Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-18


channel, could discern nothing but ice
packs. Here 1t was that DR.. Hayes
claimed to have seen his open polar sea.
THE NORTHERNMOsT POINT.
On the trip of 1882 Lieut.. Lockwood
reached the highest latitude ever attained,
| 50 degrees and % minutes north. This
was about 800 miles directly north of
Lady Franklin Bay, but to get there ne
| travelled over 1000 miles of open water
and broken packs, frequently causing
| hlm to retrace his steps 80 miles. Lieut.
| Lockwood sounded the sea both years be-
tween Cape Bryant and Cape Britannia but
| could not touch bottom with 135 fathom
! line. Lieut.. Markham, a few years be-
| fore, about 100 miles to the west, got bot
| tom at y fathOms. Lieut.. Lockwood
! found at his furthest point north about
the same vegetation as at Lady Franklin
/ Bay, but no signs of a polar current or
| open polar sea. In 1888 he was stopped
near Cape Bryant, 125 miles from Lady
Franklin Bay, by an open channel, ex-
! tending west to the coast Of Grinnel Land.
! The width of this channel varied from 200
! yards to five miles, but on the north ice
! packs extended as far as could be seen
with glass.
WHERE HE MIGHT HAVE GONE.
With his supply Of provisions, the fail
| ure Of which had caused his return the
| year'before, Lieut.. Lockwood was conf
| dent that he could have reached IS de-
grees north if this open channel had not
barred his way. No fossil remains were
! discovered on this trip, and the only ones
| found were the trunks of trees on
| the southwest coast of GrInneI Land.
| The only sea animals seen by
| Lieut.. Lockwood at longitude SO de-
| grees and % minutes We're walrus and
| seal, and strange to say walrus is not to
| hn fO1nd Of I olvr
| 9itude 50 degrees and % minutes the de-
| nectlon of the magnetic needle was 104
| degrees west, more than One-quarter of
1 the circle. AS far as Lieut.. Lockwood
went the northeastern end of the coast
/ still continued. Maps of the new regions he
| discovered are i'll the possession of Lieut..
| Greely and are very carefully made. All
| through the two years at Lady Franklin
| Bay the magnetic needle was never quiet,
| except during the storms in February,
1888. The preparations for retreat were
made by establishing a depot at Cape
Baird twelve miles to the south.
DAYS OF ANXIETY.
| Day after day the anxious men looked
| off over Lady Franklin Bay expecting the
| ice to open, so that they might commence
| their journey towards home. At last, on
| Aug. 10, 1885, the welcome news that the
| ice was open was brought. All had been
I
| embarked in a little steam launch, Be-
hind them they left their dogs, as they
| could not be taken. Four barrels of pork
| and some seal oil were left for the ami
mails. Lady Franklin Bay was crossed
| to Cape Baird, a distance of thirteen
miles, and then the western coast of
| Grlnnel Land was followed south as far
| as Cape Hawks. Large quantities of
heavy ice were met, and there was dan
| ger every moment that the little launch
| would be crushed. Several times all the
boats were nearly lost, and the suffering of
| the men was great. They were now within
! fifty miles of Cape Sabine. Steering from
| Cape Hawks direct for Bates Island the
| party was caught in an ice pack
! and frozen in ten miles south, of
Cape Hawks. In thirteen days they
drlfted South % miles in the foes, suffer-
ing horribly from the cold. So they
drifted to within IL miles of Cape Sabine,
and were obliged to abandon the steam
launch on Sept. 10. The pack now re-
mained mOtionless for three days, and
several times the party got within , or 3
miles of Cape Sabine, only to be drifted
bac by southwest gales. Five seals
were killed and eaten while the party
were drifting abaut.
Driven past the cape eventually, a
heavy northwest gale drove them by Cape
Sabine, within few miles Of BrevOOt
Island, but they could not land. On Sept.
p, there arose the most terrific gale they
had yet seen on the Arctic ocean. Their
ice iloe was driven hIther and thither by
the tempest, and the waves washed over
them again and again, the spray freezing
to them and causing them intense suffer-
ing. Night came on, one of inkv black
ness. The wind threw the heavy foes to-
9ether, and crash after crash of ice
breaking from their own foe warned
tho fbnt
certain. In few days they
returned. Their report sent chill
OF horror TO every heart. At Cape Isabella
and Cape Sabine were found only $4,000
ratiOns, and from Lieut.. Garlingt0n's re-
cords they learned the fate of the PrOteus.
Every one knew that death must come to
nearly all of the party long before a ship
Of rescue could force its way into Melville
Bay. Efforts were made to sustain the
spirits of the men by lectures and light
reading. On Oct. 10 the party removed to
Cape Sabine.
DYING MAN BY MAN.
On Jan. IS Sergt. Cross died of scurvy.
In April the ratiOns issued daily had
dwindled to four ounces of meat and six
ounces Of bread. Man after man died
and all hope had fled when on that stormy
day the blast of the Thetis' whistle reused
the survivors from the lethargy Of ap-
preaching death. Lieut.. Greedy, when
asked as to his ideas upon the probable
results of arctic explorations, said: 81
don't think that the North pole can
be reached unless every circumstance
hitherto found to be unfavorable should
prove favorable to the party attempting
to reach the pole. If it is to be done at
all, it will be done by way of Franz
Josef Land. 1t could never have been
reached by the Jeanuette's route. That
there is an open polar sea | am we'll
nigh certain. This is proved by ice drift
ing out of Mussel Bay and Spitzbe
in mid winter, and the northern drift of
the polar pack experienced by Lieut.
Pavy and Lieut.. Lockwood in longitude 81
degrees and 50 minutes. Men can stand
two winters very well at Franklin Bay,
but physical strength rapidly deteriorates
further north. If we had every supply
and necessity of food, we could have
lived perhaps eight or ten years at Lady
Franklin Bay"