New-York tribune., 1885-01-25
1JrryFyayr GREELYS PAPER.

Lieutenant Greely's paper published on an
other page contains an interesting survey OF
future Arctic work. Among the five routes
toward the Pole he prefers that OF Franz JOSEF
Land, basing his Judgment mainly upon the
necessity of finding coast with western
aspect trcnding northward in order to penetrate
beyond the cghty-third parallel. This view is
now shared by nearly all experienced explorers
and it is probable that the next attempt to reach
the Pole will be made by this route. A Russian
expedition, it is already announced, will make
Franz Josef Land its base of operations, and II
the English endeavor to surpass Lieutenant
Locbwood's record they will undoubtedly follow
in the track of Leigh Smiths yacht to Ezra tar-
Dor. As for future American explorations, 1t
is well known that Chief Engineer Melville
would gladly lead wcll-equpped expedition
10 the same quarter. If second Grinnell could
be found to furnish the ships. Nevertheless, it
is by no means certain that the Austrian ice
lands extend beyond the cighty-third parallel.
If Franz Josef Land be an archipelago similar
10 Spitzbergen, progress beyond Cape Vienna.
the extreme point sighted by Lieutenant Payer,
would be as impractcablc rs Captain Parry
found the sea ice north of Spitzbergen sixty
years ago.
The East Greenland route is ordinarily re-
iectcd because Sherard Osborno's theory ex-
cludcs coast not having a western aspect.
Lieutenant Grecly dismsscs it with a cursory
glance IA barred out by the heavy drift ice on
the coast. Nevertheless, the German expedition
found good harbor on the coast, and Llenten-
ant Payer in the course of a months sledge
Journey was able to 90 as many miles as ne SUD-
seauontly traversed in Franz josef Land III
about the same period The latitude reached
was five degrees lower because the ship win
tered on lower parallel aud it is not probable
that a more noltherly berth for ship can be
found on that coast than the Germania's winter
quarters. The sledge- work begins on the
seyenty-ffth instead Of the eighteth parallel,
and consequently there will be a much greater
distance TO be traverscd toward the Pole. AT
the same time, the base of operations ismore ac-
cessibie than Ezra Harbor and there will be
coast line, certainly rs far as Lieutenant Lock-
woods extreme point and possibly long way
beyond If Greenland be made the scene OF
future explorations, the east coast Will 0lier n
shorter line to Lockwood Island than the Smith
Sound route, and fresh discoveries will be made
every mile beyond Cape Bismarck
Lieutenant Grecly's suggestions respecting
the equipment of an Arctic expedition are
iudcious He makes strong point of having
the sledges drawn by dogs. basing his recon-
mendation upon Lieutenant Lockwood's expert
ence. He doubts whether the United States
Government will extend aid to such expeditions
for long time to come, but hopes that Lieuten-
ant Rays proposal for n scientific colony at
Boothea Felix in search of the Magnetic Pole
will receive immediate support. One objection
to this scheme is that the colonists would have
a rowing commission. The Magnetic Pole was
approximately located by Captain Ross in 1881 +,
| but unfortunately it does not remain stationary.
| 1t revolves around the North Pole once in nine
teen centuries, moving something over eleven
minutes year. The scientific colOnists would
have to search for it in that inhospitabc archi-
pelago where Sir John Franklin was lurcd to his
| Iaafh