The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-10-04
NORTH POLE PROBLEMS.
ne Vast ley Region of the Arctic ZoI
Not Yet Penetrated.

1
| cheerIess portion of our globe and th'
| region that is most awful in its desolf
| tioR has for generations been the cente
| of most absorbing interest. The rel
| giOn that - ,he most remote from a
| civilization aad has the least to benet
| mankind has presented a weird faSclt
alton to explorers, that the long an
unbro}len line of failures has not bee,
| able to diminish. This is the grea.
| zone Or belt that constitutes the vasi
northern circum-polar region, and
| which. after dcfying nearly fonr cen
turtles of exploring endeavor, still
guards its solemn secrets with grin
and undated vigilance. \ mere catT
logue Of the public and private exp
| ditiOnS that have been Fitted out .
penetrate this strange realm would fl
pages. But whether they went forh
! in quiet or with the zeal born FIR
heroic daring and endurance or wet
! forth with the pride and pomp of tie
| Armada. not one OF the multitude his
| found its quest.
| Now. in brief, what are the genenl
| physical conditions, what are these il
surmountable impediments that hap
so successfully barred all panetratiol
! to this absolutely unknown reFfe5
| around the pole. 1t is, of course, nj
/ derstood that the polar points are srch
for the reason that they are the alial
! points in the carth's rotation. api, as
! our revolving globe presents itsaqua-
| tOrlal line to the sun. these polar
points thereby necessarily ale the
regions most remote from the s'lar in
| tluencc. Hence it is that in the districts
! of these pivotal points are th locali-
ties where the low tempera tut" OF the
, globe finds its maximum, while the
| equatorial belt presents the maximum
of high temperature. Now, q it hap
pens, the polar point under COnsidera-
ton is i'll the midst of a sea: at least, so
far as We know. this is the case.
j Singularly enough this polar ba-
sin is pretty well lsnd-loclled.
the great northern land divisions
! of Europe, Asia, North America.
and Greenland all abuttmg against
or into this Arctic sea, not in IA solid.
circular mass. of course, o. this polar
matter would be of much more simple
soeution. But there are great gaps of
water that connect the Arctic ocean with
both the Atlantic and Pacific basins. and
we shall see how this great physical fact
bears on and bars polar investigation
Those who understand something of
/ what may be termed the photography
of the earth'S meteorolOgy will know
that, owing to unequal temperature
there are great circulating currents in
the ocean, caused primarily by the I'M
equally heated seas, on parts of seas,
seeking equilibrium. These currents
also involve the Arctic OCEAN. and now
we shall see the action of the great
factor. low temperature. When the
sun Is low i'll the southern heavens. and
the freezing line extends down toward
the equator - degrees of latitude, there
is then a frigid circle over seven thou
sand miles in diameter, with the north
pole as its center and closest point
of course "a tremendous congealati6n
takes place. but when the sun resumes
its northern journey the circle of high
temperature is showed poleward until
the area that does not lose its ice is less
! than three thousand miles in diameter.
On This area there is something of a
. summer-more than the mere sun con-
dition> would warrant. The matter is
worth considering While the sun is
still near the horizon, for months it
does not sink below it. and thus the
solar contribution of warmth is consid-
cradle. But there is d belt of summer
! temperature all around this aXial re-
gion, and come the currents from
whence they may, they can come only
from the south. There is Il limit tC
! north and south. but there is no limit
to east or west. and thus it is. when
! the summer belt is crowded far north
| ward, that all the intlowing breezes
| are warm. that is, coming from a south
ern quarter, while all outgoing breezes
| must bear away some of the stock Of
lower temperature.
But this now loOsenS vast areas OF
| ice. CataractS roar as the waters from
the melting masses fall over precipices
and pack ice. icebergs and fields OF
| floating ice, large and small. all crowd
| and crush, grind and break, as the cur.
| rents bear them out toward other seas
Long before this floating ice has had
time to be transported the brief sum
| mer ends: the sun goes on his return
| journey. and the crushing ice heaved
| into all kinds of fantastic shapes known
as hummocks. is locked: rains and
SHOWS add to it, and though soon solid
| enough to bear the weight of armies
| there is nothing more tiresome on
earth than to journey over it. Some
| Of the polar winters are comparatively
mild as few years ago whalers went
| far in. the ice flow being light, and
| found whales in immense numbers il
secluded hooks in the arctic waters
The worst feature is the uncertainty,
| What to-day may seem to be permanent
| ice. tomorrow may be floating and
breaking into fragments: where last
year was clear and seemed like the
open polar sea, thi, year may remain
closed. and vice versa. There is proba.
bly, no such thing as a permanently
open sea. as not Il single thing in
| physics warrants any such assumption
But is there no land in this Arcti,
ocean? There is no direct. but very
| good collateral evidence that there is
| Millions of water fowl and land bird,
| 90 DOlewgrd with the apDrOarh of the