Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-11-21

l9.oao seet hjrh. reoeivcd thc name Of
Nanut Erpbus: while inc other, su extinct
volesSo oi sospewhat snalisT STATURE. WA
| sasuasl after the companion ship. Terror.
| Isut now about The approach the south
! PoIey When Ne two mighty mountains
| had been discovered. an OH boerd the two
sisips hoped that thu ,jeg obeiacscs 70 mr.
/ tbey uvcgsess were suGh ~ they cous0 wy
mount by skin, labor, and perseverance,
| This hope YVES NOT destined 10 De re,"zeu.
| In front Of the mainland to when .ne
| mountains belonged could be seen, e. sse
ships approached. white hae ma.kins oa
| perpendicular din OF we. asesaxing ~,
ieet sloye the sea, perfectly ffst and level
! a the fop. ard presentiug no issures What
| ever. This was great disappointment
Tor the lev barrier faced them directly on
| The south. and there was no possible
itv either Of penetrating through II or OF
| climbing up upon II. Distant mountains
! could be seen over and beyond the barrier
| anparsutly rs fer south NJ the seventy-nIuth
| desr,e Of south latitude. less shan seven
| hundred nautical miles from the pole; IT
Was ,antal,zine, but had to be borne, for
I nothing but a balloon could have SUI
nouuted the barrier. The ships turned
| their prows eastward, following the line oil
This gigantic wall. and watching Tor an
opening In u. Fully bnndred miles were
/ thus traverscd, but without finding gap or
| chasm. As there was depth OF nearly
| two thousand feet Of water where the
ships coasttd along, Ross inferred that the
/ great icy barrier was formed on ledge OF
rock. and that Its outward edse was not
| resting ON the ground.
| Ross did not winter in That remote and
| inhospi.able region. Indeed, 80 far as IL
| known, no human being ever passed win
| ter among the Antarctic lee. Ross spent
| three summers in his exploration. while he
housed his ships for the intervening win
ters either at Tasmania or Falkland isliDds
| A curious matter mentioned by him Illus
trates the meaning OF what's o'clock, or
| rather what determines the l0ngituoe,
| which itself determines what's O'Clock.
| When starting from Tasmania for bis
| second summers exploration, IN ISL, ne
| stecred east, touched at New Zealand,
and crossed at the hundred and eightieth
\ degree of Iongitude-tbat Is, the longitude
| farfhest removed from the meridian OF
| Greenwich. II became necessary " lose u
\ day IN reckoning, 30 as TO make the date
| core spond with that in England. on NOV
| ing from east longitude TO west. 1--WE.
| therefore. had two Thursdays and two 18th
1 DAYS Of November in succession, so that
| after crossing the meridian, aud having
| made the alteration Of a day, instead oil
| bcinp twelve hours in advance, we became
| co much in arrear OF the time in England.
| which would gradually diminish as we
| pursued orr easterly course, until Oh our
return we should find them in exact ac-
| cordance.'
THE GREATEST POINT or DIFFERENCE
! between the Arctic and Antarctic regions
lies i'm the fact that the former il dotted
over with numerous islands, peninstilas,
and isthmuses, whereas the latter u cX-
posed 10 the dash OF vast and deep ocean.
Ross experienced from sweeping currents
and winds more than has ever 10 be
borne by northern explorer. ON
one occasion, when he was becalmed
for few hours, the dead set OF the
ocean waves drifted the ship toward
range OF huge icebergs, against which the
sea broke with appalling violence. every
eve was transfxcd with the tremendous
spectacle. and destruction appeared iuevi-
fable" The ships were thus driven on
for eight hours, until within half mile OF
a gigantic iceberg, when gentle air began
TO STIR, which gradually frcshoned into
gale, and before dark the ships emerged
from their peril and got out into the wide
ocean.
n lew NtTus w w SubN
what Kind of weather had 10 be borne IN
the very middle OF the Antarctic summer,
and in no higher latitude than siNty-siN
degrees. For nine days the crews were
alternately drifting. hauling, making fast,
mcnding snapped bawsers. and making ell
forts 10 stem opposing currents. On the
tenth dav. during q thick fog. gale came
ON from the north. "Ihe sea quickly rose
To u fearful height. breaking over the
lOftiest iceberes We were unable
anv longer TO hold our ground,
but were driven into the heavy pack
under our Ice. soon after midnght
our ships were involved in an ocean Of
rolling fragments Of lee, hard rs blocks Of
granite, which were dashed against them
by the waves with so much violence That
their masis qiivered as il they would fall
at every successive blow, and the destruc-
ton Of the ships seemed inevitable from
the tremendous shocks they received. by
hacking and filling the sails we endeayorod
( 10 avoid collision With the larger masses,
! but this was not always possible. In Tue
early part of the storm the ruddcr OF The
I Erebus was so much damaged as 10 be no
/ longer OF any use, and about the same
time ] was Informed by signal thil
the Teuors WAS completely destroyed
d
! Hour after hour passed away without The
/ least mitigation Of the awful circumstances
in which We were placed. Indeed. there
seemed to be but little probability OF our
ships holding together much longer, 80
frequent and violent were the shocks they
sustained. The loud crashing noise OF TIE
stIaining and working OF the timber and
! decks rs she was driven against the heavier
! pieces, which all The activity and eXertlons
OF our pcople could not prev ent, was suiil-
/ cent 10 oil tie StOutcSt heart with dlsmay."
Whenever the eallan. commander got
south OF sixty degrees or %, then the BAT
ting with the ice began again and again.
He once, as we have said, touched the sew
enty eighth parallel OF latitude. and in all
! probability no huinln being has ever made
7 a nearer approach 10 the South Pole-less
nv about four hundred miles than the ap-
proach which was recently made 10 the
North Pole by Lieutenant Lockwood Of the
GrcCly expedition.
Nothing has been SAID here about
terrestrial magnetism, magnetic me-
rjdians. ETC.. for in truth that is a
great scientific subject in itself. But It
NAV lust bo remarked thai an object OF Sir
James Ross expedition was, ii possible.
10 reach the south macueiic polc-a differ
ent point from the south terrestrial pole.
The great icy barrier prevented the realiza-
ton Of tina, hope. A Jew years after"ard
Lieutenant Moore, in the ragoda. set on q
make magnetic observations in parts OF the
|. Antarctic circle that Lad not been visited
he did ~. and rendered great service 10
science. but did not get within 400 miles
OF the tantallzing South Pole.
What We know Of the south Pole, then,
: j. simply this: That nobody has got within
/ seven or eight hundred miles OF it. That
4 icy barriers were encountered which quite
. ! eclipse anythnS known known in the nortt
| rigid zone: that mountains haze been seen
= one shooting forth volcanic danes, loitiei
c than any discovered by our sorthern explo
4 rcrs that all the land there Is covered will
: snow at all seasons; that no human beIns
!. has been met With beyond iifty-six degrees
r that no vegetable growth. except iichens
4 has been seen beyond dity-eight degrees
I and that no land euadrupcd is known &
: exist beyond siNiy-siN degrees.
u An English Girt's Freak.
{ New lort Tines
u The steamship The Queen. watch al