Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-08-28
ARCTIC HISTORY.

Comparative Pleasure, Followed by Ter
rible Suffering and Disaster.
PORTSMOUTH, n. H. August 1s.--For tn,
purpose of obtaining some idea of the gen
eral nature and probable value of the seien
tiic observations made by Greedy at Lad.
franklin Bay, an Associated Press agent
visited him Saturday. Greedy first stated
tine object of the Lady Franklin Bay expe-
dition, VIZ, to establish polar station, one
of thirteen suggested by Lieutenant Wei
precht, of Austria, who discovered Franz
Josef Land. Simultaneous observations OF
all physical phenomena were to be taken.
The complete programme which was to be
followed was arranged by an International
Polar Congress, in which representatives of
thirteen nations took part The obSerya-
tiens in which the greatest possible aceur-
acy were to be had were those of the decli-
nation and deviation or the magnetic
needle, the temperature of the air and sea,
height of the barometer and mean and max
imumRrise and fall of tides. ALI explOra-
tions were incidental TO the main objects
of tho expedition. The expedition
was fitted out under authority of
Congress- and was composed of three
officers of the army, one acting surgeon
and nineteen enlisted men from the
army. Rations for twenty-seven months
We're put on the Prote,is, which lett st.
Johns July Z, 1880, with the party. She
touched at Disco Island and Upernavik to
procure sledges, dogs, skins and dog food.
Tive Esqaimaux were added to the party at
Proven. A landing was made at Garry Is
land in North Evater. and the provisions
cached by Mares in 1875. i'll the Alert were
found in good condition. At Littleton Is
land Greedy personally recovered the Eng
fish arctic mail left by Sir Allen Young in
the PandoD in 1915. At Carl Ritter Bay, in
Kennedy Channel, a cache of provisions
for use on the retreat was made. 1t was
the original intention to establish the polar
station at Waber Course Bay. but heavy
masses of ice rendered Waber Course Bay an
EXCEEDINGLY DANGEROUS. ANCHORAGE.
Moving to the discovery of a harbor the
station was there established, OH the site
occupied by the English exploring party of
1875 The erection of Il house was at once
commenced, and stores and equipments
landed. On the 2Sth of August came the
parting between the Greedy party and the
men of the Proteus. The little band gath
cred on the frozen shore and watched the
Proteus as she steamed slowly down through
Lady Franklin Bay. On the evening of
the same day the temperature sank below
freezing point, and the icy arctic winter was
ished about week after the Proteus left.
1t was named in honor of Senator Conger,
Fort Conger.' During the first month the
cold afflicted the men more than at any
subsequent time at Fort Conger. Later on
in December the temperature ranged from
fifty to sixty degrees below zero and so re-
manned for days at a time, but even in that
weather the cooks favorite amusement was
dancing bare headed, bare armed and with
81 fAft n n IOnr-
ing the day the men dressed III ordinary OUT
side clothing, but their tiannels werehyery
heavy. Five men were generally for a part of
the day engaged in scientific work under
Greely's direction, and in the duties of the.
camp. The remainder, were employed gem
orally about one honi day and devoted the
rest OF the time to amusement. All slept in
hunks. The quarters were heated by large
coal stove, the average heat in the main be-
ing fifty degrees above zero. Checkers,
cards, chess and reading were the amuse~
ments of the evening. The life, Greedy said,
was far from a lonely one. Many of the
men said they never had passed two hap
pier years than those at Fort Conger On
the 18th of October the sun left them for
one hundred and thirty-fise days. and
twilight varying from half an hour to
twenty-four hours succeeded. For two
months it was SO dim that the dial of
l.
the sun came above the horizon and re-
mained tli,re one hundred and thirty-five
days, giving the party a great suffciency of
the midnight sun. During three months
the stars were visible constantly, the con-
stellationS g Orion's belt and the Great
Bear being brightest. fa IF
THE NORTH STAR LOOKED DOWN
from almost overhead. Standing alone out
side the fort on one of these nights the
- IA
famed the aurora borealis and bright con-
stellations were set like jewels around the
glowing moon. Over everything was a dead
silence, SO horribly oppressive that man
alone is almost tempted to kill himself, SO
lonely does he feel. The astronomer of the
party said that with the naked eye star of
one degree smaller magnitude than can be
seen here in the same way might be dis
cerned. The moon would remain in sight
from eleven to twelve days at time. The
thermometer registered on June so the
highest temperature at Lady Franklin Bay
which we knew during our stay. 1t was
ffty-two degrees above zero. The lowest
was i'll February, 1888. siXty-SiX degrees be-
low zero. In this February our lnereuryJ
fr0Ze and remained solid for fifteen DAYS, 4
The mercury in the thermometer invariably !
rose during storms or high winds. The
highest barometer was slightly above thirty
one inches, tile lowest Slightly DeioW L"en- |
ty-nine inches. The greatest variations |
were il the winter. The electrometeT. an |
instrument used to ascertain the presence of |
electricity, was set, but not the slightest |
result obtained. The displays of aurora |
were very good but not to be compared |
with those seen at Disco Island or |
Upernavik. AS far as Greedy could OBJ |
serve no cracking sound accompanied the |
displays and the general shape was that of |
a ribbon. The soutlwesterly horizon was |
the quarter in which the brightest displays |
We're seen. Mares reported III 1876 that no !
shadow was cast by the aurora. but Greedy
says he distinctly observed his shadow cast |
by it. There were no electrical disturbances /
save those manifested by rumbling thunder
heard twice as far away to the north In I
the cause of the tidal obServa-
tions made, the very interesting fact !
was discovered that the tides at /
Lady Franklin Bay came from the north, !
while those at Melville Bay and Cape /
Sabine came from the south. The temper
ature of this north tide is two degrees T
warmer than that of the south tide at Sa-
bine. Why this was Greedy would not ven
t,Ire to state. He used in measuring the
ebb and flow of tides fixed gauge, an iron
rod planked in the mud. The average rise
70 spring tides at Lady Franklin Bay was
found to be eight feet at, Cape Sabine the |
highest tides twelve feet. Surf was only /
twice during the two years.; At
Lady Franklin Bay the average tempera-
.ure of the water was twenty degrees above
zero.
WOLVES WEIGHING NINETY POUNDS
were killed around Fort Conger and there
ire foxes and other animals there Fish are
scarce. Perhaps the greatest surprise of the =
expedition was the taking from Lake Alex
anIar fresh xyafpr IaE fiftaar, foot OH |