The copper country evening news., 1898-01-06
no REACH THE POLE.
.ousme OF Mr.. LEWIS TO USE GOV
EMINENT CRUISERS.

Uimtes's
r. Lewis of Baltimore has plan
49, reaching the north pole. He spent
oral years on a whaling vessel and
,was sbipwrecked in Cumberland inlet.
nassipe the entire winter on its shores
"you are doubtless aware, " he said,
..hot all the expeditions which have
cone northward were fitted out IN slow
ehins The idea seems to have been TO
ai.h noint as far north as practicable
a. ssome old wooden tub, cast anchor and
'ao;t m he frozen to death Whatever is
5ona i'm the frigid zone In summer by
,rov If sailing must be done quickly
what is needed, therefore, is a large
shin run by powerful engines, provid'
od with a ram and torpedoes, with
,vb;ch 70 plow its way through Davis
strait mast Spitzbergen, or due north
from Bering strait into the open polar
seo One of our cruisers, for example,
,yell stocked with facilities for fighting
aoainst the ice pack, with 200 men on
hoard. plenty of coal and magazine OF
dvnamite, would succeed in the under
taking and sailing to the north pole
will never be accomplished by other
means.
"About June 10 each year." Mr..
Lewis continued, "Davis strait begins
70 get clear of ice At that time also the
whales come down from the north and
enter Hudson bay. There is much float
ING ice. of course, and probably several
nacks might be encountered on the pas
SAGE. but it is certain that in ordinary
wears there is comparatively free path
for ships from the opening OF Davis
strait to the north pole between July
10 and Aug. 30. AS for bergs and any
large ice foes which might be met with
there need be no fear.
During the entire "a hours it would
be light enough to read newspaper ON
the deck of the cruiser, the approach of
large masses of ice could be seen, the
shin could be got out Of their way, and
the pack could be dealt with by very
simple means. Torpedoes placed under
it would blow it to atoms, and the
ships ram would make short work Of
any ordinary areas which might be en-
countered.
1.-THE route through Davis strait,
Batfins bay and Smith sound. past
Grinnell Land or through Jones sound
to the westward, is comparatively free
from ice by July of each year Pro-
fessor Heilprin, leader of the Peary re-
lief expedition, landed on the shores of
McCormic bay on July "a, and his ship
proceeded two days northward before it
struck anything like solid ice. From
the upper end of Baffin's bay, through
Kennedy channel, into Lincoln sea, is
about 600 miles. The way is narrow,
and probably much floating ice would
be found, but the ram and torpedoes
would be at hand to demolish it, and
the warship could sail through into the
open sea beyond in ten days, when it
would find probably an unimpeded path
to the north pole.
''But while the passage north from
the Atlantic ocean is possible, that from
the Pacific is much easier and more di
rect 1t is well known that the Japan
current flows steadily through Bering
strait into the Arctic sea, and whalers
will tell You that they have chased
'bowheads' all over the waters above
Point Barrow well up to 76 degrees
north without seeing cake of ice big
enough for a shaker lemonade. The
Japan current is warm, and it is joined
on the Siberian coast by the fresh wa
ters OF the great rivers which flow into
the northern ocean. This creates
strong flow of the ocean currents across
the Arctic circle toward Greenland 1t
carries the ice along, and the movement
beneath is aided above by the prevail
ing winds. Consequently the way to the
pole is much less impeded on the west.
ern than ON the eastern side
You know, perhaps, that any num-
Der OF whalers have been lost by drift
ing into the current above Point Bar.
row IN September and never getting out.
suppose they should 60 up there about
July instead. They would have time
TO sail to the pole and back again before
getting nipped by the return cold
weather in the fall.
Give me a good coal supply on
Wrangell island and the government
cruiser, and will agree to start out on
June 20 from that point and astonish
the natives by discovering the pole. l
wish to say, however, that the polar
sea may not always he open That re-
gion, like the lower latitudes. has its
cold and warm summers. About two
years out of five the way would prob.
aoiy be barred ly i'Nrassable ice in
wnat the explorers call the paleocrystic
sea. But from the lookout on the
cruiser 1t would be possible to size mp
,ne extent of icefields about. and lit.
.ie reconnaissance in front would soon
determine the possibility of breaking
through. Should it be found that the
way was blocked / would simply back
OUT and wait year for more open sea
ana let me tell you" said the old sea.
iarer with great earnestness. "if this
pian should be pursued year after year,
az small expense and with no risk to
'ne ship or lives of its crew. curious
world would not have to wait more
'nan nve years to know all about the