The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-06-20

explorer who found the bodies of Del-ong
ard his comrades, has Il pet scheme Tor
reaching the pole by the way OF Franz
Josef Land, and is anxious to put 1t INTO
execution. Besides these there are various
other polar expeditions planning III var
i0u5 parts of the world.
The lose cf the nineteenth century, there
fore. will witness Il plucky race for the
pole with brave fellows iii the running
Let Us, then, take Il comprehensive glance
at this much discussed and much misunder-
stood subject of arctic exploration. Let
Us try to see what has been done in The
past and what are the prospects for the fu-
tdrp II must be confessed th-.t the pie
turl one sees in looking back since men first
she i,royvx ~ thai, EhiiS .s'','i III
pole is rot Il pleasant or reassuring one
disaster and DEATH suffering and horror
that seems To have been the Wrc chcd story
year after year, generation after genera
ton, and little 10 show for it. Two hundred
aud cighty-siX years ago that valiant Dutch
navigator, Henry Hudson, reached 80 de
greps -; minutes north latitude III his
clumsy wooden sailing vessel. The best
lieutenant Hcary could do last year with all
his science and fine equipment was 10 reach
s. degrees 81 minutes, and the best that
has ever been done, the great record among
all polar explorers is -, degrees II min
utes made by TWO officers of the Greedy
expedition in 1881 That means, as any
one can see for hmSclf, that modern civil
cation has been able, in nearly 300 years
to gain Ony 200 miles on the record of Hud,
son made three centuries ago. At that
rate, allowing an advance of one degree
century, The north pole would be discovered
about the year 1900 \. ID.
A GLANCE over the records since ISIS,
when the British parliament began offering
large rewards for arctic discoveries will
show that nne-tenthS of all the trouble and
3osS of life in all the polar expeditions has
beaa caused by this strange mania to drive
a light body through heavier one, a ship
which floats in water through mountains
of CONCEALED water. As well try to cut
diamond with 4 piece OF glass. Lieutenant
Melville. of the United States navy, who
has made deep study Of this subject. says:
The wonderful potency of these foes is
incredible and can only be calculated IN
millions of tons. | therefore consider it
impossible to construct 4 floating body which
will be able to resist the tremendous STRAIN
of the polar ice packs. | do not think such
a vessel could withstand the pressure even
though it we're built in solid.
One has not to look far for proofs of this
statemcnt-woeful proofs. In 1929 Captain
John Ross started north on the Victory.
The Victory was crushed in the ice. In
1871, Sir John Franklin led the ErebuS
and the Terror. within the arctic circle and
both stayed their grounds to atoms. Then
came the Pioneer. the Intrepid, the Resolute
and score of otherS-lt Is curious Wnat
awe-jnspiring names they all bcar-and the
ice crushed them one after the other. Dr..
Tane sailed in 1888 the Advance,
which also became the prey OF the
hungry ice packs and advanced no fur,
Their. The poaris, with Captain ban
and party was ground TO pieces III
1872 One year before that the German
ship Hansa, with DR.. Pcterman and his
marty. was crushed in the ice. In 1873
the men of the Payer expedition sent by
Austria, who discovered Franz josef
land. were obliged to leave their SHIP
the 'l'cgethoff. shattered in the Ice. In
1879 the Inflated Jeanette began her voy-
age with Lieutenant belong i'll command
but the ice packs ptiiess grip caught and
crushed her too, bringing death upon many
brave men. These are but Il few of the
ships which have started out calamity. on
noIlr expeditions. only to be broken into
splinters i'll the great ice foes. AS for
the ordinary whaling or fishing vessels
which have met with similar fare, the
list would be endless, and all from
mans stubborn refusal TO recognize a
principle which seems as simple as that
swo and two make four. An egg pounded
by hammer gets broken
Take the famous expedition which left
in 1919 under the command Of Sir John
Franklin the English exp:5rof. Eleven
oys,ir John ana his party were discovered
ana during that time no less than forty re-
lief expeditions were sent ont after them
Not one of the expeditions did anything
whatever to reach the north pole or to help
fha "a use OF science.
Aglin when Lieutenant Greely started Out
In 1881, lie had no intention of steering
the Protclis toward the pole His in
structi0ns were to make observations of
scientific nature and establish a me-
Neurological station. During the three