The Russellville Democrat. [volume] (Russellville, Ark.) 1875-1898, 1888-03-15
POLAR EXPEDITIONS.
Their True Purpose Explained to Every
Body's Satisfaction.

Their True Purpose Explained to Every
Body's Satisfaction.
II IS an unseientific and puerile
idea to think of visiting the polar
regions merely TO reach the termini Cd
the earth's axis. That is not the pur-
pose which in recent years stimulated
polar travel. Arctic and Antarctic
explorations will go on because we
see more clearly every year that the
world is an organic whole, every part
of which is of equal interest and inl-
portance in the study of nature 5 laws.
The ice bound regions still hold in
their grasp important truths of which
our men of science will some day pos
sess themselves and which will throw
light. elsewhere unattainable. upon
the circulation of oceanic waters, ice
formations. climatology, terrestrial
magnetism and other phenomena. The
results of the labors at the fourteen
circum-polar stations now being
worked out. compared and published.
bid fair 10 be worth far more
than they cost TO science.
The An tarctic regions will prob
ably be the next field of
polar inquiry, and some steps
to this end have been taken both in
Great Britain and Australia As the
south polar region is not, like the
Arctic zone, crowded with islands and
archipelagoes, il is of much more inn
portance in the study of ocean cur
rents. 1t has received far less than
its share of attention. chiefly because
tho search for the northwest passage
gave Il great impetus TO Arctic travel,
and also because many of the most inn
portant discoveries i'm the north polar
regions were made by ship parties
whose primary purpose was to succor
the Franklin on other distressed expe-
ditions.
Strange as It may seer, the Pacific
ocean is still far from we'll known.
When Wifred Powell expressed the
belief that many Pacific islands had
never yet been seen by white men.
some incredulity was manifested.
Since that time Captain Bruce has dis
covered little group of islands of
The northeast coast of New Guinea,
Mr. Romilly found new island in
1891 asd the Germans have re-
Gently added two islands to the
Bismarck Archipelago. Many large
islands. also. like the largest
members of the Solomon group and
New Britain and New Ireland are ia
miliar in their outlines though we
know little or nothing Of their inte-
riors. Some of these islands. which
contain thousands Of square miles, are
still sealed books to us The largest
island of the world, New Guinea, has
nowhere been penetrated far except
along the FLY and Arid rivers, and a
great part of The interior Of Australia
s'still wholly unknown.
Our geological survey is pushing
forward as rapidly as possible The
great work Of supplying US with u
COOK topographic map of our three
million square miles. The Canadian
survey has also extended far within
The great Northwestern region. until
recently but little known, and hes
shown that vast areas along the Rocky
mountains formerly supposed to be
bleak and inhospilable. are we'll
adapted for settlement. There is little
danger Of any future misconception OF
any part Of this continent such as tha,
Of Sir George Simpson when he tbs
tilted IN 3 ritish court not manyyears
ago that the r "A river country in Man
I Ia -. q.
wheat region in the world. was wholly
unfit fer human habilaiion &C 4
dfsmts IN AZ y hau aga Ergress