrees below
zero and yet there was never In all tho sixty days oc
rupled by the journey much as rost bite tosny of
The party and yet this In the exact region where
the English expedition has been. finding they say,
eighty feet OF ice. Tho Poiaris in the same quar-
ter and got nearly as lar north
The Poars met with such ice, but met with the
pamc evident decentralization. In my opinion there Is
serious trouble about getting 10 the North Pole. but
dont believe IL be done in year and may be
NOT in two, and must say, and that most emphai-
icay that the results OF this last OF the Arctic cxpe
ttiops in no way Commensurate with its prcten-
any more than they are with It's opportunities.
Its like will never be seen again, and tho chance for
grand achievement has been thrown away. In short
the whole thing Is failure without the explanatory
csusc wc stuck TIL the last moment, and did what
70 could They had food and all manner OF stores
tor Two years more, aud should. In my
juGgment. have stayed there until those
stores were eaten up. I believe in exploration, and
teieve In iis Independence OF all questions 10 the
cut bonoy We may have our own views as TO utility
but when once undcra aiken think a scheme should be
carried through 10 completion According to yodr
Telegram the English expedition has reached 50 deg.
20 min. and yet with plenty Of food abundant health,
fHE EyEs OF THE WORLD rroS THIN,
they say there Is too much Believing In an open
Polar Sea, think 10 can be navigaicd. The English
expcaitlon saw great quantities OF ice They
lc the land and along the land you always ind ice in
All Arctic walers 1 believe that / reached beyond