Ottumwa weekly courier., 1877-08-15
THE SOUTH POLE.
A Worse Place to Cot at Than the
North One-Some Of It's PeriIs.

The great point of difference be-
tween the Arctic and Antarctic re-
gions lies in the fact that tho former
is dotted over with numerous islands,
peninsulas and isthmuses, whereas
the latter is exposed to the dash of a
vast deep ocean. Ross experienced
from sweeping currents and winds
more than has ever to be borne by
northern explorers. On one occasion
when he was becalmed for a few
hours, the dead set of the ocean drift
ed the ships towards range of huge
icebergs, against which the sca broke
with appalling violence. "Eyery eye
was transfixed with the tremendous
spectacle, and destruction seemed in
eyitable." The ships were thus driy-
en- on for eight hours, until within a
half mile from the gigantic icebergs,
when a gentle air began to stir; the
ships yielded to the influence of the
puff Of wind, which gradually fresh
ened into gale, and before dark. to
the heartfelt satisfaction of all on
board, the ships emerged from their
peril and got out into the wide ocean.
Ross had good means of knowing
how thoroughly Wilkes had been de-
ceived concerning the appearance of
land at a alticular spot, for he spent
three days in searching for land
which Wilkes had laid down ON a
chart; but 600 fathoms of water were
found in the very center of the pcsi-
ton assigned to the land on the chart.
Ross arrived at the conclusion that
the American commander had been
deceived either by ice islands or fog
banks, We need not go into much
further details in regard to this ex-
petition but few words may be
quoted to show what kind of weather
had to be borne in the very middle of
the Antarctic summer and in no high
er latitude than siXty-six degrees.
For nine days the crew were alter
nately drifting, hauling, making fast.
mending snapped hawsers and max
ing efforts to stem opposing currents.
On the tenth day, during a thick fog,
a gale come..on from the north. sThe
sea quickly rose to fearful hight,
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 af-
ter midnight our ships were involved
in an ocean of floating fragments of
ice, hard as floating blocks Of granite,
which were dashed against them by
the waves with SO much violence that
their masts quivered as if they would
fall at every successive blow and the
destruction of the ship seemed in ey-
ii hn
they received. BY backing and fill
ing the sails we endcavored to avoid
collisions with the larger masses, but
this was not always possible. In the
early part of the storm the rudder of
the Erebus was so badly damaged as
to be of no further use and about
the same time was informed, by sig-
nal, that the Terror's was completely
destroyed and nearly torn away from
the stern-post. Hour passed away
after hour without the least mitipa-
ton of these awful circumstances in
which we were placed. Indeed, there
seemed to be but little probability of
our ships holding together much
longer, SO frequent and violent were
the shocks they sustained. The loud
crashing noise Of the straining 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, were sufficient to fill tho
stoutest heart-that was not support
ed by trust in him who controls all
events-with dismay."
Whenever the gallant commander
got south of GO degrees or so, then
the battling with the ice began again
and again. He once touched the rs
parallel of latitude, and in all proba-
bility no human being has ever made
a nearer approach to the South Pole
less by three or four hundred miles
than the approach that has recently
been made TO the North Pole. What
we know of the South Pole, then. is
simply this, that nobody has got with
in seven or eight hundred miles of it;
that ice barriers are met with quite
eclipsing anything known in the
North Frigid Zone; that mountains
have been seen Gone shooting forth
volcanic flames) loftier than any dis
covered by northern explorers; that
all the land is covered with snow at
all seasons; that no human being has
been met with beyond SO degrees of
latitude; that no vegetable growth.
except lichens, has been seen beyond
58 degrees Of latitude, and that no
land quadruped is known to exist
beyond 6S degrees Of latitude.