The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-04-05
BY Balloon TO the Pole.

Already there is talk about fitting out
another Arctic expedition. The widows
OF the unfortunate men who lost their
ilves In that dread zone of almost eternal
night north OF Siberia are still weeping.
but the failure Of the Jeannctte cxpedi.
tion seems to have the effect of attracting
the attention of more adventurous souls
10 this problem, which is certain 10 be
solved, no matter how many lives are
sacrlhced in unsuccessful attempts. The
child Will work al his new toy until he
gels /! open ~ order 10 see what is insi,le
OF II, and men want TO know what there
Is at the Pole. Is there sign post mark
ed North Pole ," 4 hole such ~ that
.unatic Syms argued about for life time :?
an open sea Of warm water, with inhaLi
ted islands, 0r-what? Until the mystery
IS solved aud some man has put up his
little flag At the place where the Pole
ought To be if it isn't, in token Of victory
over nature, this struggle will 90 on.
HE accounts given in the testimony re-
Gently taken in Washington, of the
months OF cold, hunger and danger, of
miraculous escapes and blood curdling
scenes, oi the weird terror which nature
Throws about the Arctic regions, nave
served only 10 inci.c other adventures 10
tempt Providence after the same fashion.
IL Is useless to argue that even if the Pole
Is reached no useful work will have been
done, and that even if the long sought
northwest passage is discovered ii will be
useless to commerce on account of it's
great dangers. The toy must be opened
II 1t can be done. There exists, a few
weeks Journey from our own land, an
unknown tract of country about 500 miles
In diameter. We have tried to cross i,
and have not succeeded. Nothing fur.
ther need be said in reply to those who
ask. why should We start another Arctic
Expedition !"
In this next expedition balloons are
likely to play an important part. The
great aim with Arctic explorers is to get
TO the Pole, no matter by what means.
he word danger appears to have no ex.
lstence in their vocahnlaries. From
Spitzbergen TO the Pole could be accom-.
plished in q week with reindccrs if the
road was over smooth ice or snow. Cold
docs not prevent men from getting to the
Pole, but the physical confguraton of
the frln2ing zone Of the Arctic regions.
Arctic navigators are stopped not by
frozen sea, but by a combination of ga-
ciers, frozen bays and fiords. The noun
tains Of that region are grand, but it
takes days to 60 a few miles in such
country. Attempts Of two kinds have
been made to scale this icy barricr Ships
have sailed northward, threading u dan
gerous course between floating iccbergs
in summer and become fast. bound in
winter. The second method, usually
adopted as supplementary to the first, is
that OF dragging sledges over the noun.
tains. Commander Markham, an
Engiishman who attempted this work on
an extensive scale, ACHE, ed about one
mile day, and the lab ,r was nearly ia.
tai to his men. Balloons promise 10
solve the problem. With fair wind
and winds are very steady in such parts
OF the Arctic regions rs have been ex-
plorcd-it would be but n ,aatter of a day
or two TO reach :he Pole from one of the
advanced points within the Arctic circle
The chief dangers Of such ali cxpe.li-
ton are, y the variability of the wind
(2) the risk of being blown out to sea
(3l the hel lplessness Of the aeronaut in
case of disaster, for no balloon can carry
boats, sledges, or even large stock Of
food, and (4) the danger of entering
some aerial whirlpool out of which the
balloon would never emerge. So long as
it remained in the air it would circle
around the Pole, an unpleasant position
for explorers without food or fuel and the
thermometer at 100 degrees below zero.
These are positive dangers; but not many
years will elapse before the experiment of
balloons in the Arctic regions will be
undertaken, and surely the chances would
be no worse by balloon than by open
boats-to which most Arctic explorers
are reduced sooner 1r laief.-Cnnrlcsfon
Sunday -Ners.