The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-16
HUNT FOR THE POLE.
~, REPORTS OF HIS SUCCESS
rooFxED ON WITH DTSTRUST.


rbe Two Points From Which the Al
Iced ConfirmatOry Adviees Come
,are Than $500 Miles Apart.
.,nerieans Familiar with Polar
r,neditions Tell why the Stories
Are Improbable.
London. Feb. 15.-The correspondent Of
.bo St James Gazette at st. Petersburg,
telarraphs that the report of DR.. Nansen's
ling discovered the north pole is con-
frmed ,.,-,- -,
Ar,hangel has been received at the foreign
olsce in which the report that DR.. Nansen,
tta arctic explorer, has discovered the
north pole and is now on his return from
pis successful voyage, is confirmed.
washington, Feb. 15.-ln seientihc cir
cias In Washington the interest in the re-
rort of DR.. Nansen's alleged discovery of
III north pole would be much greater if
the news came in a more authentic shape
and with more definite particulars The
+gpo noints from which confirmatory dis
watches are alleged to have been received
1or,e1v IrEutsk, in Eastern Siberia, ana
Archangel. in European Russia, being
,,oro than $500 miles apart in the opinion
of rieut. William H. Shuetz of the navy,
vbo is thoroughly familiar with the Sloe-
rian coast, cast grave doubts upon the
authenticity of the reports. That IS to say
the possibility of DR.. Nansen having ac-
oo,onIisbed his mission by reaching the
north pole and planting there the Norwe-
-i,n aap in the dramatic way stated in
fbe Irkutsk dispatches is absolutely ques-
toned. But a reservation is made in Ia
yor of the theory that the hardy NorWe-
eian explorer may have escaped alive, and
that some intelligence to that effect may
have been conveyed by natives in the mys-
terious way in which rumors travel among
savages and may possibly have reached
the widely divergent points from whlch
the rumors come. .. ...,,io+a
Leonhard Stejneger, a former ASSOCIATE
Of DR.. Nansen when the doctor was Cui
ator of a museum in n Norway, anu EHV -
now one of the curatOrs in the Chlleu
States National Museum, thlhks tneie ~
nothing intrinsically lmprobaple IN lne
story and bears high tribute 70 ~; NaLIee
sens indomitable courage ana IefI4Ity %
resource. If said he, Ut. Nails3ga
found land north OF the New ol-
berian Island it would be a coil-
proceed nortaWard Tor lhe uistditS0 ~
Is not so great: the extreme dlIn-
frozen sea make the task one OF great
hardship and unmeasureably increases
the apparent distance We know lhdl
there is land further north than any l oIe
has yet been, for the reason that blrds
ay north of the limit of explorations, raise
their young and return with them. Inese
birds do not breed their young on ice; they
must have land, and because Uhey 40 70
north and breed is very good reason 1or
believing that land is to be found there
Capt. Herenden Of the Smithsonian was
I,1rs sg,ef ffrsaa
Ray in 1884, which went as far north as
Point Barrow. Subsequently in the Wn Wnal-
Ing business, Capt. Herenden spent uye
winters there. He has thus had some actu-
al experience in that northern couH-
try. "The surprising thmg "
me is" said he, that DR.. NanSeh mas
been heard from at this season OF the year;
Had he returned last sumner we Would
certainly have heard from him DeIore
this and we are bound, therefore, 70 pc
lieve that he has just returned; 70 oI9
having no exnerfence in these lce-Dound
rgions it is almost Impossible 10 poI dy y
the enormous difficulties encountefeu IN
travelling over the frozen seas. On lahu,
even if it is covered with ice, the case IS
quite different and the only way l can
account for Dr. Nansen's return at ltiis
time of year is the possible tact thaI ne
''5 Brig 't5 Cen A. w. Greely, the Arctic ex--
plorer gives little credence to the repoTteu
confirmation of the success OF III. 9an- SaI
sens attempt to reach the NorIh toIe-
He laid particular stress to-day, IN SPEAK
ing Of the report from Archangel, on the
fact that Dr. Nansen's theory Of reach-
ing the pole was at variance with ms al
legged arrival off the Siberian >oast, Whlcn
the explorer did not contemplate IN ms
arrangements of the expedition. Gen
Greedy could not understand that intor-
nation that DIR. Nansen was approach
Ing the Lena delta should reach such a re-
mote point as Archangel. The absence
Of details in both the Archangel and 1r-
kUtsk dispatches was also a reason
for disbelief on the part of Gen: GreeIy.
There was nothing said as to now Dr'
Nansen had been communicated with, nor
anything about his journey. 1t was also
unlikely that news coming from such an
important place as Archangel, having eX-
celent communication with the outside
world, could not be given with more dl-
Tectness as to particulars.
DIR. Nansen's theory that current
swept across the pole was disproYed' saId
Gen. Greedy, if Dr. Nansen had arrived
anywhere off the Siberian coast. If he had
reached there the indications seemed TO
lie that a current had swept him from
the neghborhood of Bennett Island TO
the pole and then returned him to his
starting point This was hardly possible,
sad the general, and there was no scien-
tue evidence in the confirmation.