The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1880-12-10

i mention this not to prove tina
Wrangell Land is not inhabited, but t,
show that if the Arctic-exploring steamei
Jeanette has been fortunate hnough t,
reach that country, she is the first vesse
to do so, and her brave officers and Grew
should have the credit of it, Admira
Wrangell himself did not even see thi.
land
| Captain Ke1lett, Royal Navy, while
cruising in the Arctic Ocean in 1915
claims to have seen Wrangell Land on
| August Is, but under such circumstances
as he himself admits, that mistake
could hardly be made. There are nu.
| merous reports of wha1ers having seer
! this land and having sailed along its
shore with no ice in sight, and their
| tracks and positions are laid down on the
American photographic Chart, their ex-
| act position for each day being shown.
The fact that the whalers keep no reckon
| ing and take no observations while whal-
ing will show how utterly unreliable
these tracks must be. Although it is
possible that there are times when the
shores of Wrangsll Land are free from
| ice, it is still very doubtful. It certain
ly must be but seldom. I believe that
it is possible at times for a strong vessel,
properly equipped and fitted, to work
her way in shore far enough to reach a
safe harbor among the grounded ice
within easy travelling distance of the
land, where she could remain in safety
and exploring parties be sent out to ex-
anime the land. am of the opinion that
Wrangell Land is large island, possi-
bly, one of the chain that passes entirely
through the polar regions to Greenland.
That there is other land to the northward
there can be no doubt.
Captain keenan,, then commanding the
bark James Allen, reports having seen
land to the northward Of Harrison's Bay,
few degrees east of Point Barrow. He
was boiling out, and stood north under
easy sail during thick weather eighty or
ninety miles. When the fog lifted high
land was visible to the northward, "a long
distance away but perfectly distinct.
Large numbers of geese and other aquatic
birds pass Point Barrow, going north, in
the spring and return in August or Sep
tember with their young. AS it is well
known that these birds breed only On
land, this fact alone must be regarded as
proof positive OF the existence of land in
in the north. Another reason for sup
posing that there is either continent or
chain of islands passing through the
polar regions is the fact that notwith-
standing the vast amount of heat diff
fused by the warm current passing
through Behring Straits, the icy barrier
this side than on the Greenland side
of the Arctic Ocean, where the tempera-
ture is much lower. The Tchuckehies
have number of legends in regard to
some of those people having left the
mainland and crossed over the ice to q
s'great land'' further north, and also of
herds of reindeer having crossed over
from the north. There may or may not
be foundation for these legends.
We worked out into clear water and
headed to the notwithstanding visited
everx part of the Arctic that it was pos
sible for vessel to reach. penetrating
the 10y regions fifty to one hundred miles
further than any vessel succeeded in de-
ing last year without being able to find
the slightest trace or gain the least
tidings of the missing whalers, we were
forced to the conclusion that they had
been crushed and carried north in the
pack and that their crews had perished
In regard to the exploring steamer
Jeanette we were able to learn nothing
Such q variety of reports were in circu-
lation concerning her that was at first
in doubt as to her safety. One report to
the effect that she had been seen by the
whalers entering pocket in the
northern pack, 30 the northeast Of Herald
island, which shortly after closed and
shut her in, was calculated to give the
impression that she, too, had gone north
in the pack. I investigated this report,
however, and it proved to be without
| foundation. Several of the ships saw,
| during partial clearing OF the fog,
| what some supposed to be the smoke OF
| a steamer, but what others are equally
positive was frost smoke.
| Captain Barnes, of the whaling bark
| Sea Breeze, reports having seen the
Jeanette on tlle I'd OF September, eighty
| miles south of Herald Island. This was
| only five days subsequent to the date OF
/ her arrival at Cape Leidze, from which
| point Captain De Long wrote that he
should attempt to reach the southern end
/ of Wrangel Land via Kollutcnin Bay
1 This being his intention he would not
be likely to go in an entirely different
direction and put his ship into the pack
as early as September 2. His most
natural course would be to keep to the
westward, and, by taking advantage OF
1 every lead, work in and try to reach some
i point en- the southern end of Wrange
| Land. keeping his vessel out of this PACK
as long as possible in order to profit by 9
favorable break in the ice and gain ever
/ q few miles in the direction in which he
wished to go. Failing to get sufficiently
i near Wrangel Land to find safe winter
4 quarters he might push on and endeavol
4 to reach the New Siberian Islands
which, although some degrees further
north, are often accessible, owing tt