The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-05-07


Francis Josepns Land Koldewcy could have
made no discoveries AZ all the Of Eastern
Greenland without sending sledges to the North and
the same may be SAID Of Kanc's as well as OF Hayes
sicdges were based on their transportation TO tho
boundary OF the known and unknown, otherwise no
discoveries could have been made This boundary OF
the unknown, however, lies everywhere lar within
the ice that II Is the utmost ship do roach IL
IN the short season OF the year in which progress
possible From that point when the snip remains
shut IN by the Ice for long period only the slcdgcs
can be used for beginning or Tor complete discoveries
THE HIGHEST POINT REACHED
Though Captain Mares did reach tho Pole, he
went further than any OF hts predecessors. Aud It
should not forgotten that his task was from tho
start dllcult ono than theirs. Had no
accomplished only as much a., for instance,
the PolArs, England would have regarded his
| lilc observations which the circumstances pre-
| scribed or permitted were made on board. Tho
meteorological and magnetic observations part
these. and Is merely 10 DO regretted that they
confined TO one year only. All these ana other scen
;ihc lab0rs connected with immense difficulties in
the remote morrill, and the results great
they the tropics rho geologis alone partcu-
larry he takes part Ia slcdgo journeys, works with
To this circumstance owe u SUM-
Gent knowledge Of the mountainous formations OF that
region. AS lar rs could learn the Grant would
Seem TO present some OF the features OF Emperor
Williams Land The botanical results between the
was 10 have been expected and they the spec
mons OF vegetation which wo saw IN Francis Joscphs
snow these lands close TO Robson Channel must i'm
press ono as rocky businesses when compared with
| Spnzbcrgen Eastern Greenland. In geological
spccts however, the absence o! Tho warus Is OF inter-
est Kane aud Hayes found them further south in
great numbers Tho Robson Channel seems TO DO
shallow enough Tor them, and their absence Is proba
bly, owing TO their want oi proper food.
SLOW PRoGREss POLAR EXPLORATION.
In bis first telegram tho commander oil the expo
dion expressed his To the impossibility OF
reacning the Pole. This q matter OF personal opiD-
ion. At first blush II would seem as il we wero
steadily pro, rcssing toward The roio by ship But
TINS great modern progress beyond the attitudes 70
n rAEn n hFpQr nnlt m
reach lititudes 80 deg 10 % deg north nced by no
means take equally long
Increased in the same ratio as tho comforts and
voncnccs OF Poar travel Alrcady HUDSON, Batiin,
seventeenth century which have seldom been OK
ceedcd since. Often these owing
holiness or endurance but 10 good luck and TO tho
caprcos OF Tho Ice when would open itself 10
tho whaiemen and then again present an impassablc
two good strong SHIPS instead OF splitting
up our force by sending out htto dcols. and by
wen educated physicians and proper nourlshmcnt We
keep aooi that Damoclos sword, he scurvy. These
improvements which render autumn and spring
slclge journeys possible, explain modern prog
ross.
"rmK LIMIT or THE ATrAixABLE"
But at certain points ws have nearly reached, do
spite our advantage OF steam power, the limit OF the
Aainable ana even extraordinary like those
OF Hall aud Mares only teach US tho possibility of
going but little beyond, and then only the
favorable conditions Eastern Greenland regarded
| as impenetrablc beyond latitude 1915 deg.
north Tho short extension OF the and strong
counter currents. with tho pack ice, prevented the
| second German North Pole expedition from penetrat-
ing further north. North OF spltzbergen and along
Behring's Strait about nifty expeditions and less
whacmen received percmptory non plus ultra from
the ice. Everywhere the short season during which
any progress could DO mado has been recognized
| the greatest impeachment.
smith sound-ssnerally regarded as the mos. avail
able passage the Poic-oners hope the end
| loads into a remote region vi pack ice.
''PoLE iMPRACTCABLE" EXPLAINED.
Even though this region OF pack does remain
fixed any moro than any other portion OF the Arctic
Sea- It's temporary breaking up improves chances
OF reaching the Pole IN theory only and not in
Tho year 1875 favorable for tho navigation Of
Smith Sound. and yet Mares expedition surprised
by the solid, extended pack ice north OF Graut Land.
Even If tho ice IN Lincoln Sea and the nuvigaDty Of
Smith Sound should occur simultaneously there would
s be no certainty OF reaching the Pole, for tho
hausts oil tho available time and requires the
most favorable conditions ship reaching
81 deg. in tho beginning Of autumn could
penetrated through tho ce-llled but perhaps still
partially navgabie Lincoln Sea would have to
winter In SO deg, or, perhaps, even "a deg.
But should these exceptionally favorable conditions
recur IN tho following year, would they permit the
| ship TO proceed further north to return? And
| would recurrence OF such exceptionally favorable
circumstances take place in two, three Tour years,
Is tho tins query which decides whether tho
Pole Is atta'nablc. THIS Is probably what Captain
Mares telegram, "Polo Impractical" really meant
Though It may not BIO altogether impossible to roach
the poe yet would be advisable to separate nil OIL
forts Tor reaching II from tho general task OF Arctic
exploration until wc are able to send air ships instead
OF impotent steamers
| SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATION
| Tho exploration OF Greenland Gis Land, Wrangel
Land aud Francis Josephs Land would then, take the
place Of tho real North Pole expeditions. Tho geo
graphical exploration Should however. yield prcce-
dcnco TO the natural historical Tor tho present.
Lieutenant Weypfecht laid great upon this 20
und suggested the leading civilized nations com.
bino tor undertaking simultaneous expeditions TO IN
vestigatc magoetism, electricity anu meteoroogy In
tho Polar regions he thinks that these expeditions
should be distributed through various parts Of tho
| Arctic regions and mako simultaneous observations
with the same instruments. Upon the return OF the
al n nod hpNng axtt.n hat
tho phantom Of IN open Polar still has many ndvo-
cafes, and was regarded AS one oil the acncvcmcnts
of that expedition that II furnished new grounds Tor
discrediting It. IL had been found impossible 10
prove tho existence or non-existeuce Of open
Polar sea by direct discovery. Though this chmcra
Is disproved by scientific by tho expert
cnce not only OF Narcs but also OF hudson and Balm,
1t still has ndhcrcnts because they place IL wnerc
! no ono over was--nearcr The Pole.
| ANIMAL LIFE NEAR THE POLE.
Captain Mares expedition observed AN exceedingly
sporadic appearance Of dhimn lie the extreme north,
an observation similar 10 that made further south by
Kano, Hayes and Hall along tho Smith Sound route
This shows In general, tho strong contrast between
the western and eastern coasts Kane and Mares onnd
but little animal lie IN their wmtering places while
| Hayes. Stephenson and Hall found comparatively a
good deal Considering the high northern latitude tho
Discovery certainly seems TO have wntorcd IN n sort
| Nevertheless, even Grant Land IL richer in lane
animals than Francis Joscpb's Land, whcrc-with the
exception OF foxes and harcs--none were Tho
Ice bears, which wero met in great numbers, were
found hero IN their very home. The absence OF nil
animal lie around the Alert Is explained BY the dense
/
bears their very rst condition oil lie. The expedition
no land 10 inc bortb ami denies the existence or
HANS President Land. The dense banks Of the hor-
zon often assume the character OF remote ellis Per-
baps such an experience may have deceived the
Americans. Al the same TIME the mist banks which
frequently met with IA the Polar region, veil tho
land from signt. Perhaps this was the in Beau
munts Grceniand slcdgc journey aud perhaps Green
land docs, alter all. extend beyond Capc Britannia
further 10 the north
| THICKNESS THE IcE
| Tho experience Of Parry, Nordcnskol and OF tho
Anstro, hungarian expedition--hut extended trips
boats sedgcs the pack Ice npracticabIe--
shared ny Naros. The crew OF the rcgctlon could
not have been saved 1pon tho homcward journey but
for the nav gable canals through which passage
effected. Tho English expedition met tho leo all
the greater force the further north II penetrated aud
ut last got non region ol pack Ice whose
SAID To DO from 30 To 40 feet thick THIS statement
has not ouiy made scnsatiun but led 10 erroneous
interpretations Mares did not say that all ino
was Of THIS thickness; he places the mini