Daily Republican., 1879-03-19
Tho Omen Polar Men.

Tho Open Polar Eea.
Captain A. B. Tuttle, who claims +
have had longer and more varied ex
perience as seaman than almost an,
man now living, was in the city tn
other day on his way to Washington
10 negotiate with the Government for
small steamer to assist in his furthr
explorations in Arctic seas. Captain
Tuttle Is q native of New York, but a
the early age of sixteen ran away from
his PARENTS and went to sea, and has
ever since--some thirty five years
been a sea-faring man. He has been
all over the globe, he says, and has
sailed in every sea and has made TWEEN
ty voyages to the Arctic regions. Since
his early manhood he has been captain
OF whaling and surveying ships. One
Of the things that particularly attract
ed his attention in sailing northward
was, that he found the sea more and
more open, especially every fourth
year.
He made his last trip about q year,
ago starting from Hakodado, Japan, in
a full-riged ship with forty-nvs men
all told. In latitude 7So he found an
open sea clear Of Joe. In latitude 80
he noticed an extraordinary dip Of the
compass, and on taking sound-losds Of
q magnetic substance In fve fathoms Of
water. 1t was mixed with minerals
and fine particles Of gold. In latitude
800 he encountered the ice belt, ground
ed under the water and extending in
height in some places over 400 feet. 1t
stretched east and west as far a. tho
eye could reach. He here discovered
that the needle pointed due south, and
in his own mind concluded that the
magnetic deposit he had passed had
some connection with tho direction in
which the needle usually pointed. By
to the highest points on the
icy barrier he could see directly into an
open polar sea lying beyond, and by
tracing along the belt eastwardly he
found a passage through and into this
sea, with depth of 90 fathcms, or $40
feet. The water was quite warm, and
a gulfstream was steadily setting out
with Il velocity Of from four to six miles
per hour. He pulled through this pas
sage in whale. boats and found it to be
eighteen miles wide. In the north
part Of this open sea lie found nearly
fresh leaves Of plantains, bananas and
other tropical plants floating on the
water, and showing that they had been
of ths trees but short time.
Last October he found a large female
whale going north through tho open
passage before mentioned, and also saw
birds going north. In July
these birds went back south with their
young, and about the same time he OBJ
served whales going south with their
young. From these facts he concludes
that during q considerable part Of the
year there is a warm climate within
the open polar sea sufficient to produce
tropical freits. In the ice barriers, on
one Of his trips, he found benes and
tusks OF the mastodon, which in 1876
he carried to the Centennial at Phila-
dslphia. They were so large that some
thought the auinaal to which
they belonged must have been forty
feet in length. He also found some
hard wood ia the shape Of troughs i'm
beddsd in the ice. They looked like
feeding troughs, and tho edges had the
appearance Of having been gnawed by
In sailing west he struck
The north part of the coast Of New ST.
beria, where he found race of people
that he thought no one had ever seen
before or heard Of. They spoke an un-
known language which sounded like
They spoke few words of
Hawaiian and the Esquimaux Ian
,uags, and with these and the aid Of
signs, they conveyed the idea that
hey came from the north. He was
little acquainted with the Esquimaux
language, having passed four winters
with that people, living on raw walrus,
whale blubber and bear meat. During
me of these winters, which are with.
,ut daylight, he made a journey Of
)OV mllc5 III luc udThs buIlhk lid ou-
7snturous career he has met with many
the most serious Of which
vas an encounter with polar bear.
lie had both arms and both legs bro
zen, and lost one finger off his left
hand, another being so badly lacerated
by the teeth of the animal that it is
'adly out Of shape. He also lest two
'ibs, which were completely torn from
ais body, which bears the marks Of
Wounds which it seems almost incredi.
Die that any man could receive and
i've. The polar bears attain an incredi-
Die size, some being reported to weigh |
Is much as 5000 pounds. He contem-
plates making another trip to further
explore the open polar sea, but needs q
mall steamer for towing purposes,
which he hopes to obtain from the
ievefnment. He proposes to start
'o,ae time in 1880, and leaves for
City this morning.