Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1880-11-17

rizon within distance OF sixiy or sew
enty milee, but none could beseen from
the masthead. There Is q report that
Sergeant Andrejew, q Cossack, reached
this land IN 1852 by crossing over from
the main land on the ice with dog teams
and that he found it to be Inhabited by
a race of Nomads, called "Grahahayo.
This report, however, is probably with
out foundation.
The Jeannette's Possib'e Discovery
Admiral Wrangell, who was the first
to report the existence OF TINS iano,
SAYS: ave endeavored to collect from
the inhabitsnts OF 'Nishne kolymsk' all
the information they could give in rel.-
ton 10 the country and everything that
vas remembe red among them respect
ing early travellers having any bearing
on the snbject. They know great
deal abont the three officers who were
here in 1867, but could tell us very little
about Sergeant Andrejew, who was here
only five wears before, in 1852. They
had learned generally that he had been
to the Indegirka and afterward to the
Bear Islands, but were ignorant OF his
supposed discoveries which were in.
cluded in our most recent charts,
and when we spoke of q land
north of the Rear Islands and
traces of nomad race in that direction
they treated it as fable. Some OF
their own people had accompanied An
brejew on that journey how then could
the existence OF large Inhabited land
have been either unknown or forgotten
among them?" | mention this not to
prove that WraDgell Land is not inhab-
tied, but to show II the Arctic exploring
steamer Jeanette has been fortunate
enougS to reach that country, as We
have reason to suppose and to hope,
she is the first To do so, and her brave
officers and crew should have the credit
of it. Wrangell himself did not even see
this land. He made his report OF its
existence from information obtained
from the natives at Cape Jochan that on
very clear days the tops OF high noun
tains could be seen to the northward. /
am OF the opinion that Wrangell Land
is a large island, possibly 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.
A Continent in the Arctic.
Large numbers of geese and other
AQUATIC birds lass Point Barrow going
north in spring and returning in August
and September with their yOuLg. As it
is well knowa that these birds breed
onlv on land this fact must alone be re.
rarded as proof positive OF the existence
of land i'm the north. Another reason
for supp osing that there is either con.
tinent or chain OF islands passing
through the Polar regions is the fact that
notwithstanding the vast amount OF heat
ditIused by the warm current passing
through Behring's Straits the icy barrier
is from 64 to 8 degrees further south on
this side than on the Greenland side OF
the Arctic Ocean, where the temperature
is much lower. The Tchuckchies
have a nymber OF legends in regard to
some of these people having left the
mainland and crossed over the ice to
"yreat land" further no,th; and also OF
herds of reindeer having crossed over
from the north. There may or may not
be foundation for these legends. AS al
ready stated, the nearest point OF this
land was fully twenty five miles within
the ice.pack, and as the new ice had al
ready commenced to form and there APP
peared no possibility OF reaching 1t,
even 10 remain in sight OF 1t was to ex-
pose the vessel TO great danger of be-
coming embayed in the ice, as the large
quantity oi DRIFT ice which lay outside oil
us was likely to close in at any time and
compel us to remain in the pack all win
ter. We therefore worked out to clear
water and headed to eastward under
seam and sail!
The Missing Whaleis.
Having visited every part OF the
Arctic that was possible for vessel 10
reach, penetrating the icy regions IN
all directions one hundred miles further
than any vessel succeeded in doing last
wear, without being able 10 find the
slightest trace or gain the least tidings
of the missing whalers, We were forced
10 the conclusion that they had been
crushed and carried north IN the pack,
and that their crews had perished. Had
any of them survived the winter 1t
seems almost certain that they would
have been found, either by the Corwin
or some OF the whalers, all OF whom
wers OH the lookout for them during
the summer. 1t was thought impossi-
BILE that crews might have escaped over
the ice and reached Herald Island, but
a sight OF the perpendicular sides OF that
most MISUNDERSTANDING place soon
bandished even this small hope.
Tho ranort uops on To aryue that the
Jeanette, although not heard from, Is