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

years following, 4 dozen SHIPS were ScHt
to rescue Lieutenant Greedy and although
this was their only object, they did it
very badly with the result that canni-
baiism was talked of. In the same way
WAcn the Jeanette sailed in 1870 under
Lieutenant belong, Il series of rescuing
scientific world has not yet got tired of
arguing as to the spot where the Jean
netlt would have been found if anybody
had been skiiltul enough to find her before
she sank.
But suppose the land stops? Then what?
Lieutenant reary in his recent expedition.
found that Greenland was cut in two by
Il strip of water at latitude 81 degrees "a
minutes. How is 1t possible to know how
much farther the land on the other side of
that strip of water will extend? OF course,
there Is no way of answering this question
except that judging by the usual formation
of peninNulas and island groups. there is
good reason to think that land extends far
toward the north pole and that the Are
tie circle IS dotted with islands of greater
or less extent These islands. il is believed.
have much to do with holding the ice foes
firmly together in the nortliermost arctic
rr&i'ns indeed 1t is thought by the best
authorities that the Arctic sea is a solid
mass OF ice above the S5th parclcl of Iati-
tudc. Tho once entertained theory of an
open polar sea and an See barrier" which
could be penetrated has been generally,
Wh f 81" " aii t; Hni,H;ersally abandoned.
~
sea abovc the Soth parallel is Il solid
mass OF ice, 1t is not believed that this Zee
Is stationary. On the contrary a steady
movement to the southwark is known to
eXl>,' ohiy ms movement is doubtless slower
above the Soth parallel than it is
below it and the moving mass there is prob
ably absolutely compact and free from
open water spaces. The consequence of this
condition, If such exists, must be that cx-
plorerS will be able to advance over this
solid IN eli
with much less difficulty than has been ex
perlcAeed heretofore in lower ATTITUDES.
The ice will be more even and compact,
its movement will be very much less alb
rupt and there will be no danger of those
dangerous AMI treacher0uS breaking up pc
RODS which have caused such disaster
Few people nowadays belve in the pale
ocryStic sea once much discussed.
Lieutenant Heary proposes to pat this
theory to test III the expedition which will
set out under his command i'll few weeks.
He will push along the inland ice cap
which rises to the height of 5000 or 5000
feet through the whole interior of Green
land. Having reached the open waite:
which separates Greenland as now deSis-
mated from the land above, he will cross
over this, climb again TO the heights of
inland ice and advance once more as far
~ possible to the norhward, possibly as
far as the land stretches. Having found
that limit the party will either return con-
over the solid ice i'll dash for the poe
itself Provisions will be left at intervals
along the land and such arrangements inadc
with the relieving ship as to prevent any
misunderstanding. In this present cXpedl-
lion Lieutenant Peary will sadly miss gal
liant Captain Pike. who commanlci the
kite last year. and whose recent dcath Will
I'av SAINT theory as this in its main
points has been advanced by Lieutenant
Melville, also of the United States army,
who, however, disagrees with Lieutenant
peary as to the ACCESSIBILITY of advanc-
ing to the north along the ice-cap of Green
land. Lieutenant Melville argues that the
proper land for an advance to the pole is
the Franz Josef land. whose northern
boundary has never been determined. and
which as far as known is uninha bited by
human beings. Franz Josef land. as the
map shows. lies to the north of Nova
Zcmbia, its southern limits being cut by the
SOth parallel of latitude Lieutenant Mel
Vile proposes to advance with dogs and
siedgps in a similar way to that adopted
by Lieutenant Peary, and he has planned
two lines of retreat, one by SpltZbcrScn
island and the other by Nova Iembla.
Meanwhile, Nansen. the intrepid Nor
wegian explorer. is on his way to the Bch-
ring sea. through which he will pass into
the terrible ice foes which lie to the north
of Siberia He calculates that the west
ward drift Of the ice foes at the rate of Il
mile or two Il day will in the course of
two or three years take his ship within
few miles of the north pole. He has
studied the polar currents at the surface
very carefully, but may have overlooked
the deeper currents which carry the ice