The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-08-15
The Resrsea xprsic Explorers.

eaiieu last winter f0T the reii0f OF L1G0r
tenant Greedy and his party, who have
now been absent in Lady franklin Boy
since 1882, and whose safety hiss been
very doubtful, has been q complete sue
cess. The precarious position that the
Greely party had been placed in was
due to the blunders of the Navy Depart
ment last year.
In the spring of 1882 the United
States Government dispatched small
party OF explorers under Lieutenant
Greely to Franklin Bay, to remain until
the autumn of 1888, to make scientific
observations in accordance with the
plans determined by the International
Arctic Association. As is well known,
the other nations succeeded in bringing
safely back their respective parties last
fall, while the party sent to relieve the
American expedition only perpetrated
series of unparalleled blunders, and
returned to leave Greedy to battle with
his second winter in the highest lati-
tude ever reached by any expedition.
The popular notion is that Arctic ex-
ploraton is reckless, foolish and waste
ful. OF little importance to the world,
and that the men who risk their lives in
going to the Arctic regions are hardly
worth the risk and expense of rescue.
The truth is, that these men devote
themselves to the cause of science, and
to the benefit of their fellow-men.
They 60 to observe physical phenomena
under extreme and singular circum-
stances, and when fortunate enough TO
return they give most valuable knowl-
edge to the world. By practical scien-
lists the great value and Importance of
scientific observations in the Arctic
regions have long been acknowledged.
Nothing is more necessary for us to
thoroughly understand in q country
which. like ours, stretches over such an
extent of latitude than meteorology.
This can not be thoroughly understood,
or its laws defined, until we obtain q
more extensive knowledge of the phys
ical condition of the polar basin. The
unsolved problems of electricity and
magnetism are also of world wide inter-
est. Hence all geographical societies
and scientific bodies have paid special
attention to the scientific equipment of
all the recent Arctic expeditions; and
while much light has been thrown on
purely geographical questions, important
results have also been obtained in vari-
Gus departments of physical science,
Hitherto, however, these results have
been too isolated and scattered to adj
init of comprehensive generalization.
Each expedition has worked ON its own
particular lines, without reference to
any common system by which alone the
key to the Interpretation of the phe-
nomena could be obtained. To remedy
this state Of things the lamented Lieu
tenant Weyprecht, the discoverer Of
Josef Land, suggested that the money
spent in fitting out expeditions for the
purpose of discovering new lands. or
attempting to reach the pole, would be
more usefully applied in making
thorough physical Investigation, on
the basis of a common plan. of TIE
lands already discovered. He further
proposed that, to obtain this object,
the North Pole should he encircled bya
corona of fixed observatories, and that
two stations should be established in
the Antartic Seas. MIR. William Lee
the Arctic voyager, strongly
pushed this matter at the International
Congress, and was a strong
advocate of Lieutenant Weyprecht's
plan. The value of this suggestion Was
fully recognized by Count Wilczek, a
well-known and muniicent patron of
Arctic enterprise. and to his generous
support and active co operation the full
filment of the scheme is largely due.
Finally the plan was submitted to the
Congress at Rome. 1t
there met with most favorable consid-
GRAFTON, and was referred to an Inter-
Polar Conference, which was
held at Hamburg, the States represent
ed being France. Holland, Germany,
Austria, Russia, Sweden, Norway and
Denmark. -
The scheme was at last put upon its
feet by the promise of the United States
10 establish two stations. and it was
hen announced that the eight stations
required were secured. By July, 1881
The final arrangements were completed.
L was determined that the observations
should be commenced at all the stations
N the polar regions. as well as those in
he temperate zones, as soon as posi-
Die after August / 1882, and that they
should be continued, as far as practical
Die. unit! September 1, 1888.
Denmark was established at God
haab; America sent Greedy to Lady
Bay, in Smith Sound (the
of all the stat ons); Ger
many was stationed at Cumberland
Sound, on the west side of Davis Strait,
md England at Fort Rae, in the heart
If the Hudson Bay Territory. near the
Great Slave Lake. The United States
llso had station at Point Barrow;
Russia took up her stand ut the month
If the Lena, and Holland occupied
)ickson's Haven, the Russian branch
tation being at Moller Bay, Nova
.embia. Norway took an easy station
It Bosekop, in the Alien Ford; Sweden
elected Spitzbergen. and Austria gar
isoned Jan Maven Island, the most
lreary station of the lot, being only a
'olcano rising directly out of the Arctic
Ocean, and when not entirely sur.
'ounded by ice is enveloped in a thick.
old fog.
France went far a-fieid, establishing
station at Cape Horn, while Germany
ever foremost in scientific research
established n third station on one oil
he islands of South Giorgid, in 81 deg.
70 min. south latitude, Al deg.
Il min. Is sec west longitude. some
,leven hundred miles east of Cape
Iorn. The object in establishing sta
ions in the antartic regions was to ena-
lie some scientific data to beobtaine6
lpon the correspondence or dvergen-
es between arctic and antartic phenom-
ma. and toco-o peratesxith the observs-
cries of Cape Town and Melbourne
Thus we had during the years '82 and