The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-03-29

succeeded in making a chart Of his voy-
age for the use Of navigators, then there
will be established speedy communica-
ton between the countries OF both hem
ispheres, such as does not now exist.
Besides this means OF communication the
discovery itself viii be Of inestimable
value 10 science &c. locating land and
water, currents and icebergs all over the
upper hemisphere
SHIPPING OVER THE POLE.
The practical value of the discovery
will be that cargOes Of goods can be
transported by ship from China 20 Eng
land. and a quick cut can be taken from
Russia across 10 Canada and thence 10
the United States. The practical value OF
The cross cut Will be the ease with which
il can be accomplished and the saving
in time These axe things which Nahseh
alone can answer when he comes home
The Arctic explorers, Greedy and Peary,
say that Nansen has not found the pole
and that he will not claim that he has
His word will have TO be taken for H.
but II hansen says he reached the point
where there is 10 longitude and where
latitude is at it's highest point il will be
safe TO believe him. Greedy and Pedry
say IL IS impossible and that trick Of
the course made him slip south past Franz
Josef and mistake it for the pole, with
open sea and land around. Nansen must
decide that with proofs for every asser-
tion.
The pole Of the earth has been set
tied fact with explorers for many years.
They have decided it 10 be a large cap
Of ice at least 2.o0J feet thick and eX-
tending many miles around. Signtings
taken of this cap on all sides report 1t
the shape OF a tea saucer turned over.
So well-knOwn is this great round cap OF
ice TO explorers that Sir George Mares,
of the royal navy, named it the Paleo-
crystal Sea, and IL is sO-called in all Arc
tic works. Peary sighted II, or thought
he did, and all explorers look FOR II. Nam
sen alone alive, and De Long, dead, say
il isn't there.
Pearv. in one OF his recent lectures. re-
minds people that Nansen is where the
sun has not risen for three months. and
that he could have made little Roadway
Of late This suggests the possibilities
in case of the finding Of an open passage
across the pole. II such a passage were
laid open 10 navigatOrs, with sure charts
for their guidance ships would pass along
the pele during the three months Of dark
ness. lighted by electricity, and in this
artificial light these great promoters OF
commerce would bring and carry goods
as well as in the clear sea and bright
day OF the ADdIlic ana Idciic.
IRONCLADS NEEDED.
Nansen claimed that the work Of look
ing for this passage was like taking Your
ship along against q hattering-ram once
off the current great Jumps of ice would
strike IT, and over night the ship would
freeze in and get a squeezing such as
crushed De Longs Jeanette, lronclad
battleships would be none too strong Tor
the ordeal For lack Of them the eN-
petitions have gone 10 pieces. Others say
that the lighter the boat the easier VIII
il fly the frozen water and evade the ice
bergs. When Nansen comes home there
will be newer opinions about this
Explorers have gone 10 the pole with
different aims in mind. Peary was bent
upon geographical survey; the flora and
fauna are at the polel He lived COM
fortably and Mrs. Peary's baby had no
difficulty drawing its first breath there.
Cradle and nurse went along
Greedy went filled with heavy scientific
facts and met hard luck and terrible
suffering. But Nansen went with a
theory. Theorists become heroes when
they do not turn into cranks.
hansen in few weeks VIII prove 70
US which he IS.
HENRY SANDERsON.