Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1882-01-07

Jeannette's crew is a deliveance almost
miraculous. The sufrerings Of these brave
sailors will excite thrill of sympathy wher-
ever this last story of Arctic adventure istold.
The English-speaking world, recognizing their
Anglo-Saxon grit, will rejoice with one con-
sent over the safety Of those who have been
rescued, and will lament the possible fate OF
the missing bolt's crew.
HISS De Long the same solsce which Payer
and Weyprecht enjoyed, when they reap
peared after their two years yoyagel They
had discovered Franz Josef Land. 1t 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 sufferings and
trials. Has Dc Long done anything more
than to return halfway on the track Of Nor
denskjold, the intrepid Commander OF the
Vega! 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 liti-
tudes so that he can do something
besides compare notes with Nordenskjoldl
The details of his cruise will be awaited with
the keenest interest. The latitude where dis
aster overlook his trim little vessel indicates
that he had higher ambition than to repeat
the Swedc's exploit. 1t is a 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, II 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 hrsl, Of this sudden news from
the Jeanette, science and geography count
for little. 1t is thc human clement which
touches the hearts of people of generous in
stincts. There is Joy over the deliycrance Of
the bulk of the crew; there is sympathy fol
the brave Commanders wife, who has beer
waiting so anxiously for twenty-eight Ion!
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 o
Arctic exploration. The theory general.
adopted in recent years has been that in or,le
to reach high latitude within the Arcti
Circle the vessel must follow coast Lint
trending northward. When De Long left San
Francisco in 1879 there were three coasts whicl
seemed to offer peculiar advantages for Arctl
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 sine
been partially explored by Leigh Smith; am
the third was Wrangell Land, which was sup
posed to be large island and possibly one o
a chain of islands stretching toward the Pole
De Long hoped to succeed in wintering Oh
Wrangell Land and in following what was fan
cied might be polar archipelago far to tn
north. Wrangell Land is now known to be
small island with an impenetrable sea to N
north, and Leigh Smiths disappearance in tin
Kara Sea discourages attempts to make Fran
Josef Land base of operations. If the phan
tom quest for the Pole is ever to be resumed
the old route through Smiths Sound must h
considered the safest highway The little col
ony of Americans and Eskimos which wa
landed in Lady Franklin Bay last summer ha
better opportunities for scientific research an
extended explorations in the highest latitude
than any ships crew exposed to the terribl
risks Of the Siberian waters and the Barent
Sea can possibly have-N Y. Tribune.