The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1884-08-28
ARCTIC HISTORY.

Comparative Pleasure, Followed by Ter
rible Suffering and Disaster.
PORTSMOUTH, \. H., August 18.-For the
purpose of obtaining some idea of the gen
eral nature and probable value of the scfen-
titic observations made by Greely at Lady
Franklin Bay, an Associated Press agent
visited hip. Saturday. Greedy first stated
the object of the Lady Franklin Bay exDe-
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 obGerva-
tiOnS in which the greatest possible accuT-
acy were to be had were those of the decli-
nation and deviation OF the magnetic
needle, the temperature of the air and sea,
height of the barometer and mean and max
imum rise and fall of tides. All eXplora
tions were incidental TO the main objects
of the expedition. The expedition
was fitted out under authority of
Congress, and was composed of three
officers of the army, one acting surgeon
ard nineteen enlisted men from the
army. Rations for twenty-seven months
were put on the PrOteuS, which left St.
Johns July z 1880, with the party. She
touched at Disco Island and Upernavik to
pFOcure sledgeS, dogs, skins and dog food
Two ESquimauX were added to the party at
Proven. y landing was made at Garry Is
land in North Evater, and the provisions
cached by Mares in 1915 i'll the Alert, were
found in good condition. At LittletOn Is
land Greedy personally recovered the Eng
liah arctic mail left by Sir Allen Young in
the Pandora in 1876. At Carl Ritter Bay in
Kennedy Channel, a cache of provisions
for use on the retreat was nIade 1t was
the original intention to establish the polar
station at WabeT 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 on the site
occupied by the English exploring party of
1878 The erection Of a 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 PTOteus. 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
OH them in earnest. Their house was fin
isbed about a week after the PI2teus 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
III December the temperature ranged from
fifty to sixty degrees below zero and SO re-
manned for days at time, but even in that
weather the cook 5 faVOrlte amusement was
dancing bare headed, bare armed and with
slippered feet on top of snow drift Dur
ing the day the men dressed IN ordinary out
side clothing, but their flanneiS We're very
heavy. Five men were generally Y for a part of
the day engaged i'll scientific work under
Greelys direction, and in the duties of the
camp. The remainder were employed gen
orally about one hour 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 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-fye days. and a
twilight varying from half an hour to
twenty-fOur hours succeeded. For two
months it was so dim that the dial of a
watch could not be read by it. On April II
the sun came above the horizon and re-
mained there one hundred and thrty-ive
days, giving the party a great sufficiency of
the midnight sun. During three months
the stars were visible constantly, the con-
stellatiOns Of Orion's belt and the Great
Bear being brightest.
TIE NORTH STAR LOOKED DOWN
from almost overhead. Standing alone out
side the fort on one of these nights, the
scene was weirdly grand. To the north
famed the aurora bOrealis and bright con
stelationS were set like jewels around the
glowing moon. Over everything was 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
Cne degree smaller magnitude than can be
seen here in the same way might be dis
CeTned. 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
fjfty-twO degrees above zero. The lowest
W1S in February 1888 siXty-SiX degrees be
low zero. In this February our mercury
froZe and remained solid for fifteen days.
The mercury in the thermometer invariably
rose during storms or high winds. The
highest barometer was slightly above thirty
one inches; the lowest slightly below TWEEN
ty-nine inches. The greatest variations
were in the winter. The electrOmeter, 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
Upernayik. AS far as Greedy could Ob-
serve no cracking sound accompanied the
displays and the general shape was that of
a ribbon. The southwesterly horizon was
the quarter in which the brightest displays
were seen. Mares reported in 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
fXVI a fN north n
the cause of the tidal ObseTva-
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
warmer than that of the south tide at Sa-
bine. Why this was Greedy would not ven
ture to state. He used in measuring the
ebb and flow of tides a fixed gauge, an iron
rod planked in the mud. The average rise
fO spring tides at Lady Franklin Bay was
found to be eight feet; at Cape Sabine the
highest tides twelve feet. Surf was only
observed twice during the two years. AT
Lady Franklin Bay the average tempera-
ture of the water was twenty degrees above
zero.
WOLVES WEIGHING NINETY POUNDS
were killed around Fort COngeF and there
are foxes and other animals there. Fish are
scarce. Perhaps the greatest surprise OF the
expedition was the taking from Lake Alex
andeT, fresh water lake, fifteen feet above
sea level, of a four pound salmon. From
the bay or sea only two very small fish
were taken during the entire two years and
few were found north of Cape Sabine. The
vegetation of Lady Franklin Bay is about
the same as that of Cape Sabine, and com
prises moses, lichens, willows and saxi-
frage The highest velocity of the wind
was registered during terrific snow storm,
seventy miles an hour LOckwood's trips
to north latitude eighty-two degrees, were
productive of the most valuable results.
Standing, on the 18th of May in each year,
where Dr. Hayes had formerly stood, at