The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1884-09-20

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by it. There were no electrical
disturbances save those manifested
by rumbling, distant thunder heard
twice in the far away north. In the
course of the tidal observations made,
a 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 temperature of
this north tide is two degrees warmer
than that of the south tide at Cape
Sabine. Why this was, Greedy would
not venture to state. He used in meas
uring the ebb and flow of the tides q
fixed-gauge iron rod. planted in the
mud. The average rise of the spring
tides at Lady Franklin Bay was found
to be eight feet At Cape Sabine the
highest tides rise was twelve feet.
Surf was only observed twice during
the two years. At Lady franklin Bay
the average temperature of the water
was Twenty-Five degrees above zero.
Wolves weighing ninety pounds were
killed around Fort Conger There are
foxes and other animals there. Fish is
wonderfully scarce. Perhaps the great
est surprise in all was the taking from
Lake Alexander, . fresh-water lake
fifteen feet above sea-level, a four pound
salmon. From the bay or sea only two
very small fish were taken during the
entire two years, and few are found
north of Cape Sabine. The vegetation
on Lady Franklin Bay is about the same
as at Cape Sabine, and comprises
MOSES, lichens, willows and saxifrage.
The highest velocity Of the wind was
registered during terrific snowstorm,
land was seventy miles per hour. Lock-
woods trips to the North in 1882 and
1888 we're productive of the most val
liable results. Standing May 10, in
each year. where DR.. Hayes had for
merly stood, about the same time of
day, Lockwood, from an elevation of
two thousand feet, and using his
strongest glass on Halls Basin and
Robeson's channels, could discern
nothing but ice packs. Here it was that
DR.. Hayes claimed to have seen his
open Polar Sea on the trip of 1858.
Lockwood reached the highest latitude
ever attained, eighty-three degrees
twenty-five minutes north. This was
about five hundred miles directly north
of Lady Franklin Bay, but to get there
he had to travel over one thousand
miles of open water and broken packs,
which frequently caused him to retrace
his steps fifty miles. Lockwood sounded
sea both years between Cape Bryant
and Cape Brittania, but could not touch
bottom with one hundred and thirty
five fathoms of line. Markham, a few
years before, about one hundred miles
to the west, found bottom at seventy
two fathoms. Lockwood found at his
farthest northern point about the same
vegetation as at Lady Franklin Bay,
but no signs of polar current or open
polar sea. In 1883 he was stopped near
Cape Bryant, 125 miles from Lady
FranklinBay, by an open channel extend
ing west to the coast of Grinnell Land.
The width of this channel varied from
two hundred yards to five miles, but on
the north the ice packs extended as far
as could be seen with q glass. With
his supply of provisions, the failure Of
which had caused his return the year
before, Lockwood was confident he
could have reached eighty-five degrees
north, if this open channel had not
barred his way. No fossil remains
were discovered on the trip, and the
only ones found we're trunks of trees on
the southwest coast of Grinnell Land.
The only sea animals seen by Lock
wood at eighty-three degrees twenty
five minutes were walrus and seals,
and, strange to say, walrus is not to be
found at Lady Franklin Bay. At
eighty-three degrees twenty-five min
utes the detection of the magnetic
needle was 104 degrees west, more than
one-fourth of the circle. The maps of
the new regions he discovered are in
the possession Of Lieutenant Greedy
and are very carefully made.
All through the two years at Lady
Franklin Bay the magnetic needle was
never quiet except during storms. In
February of 1883 preparations for re.
treat were made by establishing a depot
at Cape Baird, twelve miles to the
south. Day after day anxious men
looked off over Lady Franklin Bay, ex-
pecting the ice to open so that they
might commence their journey toward
home.
At last, August 10, 1883, the welcome
news that the ice was open was brought
All had been made ready, and that very
day the party embarked in the little
steam launch. Behind them they left
their dogs, as they could not be taken.
Four barrels of pork and some seal oil
we're left for the animals Lady Frank
lin Bay was crossed to Cape Baird,
distance of thirteen miles, and then the
western coast of Grinnell Land was fol-
lowed south as far as Cape Hawkes.
Large quantities of heavy ice were met
Every moment they thought the little
launch would be crushed. Several
times all the boats were nearly lost.
The suffering of the men was great.
They were now within fifty miles of
Cape Sabine. Striking from Cape
Hawkes. for Bates Island the party
was caught in an ice-pack and
frozen in, ten miles south OF Cape
Hawkes.. In thirteen days they drifted
south twenty-five miles on Hoes, suffer-
ing terribly from the cold. So they
drifted to within eleven miles of Cape
Sabine, and were obliged to abandon
the steam launch September 10. The
packs now remained motionless for
three days, and several times the party
got within two or three miles of Cape
Sabine, only to be driven back by the
southwest gales. Five seals were killed
and eaten while the party were drifting
about. Eventually q heavy northwest
gale drove them past Cape Sabine
within q mile of Brevoort Island, but
they could not land. September ~
there arose the most terrific gale they
had yet experienced on the Arctic
Ocean. Their ice foe was driven
hither and thither by theptempest, and
waves washed over them again and
again, the spray freezing to them aud
causing them intense suffering. Night
came on, one of inky darkness. and the
wind threw heavy Hoes together, and
crash after crash of ice breaking over
their own foe warned the men death