The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-03-13

m N Tseu laid the frss ETresgEns
III foundation Of the pathway u
ID bust human Hives that leads
NJ " towards the unFeacn@d north
poe has a proposition to over
come the apparently ins1F-
noantzbse obstacles aroused such WIDE
srrsad .atsrast as rnat Of Captain j. +.
B@rra.er Gapfain Esfrser IT. sailor ~
vide ard varied experience, and a daring
navigator. He haz been q sailor since ne
vAs II years OF age and there IL 40 no<8<
o. oorrer Of the known world thas De fsAs
not yisitsd. His project Tor reaching Tho
north pole IL not plan that ne Intends
another shall carry cut.
Y<zrnsa scientific societies have en-
fe.ssd hts views both feasible and ca
pahls Of successful accomplishment.
Among them stands prs-eninent the Que-
hsc Geosr aphieal Society. which has Joined
81 an application 10 the government Of the
Dominion Of Canada for financial aid
Captain Pernisr proposes 20 head the ex-
petition that will attsmu; to reach the
pole In the way he SITS forth. ard this fact
adds considerably 30 the importance or
TIRE signed statement from him. which
follows:
Captain Bernier's plan.
To get an intelligent; idea from the very
beginning Of what has been accomplished
sn the attempts 70 get nearer TO the noreh
pole. u is necessary 10 turn 10 the pagss
Of history that pertain 20 the old .sormaa
period. The brave old Norman sailors
ventarsd where others paused aghast and
their holiness was rewarded b. the dis
eovery o. Greeiand.
To tas EorInans succeeded. several CEN
turtles later IN the struggle with the Zee.
the English. ard after them the Dutcn
Believing In the existence or an open sea
To the north 81 the continents. the nav
igatorz 81 northern Europe long sought
n passage between India and China. Fall
ure 30 ind this passage only made them
the more persistent in their efforts -
WAS a fight IN those days with the odds
all on the Ice The FRAN ships OF the
Fornans and tie old Dutch earavels pos-
eesned neither the swlftLess nor the re-
slstanre ueeesgaT~ 10 triumph over tho
frozen wastes. Little by little. however
the art Of naval construction progressed.
ard az the same time with greater and
greater arior. and with new aids man
launched his assaults against the polar
banks
Loag before the advent of polar expedl-
tions the tribes az Asia aud northern
America harnfssed dogs to sleaa and tfav-
sled over the Icy deserts OF the regions
they inhabised- With stotter ships and
wifh the so~-drswn s,eds then. the strug-
&c continued with some hope Of success
Iiy advancing thus Commodore Albert
Markham reached In 1876 the most north
eyn point yet attained. by the routes OF
Enish's straits ano HeTing straits the
attacking parties have struggled on, only
20 be forced TO turn back with the goal
unatfained
The route az smiihs straits has been Of
iat0 the most frequently attempted
Americans have ef'irmed the existence IN
the arm of the sea Of vast basins OF open
water, Tniucktiy. the true situation was
efficient In crossing the onen SPACE he
tween Greenland and spl,zhergen. nari-
gators have bern checked at attitudes
much farther south.
In iss9.s0 the GarTnan expedition or kolf-
ewsy could rot act its sieds further than
e degrees Of latitude on tho eastern coast
Of Greenland On this side there ~ a polar
current which brings down TO the south
an enormous quantity Of Ice thus shutting
off an. chance Of success IA this alrec-
flon On tae sisin Of 8pitseersen the con-
ditians are more favorable. The warm
earrent which fsnwa noythwaya along the
eastern shore ~ this archipelago ccutln-
Ties = ~ degrees. In no ether pisce Is
y possible 30 attain So easily a northern
latitude In free waters
A few expeditions have followed this
r9aJe. The principal advance made north
of Sexa Iefubis was thar % Weyprechg
and If Payer uS7s-sn blocked az he
northern extremity az this lard the Aus
tro-UauEaTian vessels were drlftfa 10 tha
nnrth Esy the current and discovered
rsanr josef lard Pursuing ais route
n The direction q the pals Payer reached
s. degrees : minutes. Since then this arch