Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1884-05-21
The ) Mt North.

Speaking of the sailing of the first o.
the three vessels which are to rendez
vous at Upernavik, an ! from that semi
arctic port proceed to rescue or relieve
or discover the fate of Lieutenant Gree
ly and his hyperborean colony, it may
be said that for nearly four hundred
years the mystery of the north has fas.
cinated.. the explorer and the savant
The CabOts in 1897, and the Cortreal,
Wllloughby and Gilbert after them.
had penetrated the ''thri.lIng regions OF
thick-ribbed and eternal ice' long
before the Pilgrim Fathers had hewed
the first timber on the coast Of Masaa-
chusetts, and until 1918, IN which ysar
ltoSS and Parry set out OIL their expe-
ditiOn, every great country of Europe
was contributing its stanohest ships and
Its best mariners for that evolution o. a
drsam-the discovery of short )r.h-
west passage to the gold and spice-bear-
ing regions of the Indian tropics.
But Ross and Parry were the last
Arctic explorers of what may be termed
the mercantile era; the vision of rapid
| communication with India by way of
the north pole had faded in the fierce
light of experience. But experience
had taught. that though the frozen deeps
would never open path for freighted
argosies, they yet surround the mystery
OF the north pole, III whose wintry
shadow the most hidden secrets of the
currents of the oceans and of electric
disturbances of earth and air were kept
in silence.
With the expedition of Sir John
Franklin, in 1878, the history of purely
scientific polar expeditions commences.
In every case they have been attended
with hunger cold and death, and in
many cases with the total destruction of
ship and crew. But the problems to
be solved are, in their ultimate result,
so FAR moreimportant to commerce than
the once sought northwest passage,
that nations contribute of their reven-
ues, ald the most gallant sailors and
enthusiastic scientists risk their lives
with pleasure in continued explorations.
The flrSt attempt to reduce the scien-
titic results of polar investigations to
conformity with systematic inquiry was
made in 1880, when Lieutenant Wey-
precht, of the Austrian polar expedi-
ton proposed the establishment of cir
cumpO'ar stations; that is to say, that
colonies of naval, military and scientific
men, supplied with provisions for two
years, should be placed in the highest
latitudes, and their records should be
compared and the facts discovered be
made the basis of future investigations,
and it was desired that year by year
these outposts Of civilization should
advance their march still farther to-
wards the pole. After many miscar-
rlages eight of the maritime powers, to
wit, Russia, England, Germany, Aus
tria, Denmark, Sweden, France and
America sent out colonies. This was
in 1881.
America sent two expeditions, one
to Point Barrow, and one under Lieu
tenant Greely to Lady Franklin's Bay.
This expedition, with total of twenty
five members, was conveyed by the
Proteus 10 its destination, and after
landing stores and provisions for two
years. maintenance of the adventurers,
the vessel left them in their icy homes
on the 18th of August, 1881. From
then to now no authentic news of them
has been heard.