The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-07-15


useless much or this sledge practice mas been liz
ship caught the ice and had TO be abandoned
. slsdge would be useful as liiebeaI but am no
believer in the theory that sometimes 10 popular, 90
far Arctic explorations are concerned. that she
brnvest thing to do with your vessel 10
TO abandon u In the lee. l am disposed
to pay honor to the men who bring their
ships home, and the more l sec OF Arctic exploration
there 10 for abandoning boats in the
ice. As 70 the Howgale plan do not know enough to
express opinion or, rather. should express no
opinion, except to wish u all success As you VIII
observe, have i'll will 70 any plan or expedition
that honest work in the Arctic regions
should not. however, advise the planting OF colonies
and stations II 10 precarious thing 10 found colo
MES. The chief drawback 10 not the cold. but the
darxnsss So far as health is concerned
tho Arctic regions hundred timcs
more preferable than where Stanley was on
the Congo. The cold you can stand and
thrive under II rs long night that tells on body
and mind. do not believe any OF US can be accli-
mated to tho Arctic conditions OF hie Captain Hall,
. brave man who did great service believed that In
ave years. residsncs among the Esquimaux he had
become accIimated, and that he had come to relish
his olubber and oil and bears fat much French
dish ON the Backwards. Yet he died OF paralysis
II Is no Joke 10 try and live like Esquimaux. These
plans for colonies and stations and siedges all imply
working the land and the Ice tho neglect Of the
sea. That 10 whyI think they are radically wrong
because l am In favor OF the sea- You want
good boat and q steamer. You want good officers,
sober officers and men, for sobriey means good bodies
and endurance. You want two branches OF science
represen ted-geology and astronomy. In these
branches observations must be made by skilled men
the time In other pranohss-botany, mcteorology,
zoology and on-intellieent men can make ooser-
vations aud collections aud at homo tho results can
be worked out. The question OF magnetism Is OF
great Importance aud l would have some one who
knew that Tho same to climbing mouptaina
There should be somo one who understands that ~
well, If possible. as Payer did But the main agent
you want from scientific point OF view, Is good
geologist."
ROUTE THROUGH BEHRING'S STRAITS.
~ cannot say" continued the Doctor, "that the
English have made serious attempt to reach the
Pole through Behring's Straits-l moan serious as
compared with what they have done In Smiths
Sound. Captain Cook sent there 10 tho last Gen.
fury with Instructions TO report what ne could see
about tha Pole Cook . great man, one OF tho
greatest that lived navigator and explorer,
but he did not like the ice HIS mind was always In
the tropics and his best work was done IN warm coun-
tries He went through the straits and saw ice and
returned with the Impression, which was unfounded,
that the region an impenetrabe mass OF ice. II
this journey-or rather on his return-that
he was killed. II Cook had cared about the Arctic
regions he would have made a more thorough
inquiry and perhaps solved some Of the problems
that are now occupying u.s. He had the will ana the
genus--as much, perhaps a. any who ever
saied-but his heart was not in the cold but In the
zones and In discovery, In other branches OF
SCIENCE = man will only do best that which he does
with enthusiasm; consequently tho little work that
Cook did In the Arctic regions s not OF value. His
reports have all been superseded By subsequent in
vest,gatoran
RrssA's WORK IN TIE SIBERIAN SEAS
Your correspondent made observation as to the
Russian discoveries IN the North. Eyes," said The
Doctor "Russian policy IN the North has bsen the
same the South. She has dealt with the North
Pole a. with the Caucasus and Bulgaria.
always moving, always searching. always busy
pushtng In one direction and another Bshr-
ing himself was Russian explorer, or, TO
bs moro accurate, no was o Scandinavian In the
service OF Russia Peter the Great sent him out, not
for any special purpose, but TO explore the whole
siberian Sea- While In this service he discovered the
which bears MS NAME and which separates Asia
and America. lie also discovered ano named Mount
Saint Elias, and ut the same time the territory
long known a. Russian America, and which you
Americans purchased few years ago. This
was the work Of one Czar-Pcter the Great
One OF his SUCCESSORS, Nicholas, father Of
the present Gar. sent another expedition
in 1920 under wrange. There were legends about
country still porth whore people lived. and It had
been known herds OF reindeer had crossed Longs
STRAIT. II was 10 test these legends and push the
limits OF Russian dominion that the Gear sent Wran-
gel. HIS expedition was composed OF sledges For
Jour years worked along tbs coast and discovered
what acme call wrangels Land. Alter discovering IT.
however, be changed hts mind and reported an open
sea- He had gone as lar as ne could on his sledgcs
The Ice thn that his men were only saved by
ths sw,itnsss the dogs, who skinned The leo,
bending but breaking It Having gone TO the bend
ing and almost the breaking point with his sedges
wraagei returaed aud said there was no land, but
sea- and that what ne had supposed TO be land and
reported and nonored with his name must have been
clouds and mist In 1870 KsIlet,, au Eng
lisnman, rediscovcred the land and 1t bears
name There ID q question," said the Doctor
with a suilc. "ss 10 whether It should be called
KellstsL nd wranxel's Land. Russians insist that
70 should bear wrankes name. But how can you give
. mans nsme tn a land which, although he may have
time discoverev, at another time ne saio dId
not exs,S There has beon quito q little quarrel on
the subject But all tho same wrangel did good
work and deserves to DO hooorcd among
the heroes Of the Arctic. He worked q
m istsken principle. He confined himself 10 sedges,
and white sledgss are useful auxiliary nohng great
eau BE- achieved when you depend upon them alone.
70 show you the difference between work a ship
and with slcdges you have only TO recall the OF
Captain Long, the American whaicr. Long was IN
Benrpg Straits regions looking uttor wbaies aud IN
1867 he mado excursion along the Siberian coast.
he season was favorable, and IN Anew days. while be
was idiing about IN hrs whaling ship, he did more
real work IN the way OF geographical dis
covery than wrangsl With bis sIcdges in thrcc
yesra He sailed right along and made his observa-
tioos. He fixed Piover Island. now an important
point In the Arctic seas. You see. tho open water
which stopped rangeI carried Lona. This Is one OF
the incidents of discovery. Results that men may
aim at tor years ana ycors, costing money and iic
and incredible human effort, will be gained almost
without effort. rho pear which every has been
trying 10 pull drops some day. Longs work
psising 10 tho richness Of discovery and the little