Arizona republican., 1892-10-27

foe, expecting TO be towed by IL to clear
water, Instead, vast fields and mountains
of ice closed in about the foe until the sur.
rounding sea was everywhere buried from
sight. For flfty-three weeks, or year
and ten days, tho yoyagers were prisoners
in ship which was itself prisoner In the
ice, yet the journey went ON to a conclu-
sion as remarkable as any the most skillful
mariner of arctic seas ever attained. The
imprisoned sailors were explorers in search
Of passage TO the polar sea. Their YES
sci drifted steadily and almost directly to-
ward the pole until it reached latitude 70
dogs. 80 min, about the limit OF all arctic
voyages before or since.
Perilous journeys by the score OF Eng
Esh, American and German explorers in
the western arctic sea from 1920 to 1870
left worlds still unconquered since they
extended only the width of 90 degs. Of
longitude and the remaining three-fourths
of the circle slept in the unbroken solitude
OF past eternity. The existence Of an open
polar sea was yet unverified, and one
theory about it was as good as another; so
few European scientists took up the no
ton that the equatorial currents must send
their warm streams around the shore of
the eastern continent to unite and modify
the temperature of the waters at the pole
In order to test this theory two Austrian
ofticers-Lieut. Carl Weyprecht, Of the
navy, and Lieut.. julius Payer, Of the
Rrmy-sailed from Norway in June, 1871, in
the small Norwegian vessel Isbjorn and
penetrated to latitude 10 dogs. Al min,
where they found an open ocean coated
with thin and scattered ice
OyerjOyed at the discovery they returned
10 Europe and quickly formed an expedi-
tion for a thorough trial OF the possibilities
OF arctic navigation. 1t seemed not to have
occurred to them that 1871 was an off year
for Jack Frost in that locality, and they
laid things out for a good long picnic
arhong the bears and icebergs thither-the
sole monarehs Of the circle that sweeps
around the pole. Both Weyprecht and
Payer were just the men for daring deeds.
Both had served in the wars in Italy and
won decorations in battle. Weyprecht was
q navigator, and Payer went through a
course Of training on the precipitious sides
of the snowy Alps and among the treach-
eroHs glaciers that flow like slothful sea
at their bases He had also made three
trips in the arctic regions.
Their vessel was the screw steamer Te-
gsettbOff, OF 299 tons burdea, fitted out with
three sail masts and l00-horsepower en-
giRe. She was built expressly for arctic
peg&ging, bat was not an iceboat, since she
Was iRteRded to pillow the open polar sea.
She was peoyisioRed for % years. and was
tRanRsd By German, Hungarian, Slayonic
ard italian sailors. italian was the Ian.
g&aS,e q the ship.
The Tegcttho& sailed freA Lapland In
dNRe, 1872. in company with the IsbjOrn,
that weRt oHt to establish relief depot on
che EO~a Lembla eeast foe the expedition.
THE vessels separated about the middle OF
ANg&s4, the ISbjogR returning home. The
soNFse % the TegetthoE WAS 10 have been
3ae north between Nova Tembla and
spftz beFgeA, the region where the Isbjorn
dauhd q Rayisab&e oeeaR the previous year.
%hea the explorers foaRd the ship fast
IN the ice they set to work to break up the
Zoe and open a channel into the sea- But
the fssR Pes made by blasting isnmediately
frOZe, @Ga GPeviees made 10y saving also
siosoa o. CAGE. a trench made around the
ship one dag woNld he frozen solid the
heNk. The aAtNAA Of 1872 passed in these
warn e&OgtS 10 get To- sea. Thea came the
&feak air e sa arctic winter; the sun sci.
ySlom shoG@; the skip and rigging were en-
e@Sed in ICY SFN@0F, aRd the highlands Of
Nova Kesa&a Sill Ia view became white
with freshly fallen SHOW. Thea followed
ths boag Neisa of night and the explorers
ERew NO wore ef their fate nor Of the
@sF$a than they could divine from the
AaFeOw outlook from the masts Of the Re
gsttkoa Outside was the visw of the
ship, like speeteF in white" wrote
Lieut.. Payer, stretching oat her arms ~
u in sjlent complaints toward the heavens
and VISITING in cruel meckery Of her destiny
Oh a npoantaiR NOS Of water, hat Of ice-a
val ID zee and sRow surrounding her hull,
saGDSy tyipS thick upon her deck and heI
Fissins s+ifgeaSd in Icy lines"
GNside the ship as early as November,
tpost appeared ga the balkheatds Of the
Shopping hcgi LIS aEd the bedcl9thes froze 20
che sides ri she ship. The iren knees Of
che See& beams glealRed like stalaetites,
small Slecieis 50Tmed aDdeF the berths aud
ake s&ylights were frost ed over inches thick
9sith cOssealcd breath ana vapor
NE oatat Of the ship assured comfort tc
all an board. the only anxiety being the fu.
SaHe When the bong Right ended in the
sPFing OF 1873 the coast of Nova Zembla had
disappeared and the prisoners knew they
were joHrneyins Rorthwand. Again they set
10 work to break up The foe and free theiI
ship, but theis Saws became fast in the ice,
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gsZc M ~ * sssss