The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-12-11
IRE NORTHWEST PASSAGE
Amundssn Traversed Route Dlscos
cred BY Franklin,

The announcement from seattie
Wash, that Capt. Ronali AmunlserI
the Norwegian explorer, has trayersel
the Northwest passage leads the New
York Sun to say; fsA III
The attempts to make the North
west passage have cost very dear n
human life and treasure. They u.
volved the greatest OF Artlc tFagedIe
the loss of the Franklin party q
129 souls. They resulted in the is
structlon by DECREASING OF some q
the stoutest ships that ever vert
built. But the passage has at last
been made, by a vessel large enough
to accommodate only few men With
comfort and fitted With a petroleum
englnel The Gjoa from the Atlantic
has reached the waters near the mouth
of the Mackenzie river that are Ere.
quented every year by whalers from
Bering strait.
Last summer when Amundsen was
about to start westward for Berins
strait he sent messenger south to
the Canadians in Hudson bay telling
them Of his purpose to steam west
ward through the channels. Henry
Hudson was hunting for this North
west passage when his crew put him
in Hudson bay. He persisted In the
same waters over which the news
was brought to us that the little Nor
wegian party was about to attempt
the passage,
From 1918 to 1855 the British sent
out 10 large expeditions with u q
their finest ships to make this pass
age, IL possible, They oil failed 70
push the ships through, and It was
not till after 1850 that the existence
of continuous sea communications
north Of America was made known
In that year Mcclure, coming from tho
Pacific through Bering strait, reached
with his sedges the northeast ex.
tremlty Of Banks land, which Parry.
coming from the Atlantic has visited
In 1919. It was years later before We
knew of Sir John Franklin's earlier
discovery Of shorter route for the
Northwest passage,
When the records OF the Franklin
expedition we're recovered 1t was found
that in May, 1s4s, Lieut.. Graham
Gore, with seven men o. the party,
had explored the shores Of King VII,
liam land. Soon after passing Point
Victory they saw the continent Of
North America in the distance and
realized that the longsought.foF.pas
sage had at last been discovered
They had reached the point from
which Simpson had traced the edge
of the Arctic ocean hundreds % mile
west to Cape Barrow and they might
actually have accomplished the Nosth.
west passage themselves had tAey
been able to force their ships thr0ug
the short stretch Of ice TO the open.
ing channels along the American coast
These Arctic heroes who starved 70
death were the first to discover The
Northwest passage; and the route n.
dictated in their records that watch
Amundsen has followed to success
for the passage has been made by the
route discovered by the Franklin par
ty 81 years ago.
Point Barrow was never reached
by Cook or Beechey, but every sea.
son now even the sailing vessels
among the whalers pass around It and
far to the east. They travel in the
channels opening between the heavy
foe and the mainland, and this Is the
route that Franklin and Simpson dis
covered. It's practicabillty has nov
been demonstrated by one Of the
smallest vessels that ever entered the
Arctic.