Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-07-18
For the North Pole.

Not for many years has Polar expedition
| set out with such favorable prospect for if
not actual at least approximate success as
the steam yacht Jcannettc, which James
Gordon Bennett has just sent out on an adj
venturOus cruise into the Arctic sea. 1t
would he strange indeed if the same man to
whom the world is primarily indebted for the
solution of the African mystery of the ages
should lie the instrument of disclosing to the
world the secret of the Arctic SeaS-the secret
which Nature has SO jealouSly guarded and
in the discovery of which s1 many lives have
been lost and so much treasure squandered.
But Nature is reluctantly giving mp her
secrets in these days; and the mystery of
Ultima Thule may now be wrestcd from her
by that American genius and enterprise
which has revolutionized the world As to
the means. the Jeannetie is 4 harlue-risg.rd
Steamer-yacht of 4a0 tons carries an engine
Of 2OO-hOrsc power, and Is amply supplied
with canvass. While in san Francisco her
old boilers have been replared with new ones;
her hull has been strengthened by bracing
and all sorts of implements likely to he of
service have been procured She carries
several kinds of boats has extra sails and
propellers, and is supplied with l35 tons of
coal. Provisions have been put on board Suiii-
clent for Il thrrc-ycars voyage, and 4 Schonn-
er goes with her 10 Behring's Sea. CARRYING
coal and stores. When the vessels part at St
Michaels, the Jeanuette viii take on board
from her convoy stores and coal to replace
those consumed on the voyage thither. and
there will he also stored on the shore sufli-
cieut supplies for the return voyage 10 san
Francisco. Thus al the iarthest attainahle
point OF land she will start de ,.oro. as il
were. The expedition is commanded by
Lieut.. George W. De Long. of our navy. who
was in command of the TisrcsS when She
went out after the Polaris and his assistants
have had experience in the Arctic seas. 1t
is no holiday cruise on which these alvrn-
turous sailors have embarked Their voyage
will be of at least three years
duration-and in three years in the
everlasting ice. in the unrcmitting
rigor of the Arctic zone. who can say what
may happen: Where Franklin and other not
less heroic souls found 4 tomb the gallant
American adventures may join them,
martyrs for humanity AMI SCIENCE
The present is the first strictly polar rv-
petition to start from The Pacific coast and
attempt the route through behring's Strait
From Sebastian Cabot'> voyage, nearly four
hundred wears ago. the Greenland side. lor
obvious reasons. has been the favoritr route
Still, Il few voyages have been na,lc over the.
course the Jeannettc is now To take. Brhr-
ing made three voyages in 1s2S. s29 and
I'LL, duriIg the first of which he sailed
through the strait now known bv his name
and later, in l1sS. Cook reached latitude 20
deg. A min, but WIS compelled 10y the vast
quantities of ice he encountered TO return ta
the Sandwich Islands to winter. where. he
was killed a shOit time later Mcclure in
1850, demonstrated The possibility OF get
ting around the northern shores Of the Canti-
nent with vessel, hut he left the great
space To the north of Behring's Strait Us
much blank on the maps rs it was when
Captain Cook went up thTcr-q quarters of cen
tury before, and turned back after reaching
latitude 707 Al min. The highest point
reached by the Vega which chdcmonstratedthe
of the north-lS passage from
the Atlantic to the Pacific along the northern
shores of Asia WIS - 40 min and the
most northern point gained by any explorer
is SO . 10 min.-by Sir George Mares. The
North Pole is eight hundred miles beyond -
and this reached one of the very few great
geographical problems remaining will he
solved. Beyond the latitude of seventy de
grees on Behring Strait hardly anything il
known. 4 branch of the japanese Warm
Stream enters the Arctic Sea through Eclr-
ng's Strait, and it is believed that it emcrSes
IN the othersidc Of thceoniincnt through Bal-
fms Bay The drift of the ice Is consequent
" norhward ON this side, AMI Soujhward
IN the othcr-a circumstance, which adds a
new element of peril. rs its cuts of retreat
IN case the ship meets with an accident
which crmpcls the party to take Ia the ice.
The purpose of the explorers is Ia proceed
II the vessel rs far rs the lee will permit
hem, and then to =" on in Slc,lgrs. Whether
" not they attain their ultimate -naI they
will. unless some great and unforeseen ac-
'idtnt intervene, add largely 9" geographical
md general knowledge for their voyagr is
,vcr Il new and uncVplorrd route; AMI
whether or not they plant the United States