Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1893-04-19
ARCTIC QUEST.
Efforts to Unearth the Secrets
of the North Pole.

of the North Pole.
Coming Expeditions by Peary
and Other Explorers.
Interest in Lieutenant Peary's Sec
onl Arctic quest will be increased by
the announcement Of plan of opera
iions quite as simple and practicable
as that for his previous journey. That
journey was one of the most success
Iul in the record Of Arctic exploration
in the value of the results attained by
simple means and at a small cost, and
was unattended by the fatalities and
anXCties which lave so often marked
such enterprises. The explorer not
cNly pushed farther 10 the north on
| the cast Greenland coast tnan any
other traveller has done, but deter
mined the trend of that coast and the
existence of great glaciers in the
northern tiOrds, located the end of the
interior ice cap, and otherwise in
creased the sum of popular knowledge
of the polar regions. The success
achieved was not the result of chance,
but of TIC wise adaptation of
means to an end, and with the
adoption Of similar methods, increased
experience and longer absence, may
doubtless be repeated with still more
importam results On his next cx-
petition Lieutenant Peary will estab-
lish his headquarters on the north
coast Of lnglciield gulf, which he cx-
poets to reach in the latter part of July,
a base which will afford more direct
access to the ice cap,and from which
a party will be sent out in tho autumn
10 cache provisions for the next sea-
sons Journey. Ten men will make up
his party, and with six or seven of
these, the advance inland will be be-
gun in March instead of May, as in
the previous expedition, and donkcys
or ponies will be taken in addition 10
dogs. The party will strike at once
for Independence bay, Oh the north.
east coast of Greenland, the
most northerly point reached Oh
the former journey, aud will
then be divided, three men
pushing southwark along the coast to
Cape Bismarck, to return thence
across the interior ice cap to the camp
on Inglefcld gulf. AT the same time
Lieutenant Peary with two men will
follow the coast northward to the
far,best point reached by Lockwood
and Brainard of the Greedy cxpedi.
ton, so that the whole north coast OF
Greenland from Cape Bismarck, il
latitude 76 degrees AZ minutes, where
the Germans stopped, 10 latitude SO
degrees "a minutes north, will be
traced and its contour mapped. The
task will, of course, be difficult one
but Lieutenant Peary's plan of slcdg
ing inland instead of along the shore
, ice will render it easier, since much o
the shore can be traced from the int
rior highlands while short cuts are be
, ing made.
1t is possible that The expedition
y may reach the pole itself, since if TIT
condition of the ice is favorable, o
:, there are islands scattered bcyOn,
Greenland which will facilitate hi
methods of travel, Lieutenant Pear,
;, will push as far poleward as possible
), But whether he advances northwart
from Lockwood island or not, he ex
I poets to survey the most northcrly is
7 lands and to complete the delincatio,
h of the North Greenland coast wlhou
= a break from the former point to Cap
v Bismarck. 1t will be seen that thi
@ plan Of operations differs radical
n from that of DR.. Nansen, who in
@ small, strongly built vessel is durin
d the present year to follow the rout
It taken by De Long in an effort 10 drii
O with The ocean currents across tn
pole, plan far more hazardous an
IS uncertain of important result. Lieu
tenant Peary will, however, have a
n imi,ator in Mr.. Frederick G. jackson
who proposes during the coming sun
IL mer 10 lead a British expedition t
# Franz Josef land, which, j
his belief and that of other EN-
- nent Arctic authorities, offers ii
- safest, most accessible and most'pra,
ticable route to the pole. For all th'
is known to the contrary, Franz Josc
land may extend to the pole, the Au
III trian explorers, Weyprccht and Paye
,e having seen high land north of
ID degrees. and Mr.. Jackson confident|
e. expects 10 push further north than Il
le Austrian limit before moving in
,e winter quarters. Like that of Lie,
r. tenant Peary, his party will be smal
m and the journey made with slcdg
a and dogs, with chain of depotS e
ID tablished in advance, and if the lar
q is found to end short of the pole, n
,o tempt will be made under favorab
40 conditions to push on over the ic
The expedition will, of course, ha'
n, the wish of everybody for its success
Al for if it fails of ils main object, ii CT
). hardly be barren of bcneficcnt rcsu
n the reaching Of even 81 degrees nor
ho involving the making of importa
Geographical discoveries. - New Yo