The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-08-22
HIS VERY PERILOUS TRIP
DARING SCHEME OF .NANSEN TO
REACH THE POLE.

from Le heO 4 ORR Post.
In the scientific as we'll as popular revuI-
sion which followed the story of the closing
miseries of the Greely expedition, it seemed
as though check had been given to at
tempts to roach the north pole. Such, in fact,
was for awhile the evident effect, and the
researches in the north of explorers took on
a kind Of sub-arctic character with scientific
objects, and Invested Of extreme peril to life
OF this character, for instance, have been
the late journeys to the Greenland glaciers,
to the regions of perennial ice and snow in
Alaska, and to the ice-cap of Greenland.
the latter expeditions eliminating in DR.
Fridtjof Nansen's transit of that country
and the larger venture in which Lieut..
Perry is now engaged. If we except the
dangers of the Nansen party on the east
coast OF Greenland before landing and Of
their ascent and descent of the edges of the
ice-cap, there has been little since
the horrors of the Greedy story to
break the conservative quality OF
arctic exploration. Il is, there
fore, with shock that the public will read
in the Forum for August what we believe
is the first detailed outline in the EuglIsh
tongue of q scheme of hansen for reaching
the north pole--a scheme which. for its
novelty of rashness" eclipses any under
takings of explorers up to the present day.
Excluding its more refined points of rea-
soning, Nansen's theorem is that the main
current of the Arctic Ocean begins at a
point TO the north of Siberia not far from
the place where the Inflated Jeanette sank
In 1881. This current, as he believes,
sweeps directly across the Arctic ocean near
the pole, passes down the east coast of Green
land, doubles the Southe CAPE and in part
at least, turns northward along the west
coast. Flotsam of various kinds from Alaska
and certain relics OF the Jeanette expedition
said to have been found on the south west
coast Of Greenland, form the chief basis for
his belief in the existence of this current.
To carry out his plan he has raised SS5, 900
by public grtnt and by private subscrip-
ton in Norway; he is building stout
steamer Of 200 tons, with side-lines from
bulwark to keel exceedingly sharp in their
angles with the water line, so that in case
of NIP" she will be raised upon the ice.
and upon this craft, in company
with ten or twelve companions,
including Capt. Otto SYerdrup,
who was with him in the trip |
across Greenland, he proposes to push |
northward from the Siberian coast, and at |
last, trusting his craft entirely to the ice.
begin the long drift of 1000 miles across |
the Polar sea during period which he es I'll |
mates at not less than two years. His !
craft is to be provisioned forfivs years, and |
with strong boat, siedges and other kinds |
of familiar arctic equipment be provides |
Tor secondary emergencies. On bis peril |
GUS trip he expects to start not much later |
than next February.
Criticising severely this polar quest, Gen. |
A. W. Greedy. in an article in the Forum |
following Nansen's, questions the theory of |
the latter as to the great arctic current and |
the proofs OF 1t. Nansen, it appears, has not |
IN yaA fha
be such. Greedy contends that they are |
hotsam from the sunken Proteus, which |
were caught by the West Greenland north |
erly current from the outlying part of the |
current which sweeps uthward on the op- |
posite side of Baffin bay and lower waters. |
1t is to be noted also that Commodore |
Melville, the only surviving officer
or the Jeannette. shares Greelys |
doubts as to the commences of the reics-a |
vital point which it certainly seems strange |
Manson should not have absolutely proved |
before making his datum for a new route
to the pole. Greedy also ridicules Nansen's
conception of an ''indestructible" artic
ship, declaring that no craft can be built
strong enough to resist the awful pressure
OF the ice-flelds in high latitude.
Finally, Greedy brings out with
more clearness, we think, than in
his printed volumes, his theory as to
land about the north pole, AS indicated by
the table bergs," less in size, but otherwise
like those coming from the antacrtic conti>
mental ice-barrier. The asserted existence
OF such an area of land around the north
pole Greedy sets against Nansen's theory
that the great arctic current on which he
proposes to drift passes through the highest
polar ATTITUDES, and very near, if not across,
the pole itself
While questions thus raised between two
arctic explorers belong primarily to the ex-
perts, the truth probably lies between the |
extreme views of each. On Nansen's side.
for example, in the matter of the resisting
powers of vessels against ice and of the ice |
itself as a safeguard, we have the narratives
OF boss and Wilkes kane's long battles |
with the ice packs, and winteriug in his craft |
on the ice, the experience of the Polaris the |
long voyage of her castaway party on a |
hoe, and like episodes without number in |
the long and varied story of polar adventure. |
On the other hand. such incidents as the |
quick sinking of the stanch Proteus after |
her nip" in July. 1928, as told in Schley's |
narrative, and many similar mishaps of |
stout scaling vessels, may be cited offhand |
on Greely's side. Good luck or bad luck
Bkllltul or uuskillful management of craft, |
are factors so mixed in this problem as to |
leave the conclusion that while Nauseu is |
taking terrible risk. still he has that |
chance which daring explorers such as he |
are willing TO accept. 1t is very much the |
same with every other feature of his polar
quest. The chances are greatly against him |
so much so as to justify much Of Greely's |
criticism.
But aside from any nice and technical
estimates OF the degree Of Nansen's hazard |
or his prospect of success, his amazing
venture deserves the scantest sympathy |
10 undertake. for the sake of what even he |
can only call ''pure knowledge a polar
search by method from which the intrepid |
ROSES aud Halls and Kanes of the past
would have recoiled in dismay; to trust |
precious lives, including his own, for years |
70 the icy elements of an unknown polar |
ocean, and to take the one chance in the |
nlty OF success with only sentimental |
rewards to add to a fame already |
oSlncient-tnese surely are the |
acts not Of the cool-headed man of science. |
nut OF man who by the 'artic fever;
seems to have been morbidly changed, into a |
Iaso adventurer. From such fatal emprise |
one misses sadly the high scientific motives
vi hail among the Esquimaux, of the care |
July planned but luckless Greedy expedi- |
15.on, OF Peary, Of Nansen himself on the |
oreenland ice-cap. and Of the wisely bold" |
explorations of Sir James Ross fifty years |
ago TO south polar region still strangely, |
Iegiected which yet awaits probably the |
disclosure of geographical and physical |
HarVeis without perils to compare to those |
VI snls risky enterprise of the Norwegian,