Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-04-24
THE LAND AT THE NORTH POLE,
The Theory Developed by the Wild
Geese.--Interesting Evidence of an
Old Sailor.
Virginia City Enterprise.

Geese---Interesting Evidence of an
Old Sailor.
Virginia City Enterprise.
About four years ago farmer of Sur
prise Valley found in the crop of u wild
goose a small quantiry of grain, the like
of which he had never before seen.
He planted this grain, and it grew and
fourished. producing more than hun
dred fold. The straw and beardless
head are said to resemble wheat, while
the grain looks like rye. but is twice as
large. The farmer has now many bush
els of this new cereal, and has sent
samples of it to be planted in various
places in California, where food for cat
tie is not easily obtained at some sea-
sons, as the stalk of the new grain,
when cut before it is thoroughly ripe,
makes excellent hay.
An Old sailor of this city. after read
ing an item which has been going the
rounds of the papers in regard to the
new cereal, the substance of which item
is given above. finds his memory re-
freshed. 1t brings to his recollection a
circumstance he had almost forgotten,
and has set him to thinking. He has
thought it all out, and is now firmly of
the opinion that there is an inhabitable
land at the north pole.
The old man says he was one of the
crew of the Investigator, Capt Mcclure,
which sailed from England in 1850, liz
company with the Enterprise, Capt.
Collinson, in search of Sir John Frank
lin, and he certainly has in his possess
ion one of the Arctic medals given by
the English admiralty to all persons en-
gagged in these Polar expeditions from
1918 to 1866.
In September Of that year the Inves-
tlgator reached land which Capt. Nc
Clure named Baring's Land, and three
days after other land, which he named
after Prince Albert, where. about the
last Of the month, they were frozen in.
While at this last named land the ex-
plorers observed many wild geese and
other water fowl flying southwark.
Some of the geese stopped at the place
where the ship lay and several were
killed by members of the crew. In the
crops of some of these geese he recol-
lects to have seen, and marveled at
seeing, a considerable quantity of a
grain such AS the new cereal of Sur
prise valley is said to be. AS no such
grain is known in the temperate zone,
and as we have no account Of a grain
Of the kind being found in any known
region In the world, he is of the opin-
ion that the geese obtained it in re-
glon lying about the open Polar sea.
He says no man has yet gone so far
north but he has found wild geese and
other water fowl flying still further to
the northward. AS the geese are I'M
doubtedly vending their way to we'll
known stopping place far to the north,
there must be something for them to
| feed upon at the point where they stop
AS wild geese no more live on fish than
do tame ones, there must be. in the
| country to which they go, grass and
other vegetation similar to that found
in temperate regions The wild geese
that halt on the Pacific coast make the
grain fields their feeding place, and it
is not likely that in the land about the
pole their nature is so changed that
they feed upon moses Or fish.
Our old sailor believes that surround
ing the open Polar sea is country
where trees grow, and where grow
many kinds Of grass, and no doubt
few kinds of grain. The grain found in
the crops Of the wild geese was, he
thinks, found by the birds in a far
northern temperate region. upon the
verge of which men have probably
looked, but into which no man has ev-
er penetrated. He says no doubt all
the country would be found waste and
desolate for a time after passing the
icy rim forming the southern shore of
the open Polar sea, but believes that in
sailing onward a great change would
be found; that after time faint green
would be found on the shores; that
presently hills clothed with trees and
verdure would appear, and 6hat soon
fruitful and pleasant land would be
found. This land, and the islands of
the sea, he believes to be inhabited,
and thinks it not improbable that the
new cereal, about which the people Of
this coast are now wond ering, is there
cultivated by an unknown race of men
as a breadstuff