The New York herald., 1878-12-18
A NORTHEAST PASSAGE.
Professor Nordsnskjold's. Voyage to
the Mouth Of the Lena.
THE SEA OF KARA.
Former Searches for Navigable Route
to Behring Strait.
SUCCESS OF THE SWEDES
New Opportunities for Commercial
Enterprise.
SUCCESS OF THE SWEDES
A NAUTICAL TRIUMPH

discovery
Atlantic to the Pacific Occsn has been for centuries
goal most tempting to geographical explorers. In
carly . period as the reign of Henry VI. Jean
Cabot. the Venetian who settled at Bristol and his
brother. Sebastian, set out with royal patents to
search for shorter route to India .'by way of
northwest" and "fnd Cathayas China was then
called-and thence to turn toward india" Many
daring mariners Of all nations followed in the path
Of the Cabots, who inaugnrated the quest for the
famous northwest PASSAGE" but all their efforts
failed to accomplish the coveted aim.
s1pARATroS THE AMERICAN AsIArIc CONTINENTS.
Valiant and forever memorable names are in
ecribcd in the history Of these adventures Martin
Ffobisher. lured to the Arctic regions by the then
all absorbing attraction of opening new fields of
golden ore. far the straits still reminding
OF his mighty deeds. John Davis. Henry Hudson.
William Bafin and Robert Bylot, not to mention
others Of lesser noe sacrificed in the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries their lives and energies in
pursuit Of the ardently desired object. To Behrng
the sturdy Dane employed by Peter the Great the
honor due of ascertaining the separation OF the
American and Asiatic continents. whereby he gave
new impulse to the enterprise for the discovery Of
northern passage
LATENT HOPES REKrNDLE.
Captain Cook in the last OF his celebrated voyages
passed the channel reached by Behring, and
Kelct and Rodgers succeeded him. Tho results of
their voyages were far surpassed. however. by
Long. American whale fisher. who in his
searches attained the Tchaon Gulf at longitude 17O
deg east The sanguine accounts rckindlcd the
hopes Of the existence Of direct northern
tion between the two oceans, almost abandoned ss
futile owing to the apparently insurmonntsble dii-
culties to be encountered.
THE ICE CELLAR OF THE NORTH POLE.
The main obstacle in trsvcrsing the Arctic Ocean
supposed to exist in the Kara Sea, alleged to be
permanently covered with ice. and designated even
by such eminent Karl Won Baer. the scade-
micisn, 1.-The ice cellar Of the North Pole" On the
eastern and western sides of tho Kara Sea navigation
hsd been proved possible. Bahrentz, sent out
BY the plucky merchants Of Amsterdam. pene-
trased. setas vsiAins sPisshsrgsn. to Nosa zssbis
already in 1896. whore he met untimely death.
Beyond these isles vessel OF larger dimensions had
ever forced her way. Toward tho east Of the Kara
Sea no consecutive journey has certainly been made
from the Lena to Dchriny Strait. and adventures
undertaken separately and in comparatively small
craf demonstrated the pracficability Of navigating
these parts OF the Arctic Ocean, and led to the belief
that the prospects OF reaching and passing through
the Kara Sea from this sdc were more auspicious
than those directed from the other.
NORTH SIBERIA
the year 1888 repeated essays pass from the Yene
sci TO castnortheast with vessel built at Tobolsk,
seventeen feet long, seventeen feet wide and
and half feet Deep They. after great dangers. at
tanned in 174O latitude IS deg. north. Owing to the
supposed late they turned back on the I'd of
Septcmber-just the best time for sailing in this
quarter of the globe The north coast Of Siberia
tending TO the northeast from the Yenese and int
ting out into two promontories at the Cape Taimur
and the north cape Of Asia, has never been
approached by sea. but only by land.
in sledgcs. It's exact outlines define
ated by Professor Middendorf-who discovered
Cape Taimur the 25th of August, 1872, whence
no perceived the to be comparatively free Of
ice-and Cheliuskn mate, after whom the north
cape Of Asia named Cheljuskin, with his
slcdgc party, arrived Mt the cape in May. when.
matter Of course the was completely frozen.
Mddcndorf in description Of his travels mentions
that Tomn . Yakutc, who remained ono winter
the Gulf Of Taimur, declared the ice began to move
in tho FIRST half of August and driven away by
southerly winds from the coast but only 70 far that
the congcalcd could still be disccrncd from
the beach.
RUSSIAN EXPLORERS.
The coast, from Capc Chcljuskin to tho Lena. was
several times visited by expeditions sent ont by the
Russian Empcrors to ascertain the exact geographical
Pronschitchcr and Charlton IAptc principally dis
tingushcd themselves in tho fonrth decade Of the
lest crntury in tho execution of the respective orders
of their government. Prontchtchef only got TO the
River oionek. whero he perished. whilo Laptcr
cccded in forcing his way to Cape Thsddaeus, but
shty-n English miles from Cape Cheljuskin.
DARING cossAcK!
On the condition of the Arctic Ocoan between the
Lena and tho Behring Strait still fuller knowledge
exists DcchncH. Cossach, and his companions,
who left Colyma on tho lst Of July, le4s. in long,
narrow boats without kecs, entered tho Amadyr
Gulf In the following year Stadntchin sailed toward
tho cast from Colyma to tho territory inhabited by
the Choukchous, finding on his way the quito
encumbercd by ice. Hc,lemstrocm. In 1902 and
Anjou. in 1873. traced the photographic outlines Of
toe islands called Vow Siberia. Their reports nm
fortunately sivc no clcw whatever to tho state In
which thoy found tho waters along the cost.
Professor NonDENsxJoLp.
Relying the facts brought 10 light by these vsri
ous explorers Professor Nordcnskj0ld. learned
Sweda after dligcpt study of the log books and col
lection of tho nsrrntions OF different Norwegian
whale fishers and seal hunters, who. in pursuit Of
their daring vocation, had often closely nearcd nay
with their shallow craft passed into tho dreaded
Kara Sea to the conclusion that at certain sea
Of tho ycsr the route pursued by his countrymen
might be travcrsed also by larger ships. Nor
denskj0d devoted himself heart and soul TO the soiu
Hon Of tho Arctic problem. lie met in Mr. Oscar Dick
son. wealthy merchant Of 05tcborg. generous
patron ready to assist him with funds for realization
Of his farsightcd plans, fully approved Of by him.
Hrs Yrnsr EXPEDITION.
On the sth OF june 1876. Nortmskj0ld left from
s6o In . rather small vessel. He mado the journey
from the North Cape to Nova zembls IN six days.
undertook thore explorations Of tho whole country
between Matyushn Schar In the north and Yugor
Straits In Tho SOUTH and then crossed the Sec of Kara
up 70 considerably high latitude t75k deg. north
lstitude until he reached tho Yenisei on tho 18th
Of August Tho members Of the expedition here
sepsrsAsd Professor Nordenskjad and his companions
sstps W Ina ryer. xhiieths otpnr half d tho pEty