Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-06-19

Prof. Symmes. on the Open Polar Sea-
He Contrasts His Fathers With the
NeMtOnian Theory.

He Contrasts His Fathers With the
NeWtOnian Theory.
To the Editor of the Louisville Courier-Journal.
AS am making an effort to have the
"Symme's Theory" thoroughly tested
by the Howgate Exploring Expedition,
and SO few persons understand what
that theory is, [ will undertake to state
what it is, and show the difference be-
tween it and the Newtonian theory. Ac-
cording to the Newtonian, it is one vast
solitude of eternal ice, clear up to the
Goth deg. of north latitude. According
to the Symmes theory Chat is, my ia
theirs, Capt. John Cleve Symmes), the
explorer will find that, after he passes
the SOth deg, the weather grows milder:
when he reaches the 91st deg. he will
find some open water; when the SIND
deg. is reached he will find much open
water and great quantities of wild ami
mails, and some water fowls; when the
S3rd degree is reached, he will find the
open Polar Sea, that is 1000 miles in
diameter, and, if he will 60 out into that
sea when the weather is warm and ge-
NAL, he will find the country that the
Symmes' theory says can be found, of
large forests Of timber, large rivers, and
rich land, and the home Of more wild
animals than can be found anywhere
else in creation, and water fowls in
abundance.
Now, sir, propose to give the expert
ence of many explorers in the north,
and if they don't prove that there is
more truth in the Symmes theory than
in the NeWtonian, then the world may
say, as they said of my father during
his life, that his theory is reared upon
the baseless fabric of vision" ="
| will briefly state the experience of
Capt. Parry, who made five voyages up
there, and after the experience he had
| do not think any man can doubt for a
moment which theory has the most
truth in it. Parry knew nothing of the
Symmes theory, nor did any of the ex-
plorers [ will mention. ..Es...
You will bear in mind that all the
explorers start to 60 to the North Pole,
and expect to get there on ice. When
Capt. Parry made his third voyage he
was provided with reindeer and sleds so
that he could travel speedily over the
ice to the Pole. He could not get his
deer beyond the eighty-frst degree for
the much open qOater he encountered;
but he went on, making his men propel
his sleds (Which were small boats on
sled-runners,) and when he came to
open water be used the little boats to
ferry from one cake Of ice to the next.
and the further north he got the more
water he found, and the milder grew the
weather. When he got up to the SD
deg. he found the ice only four feet
thick, and his only safety in storm
was in pulling his boats or sieds upon a
cake of ice, and thus outride the storm,
and he began to feel some alarm but he
went on, and when he got up to 49, he
found the ice only three feet thick, but
he encouraged his men to go on north, as
he thought the ice would certainly get
stronger; but when he got UP to 82a deg
he could not find cake Office that would
bear his own weight, and the sun so hot
as to melt the tar out of the seams of
his boats. and small flies came on board,
and all open water north of him, so he
had to turn back, ard came safely
home. How does that agree with the
Symmes theory?
Capt. Ross, who made two voyages
up there, says: [ stood on the bank
of the open sea when it was calm and
clear Of ice, and experienced warm
winds coming directly from the north,
that melted the snow aud ice about him
and far south of him." How is that for
the Symmess theory?
DR.. Kane's men found open water
when up to the eighty-second degree,
and climbed a mountain 500 feet
high, and gazed out on a great waste
of waters and not a speck of ice to be
seen, and a wind coming directly from
the north blew a gale part of the time
for three days, and came so warm as to
melt snow and ice far south Of them.
"They found water-fowls in abund-
ance, and their nests SO plenty on the
mountain-side that they could have
gathered a wagon-load Of eggs" They
saw extensive grass plains, and
gathered many kinds of flowers.
Capt. Hill went into winter quarters
with his vessel at 50 deg. 80 min, and
from thence took a sled-ride directly
north, and did not 60 but fifty miles be-
fore he came to an open sea, and en-
camped on the bank of it and spent
two days, and while there wrote his
last dispatch to the secretary of the
navy, in which he says: :" I find this a
much warmer country than expected,
and it abounds with llte-seaI, game,
geese, ducks, musk cattle, wolves, foxes,
deer, bear, rabbits, cartridges, teeming
with snipe and plover, and all kinds of
wading birds" Does not all this go to
prove that there is more truth in the
Symmes theory than the Newtonian
Yet who knows anything about the
Symmes theory, that has been lying
dormant as it were since the death of
F its author in 1929? He petitioned Con-
gress in 1922 and 1928 to fit out an ex-
ploring expedition for him, and in his
petition said: 81 will 60 as far north
as can get with the vessel ana then go
on shore and go north by land. and will
5 follow in the wake of the wild animals
that go north IN the fall from Greenland
and return back there in the spring fat
! and leading their young. and where