Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-03-07

days in searching for land which
Wilkes had laid down on chart; but
six hundred fathoms' depth of water
was found, in the very centre of the
position assigned to the land on the
chart. Ross arrived at an opinion that
the American commander had been
deceived either by ice islands or fog
banks. We need not go into much
further detail concerning this expedi-
ton; but few words may be quoted
to show what kind of weather had to
be borne in the very middle of the Ant
arctic summer, and in no higher latitude
than sixty-six degrees. For nine days
the crews were alternately drifting,
hauling, making fast, mending snap
ped hawsers, and making efforts to
stem opposing currents. On the tenth
day, during a thick fog, a gale came
On from the north. "The sea quickly
rose to fearful height, breaking over
the loftiest icebergs; we were unable
any longer to hold our ground,
but were driven into the heavy
pack under our lee. Soon after mid
night our ships were involved in an
ocean Of floating fragm ents of ice,
hard as floating blocks of granite,
which were dashed against them by
the waves with so much violence, that
their masts qulvered as if they would
fall at every successive blow, and the
destruction of the ships seemed newt
able from the tremendous shocks they
received. By backing and filling the
sails, we endeavored to avoid collision
with the larger masses; but this was
not always possible. In the early part
of the storm the rudder of the Erebus
was so much damaged as to be no long.
er of any use; and about the same
time was informed by signal that the
Terror's was completely destroyed, and
nearly torn away from the stern-post.
Hour after hour passed away without
the least mitigation of these awful cir
cumstances in which we were placed.
Indeed, there seemed to be but little
probability of our ships holding togeth-
er much longer, so frequent and vio-
lent were the shocks they sustained.
The loud, crashing noise of the strain
ing and working of the timbers and
decks, as she was driven against some
of the heavier pieces, which all
the activity and exertions of
our people could not prevent,
was sufficient to fill the stoutest heart
that was not supported by trust in Him
who controls all events-with dismay."
Whenever the gallant commander got
south of sixty degrees or so, then the
battling with ice began again and again
He once touched, as we have said, the
seventy-eightn parallel.of latitude, and
in all probability no human being has
ever made a nearer approach to the
South Pole-less by three or four hun
dred miles than the approach which
has been recently made to the North
Pole. What we know of the South
Pole, then, is simply this-that nobody
has got within seven or eight hundred
miles Of it; that icy barriers are met
with quite eeipsing anything known in
the North Frigid Zone; that mountains
have been. seen one shooting forth
volcanic fames) ]oftier than any dis.
covered by our northern explorers; that
all the land is covered with snow at all
seasons; that no human being has been
met with beyond ffty-six degrees OF
latitude; that no vegetable growth, ex
cept lchens, has been seen beyond
fifty eight degrees of latitude; and thai
no land quadruped is known to exist
beyond sixty-six degrees of latitude.