Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-11-15
The Rodgers Revelations.

AAAC AbOOBCES NtSANtAOA1
N. Y. World
The reports which have reached US
this week of the Rodgers splendid
featin the Arctic throw more light on
the great question ofthe Arctic search
than all other clues previously OBJ
tanned. Hitherto it has been assumed
that it was impossible for the Jean.
nette to have steamed along the east
coast of Wrangell Land to the north
ward, and thence to have struck off
toward the Pole. This assumpt On
rested upon the hypothetical grounds
that Wrangell Land extended
far to the northeastward Of the
l75th meridian and that the sea be-
You'd the I'D parallel was covered
with impenetrable ice. These theo-
ries have now been exploded by Capt
Berry's exploration, which extended
to 70 deg. Al min. north, and com
pletely established the insular charac-
ter of Wrangell Land. 1t is, there
fore, obvious that when in September,
1879, the Jeanette moved northward
along the east coast of Wrangell
Island the way to the Pole was not
impenetrable, and that she might
have pushed on in that direction with
out pausiug and losing time in the
examination Of the island. The Her
aid for the last two years has repeat
edly pointed out the strong probability
that the commander of the Jeanette
would seek the Pole by the route lead
ing northwest of Wrangell Land. On
July 26, 1880, we %editorially urged
that Captain De Long would discov-
er on the northwestern side of Wran-
CELL Land evidences Of an open polar
sea extending to the northwestward,
and if so the inducements to follow
its lead into a circumpolar region new
er before tracked by any Attic ex-
plOrer must prove Irresistible. This
view, so often reiterated in these col
umus, seems now, in the light of the
Rodgers latest revelations, powerfully
sustained. 1t is quite within the
ordinary probabilities Of the case
that. with the ice pack ceaselessly
shifting its position with every change
of wind, when the Jeannette reached
the northeast coast Of Wrangell Land
in September, 1879, the ice may have
temporarily prevented a landing, and
this would account for the absence Of
any traces of her on this island. But,
even had approach to the island b@n
practicable, conscious that tho season
for polar navigation was fast closing,
it was not hard to understand that
Captain De Long would have pressed
forward on his grand mission.
Having once left this ice-lOcked
land to the southwark Captain De
Long would have had to choose be-
tween the northwest route or the d.
rect northern route to the Pole While
the latter may have presented unex-
pectedly favorable conditions for the
Jeanette to make very high latitude,
the former Qeading to that part Of the
Polar Sea north OF the New Siberian
Islands and Franz Josef Land, where
Wrangell, Henderstrom and so many
s%agacious explorers have long located
the great Polynia") would ceteris
paribus have had the preference.
In this case the Jeanette might be
expected to return from the far north
by the way Of Franz Josef Land into
the northeast part of the Atlantic.
Should Mr.. Leigh Smith return home
shortly from his recent voyage to
Franz Josef Land be may bring some
tidings of the much sought for ex
plorers.