Iron County register., 1882-01-12

sailors win excite a thrill OF sympathy "her
ever this last story of Arctic adventure Is toio-
The English-speaking world, recognizing their
AngloSaxon grit, will rejoice with one con-
sent over the safety Of those who nave oeen
rescued, and will lament the possible fate OF
the missing bost's crew.
Has De Long the same solsce which Payer
and Weyprecht enjoyed, when they reap
peared after their two years. voyage! They
had discovered Franz Josef Land. II was An
accident, to be sure, for their vessel had been
caught in the ice and they had been drifting
in utter helplessness for months when their
eyes first caught glimpse OF that mysterious
shore; still, it was a discovery which richly
compensated them for all their suiTerings and
trials. Has De Long done anything more
than to return half-w y on the trsck of Nor
denskjold, the intrepid Commander OF the
Vegas Unable to break through the ice on
the Behring Strait meridian, has he turned to
the left through Long Strait, and, spending
two winters on the Siberian coast, only edged
his way as far west as the Siberian Islands! Or
has he slso made discoveries in higher lata-
tudes, SO that he can do something
besides compare notes with Nordensklolo!
The details of his cruise viii be awaited with
the keenest interest. The latitude where dis
aster overlook his trim little vessel indicates
that he had a higher ambition than to repeat
the Swede's exploit. 1t is q higher latitude
than that of the northernmost cape which the
Vega rounded, and is on a level with Prince
Patrick Land and the southern edge of Spitz-
bergen. Whether it was the highest latitude
which he had reached, or whether he had made
discoveries Of real Importance before his ship
was abandoned we shall know when the log
is furnished in detail. 1t will be melancholy,
indeed, if this gallant commander and his
plucky companions have struggled and suf-
fered as they must have done without having
added materially to the sum of human knowl-
edge or enlarged the horizon of the polar
basin. @
In the first irsl. of this sudden news from
the Jeanette, science and geography count
for little 1t is The human element which
touches the hearts of people of generous m
| stncts. There is Joy over the deliverancc Of
the bulk of the crew; there is sympathy for
the brave Commanders wife, who has been
waiting SO anxiously for twenty-eight long
months for tidings of his safety; there is sor-
row that she ships company has been divided
| and that SO many brave men may have perish
ed. But the scientific aspects cannot be en-
tirely overlooked. The failure of this expedi-
tion may tend to simplify the future course Of
Arctic exploration. The theory generally
| adopted in recent years has been that in order
TO reach q high latitude within the Arctic
| Circle the vessel must follow coast line
| trending northward. When De Long left San
Francisco in 1879 there were three coasts which
| seemed to offer peculiar advantages for Arctic
exploration. One was the Greenland shore,
which Kane, Hayes, Hall and Mares had fol-
lowed; another was the recently discovered
Franz Josef Land, which has since
been partially explored by Leigh Smith; and
the third was Wrangell Land, which was sup
posed to be large island and possibly one Of
a chain of islands stretching toward the Pole.
De Long hoped to succeed in wintering on
Wrangen Land and in following what was fam
cied might be polar archipelago far to the
north. Wrangell Land is now known to be q
small island with an impenetrahle sea to tne
north, and Leigh Smiths disappearance in the
Kara Sea discourages attempts to make Franz
Josef Land base of operations. If the phan-5
tom quest for the Pole is ever to be resumed,
the old route through Smiths Sound must bs
considered the safest highway. The little col
ony of Americans and Eskimos which w&
landed in Lady Franklin Bay last summer hs
better opportunities for scientific reeearch aid
I extended explorations in the highest latituies
than any ships crew exposed to the terrible
risks of the Siberian waters and The Barntz
Sea can possiDly have.-N. Y. Tribune