Evening star., 1909-09-02

hoping to be blown to the pole by favor
able winds. But the balloon and it's dar-
ing passenger were lost somewhere in the
trackless arctic region. WeIlman is ex-
perimentlnS with dirigible balloon In
northern Norway. Count Zeppelin and
others have planned to use airships.
Early expeditions to the far north We're
not directed toward the north pole. The
OBJECT OF navigators was to find the
tabled northwest passage that would give
short cut to India and the far east
That was even the aim of the. voyages of
Columbus Henry Hudson. whose dis
covery of the Hudson river is to be
celebrated this month, was one of the
earliest and most persistent seekers for
the northwest passage. In the year 1907
he pushed his way past so degrees and
set the mark for the farthest north of
that day. A few years later he penetrated
Hudson bay. There he was set adrift In
a small boat by mutineers and ended his
life in the frozen regions, the first noted
victim of arctic exploration
England Offered Rewards.
The English government in 174: pro-
discovery of the northwest passage. In
1916 an act of parliament offered re-
ward of $500 10 any captain who
should first penetrate to within one de-
gree OF the pole. --dditiona awards were
added later for explorers who should at
tain lesser latitudes from s; degrees
upward.
After the outburst Of voyages in the
early part of the seventeenth century
there was II lapse OF nearly 900 wears
before hardy explorers plunged again
into the frozen north The English have
the credit for the revival of exploration
They started out two expeditions In lS1S
still searching for the northern passage
across the top of the world. Parry and
Ross took two ships WESTWARD: under
orders to make the northwest passage
along the upper part of the American
continent. Buchan and Franklin took
Two other ships to the northeast To at
tempt the polar passage by way Of
Spitzenberg. Both expeditions got short
distance past the S0th parallel on their
way north. but did not succeed in reach
ing the Pacific.
In 1927 this same energetic Capt. Parry
started out on ii voyage toward the pole,
using for the first time the pan of the
dash across the ice on sledgeS. All previ-
Gus explorers had stuck to their ships
Parry went up to Spitzenberg in a yes
sci. There lie mounted two twenty-foot
boats on runners and loaded a number Of
dog sledges with supplies. With these
he set out over the ice and Travelled 300
miles only TO be blown back nearly half
the distance gained by the southeTly drift
of the ice His farthcst north was SO de-
grees. IL minutes, which set record for
the time.
Franklin and His Men Lost.
Next in order of time comes the Eng
lisa expedition Of Sir John Franklin, the
greatest tragedy of the Arctic, that
aroused the interest and sympathy -
tie civilized world. Franklin sailed in
lSt, with two ships tho Erebus and the
Terror containing Ia officers and men.
They went UP the west coast Of Green
land and We're last seen in B3ffn's bay,
latitude ~ degrees * minutes.
After three years OF complete silence
search was begun. In the ensuing SIN
years fifteen expeditions of various kinds
set out froms England and America to
hunt for Franklin and his men, but all
in vain In 1859 skeletons and relics OF
disaster were found along the coast OF
King Williams Land. far to the west
ward. In a pile OF rocks was this record
of the voyage the only word from tie
dead:
April o5, 1S4s. II. NJ. ships Terror and
Erebus We're desetted on April % live
leagues N y. W. of this. having beer
be set since Sept. II. 1916. The officers and
crew consisting of 10., souls, under the
command of Capt. +. r. NJ. crozier, land
ed here In latitude 10 degrees - minutes
II seconds N. longitude .S degrees II
minutes w. Sir John Franklin died on
June II. Is41 and the total loss by deaths
i'm the expedition has been 10 this date
nine officers and fifteen men
De Longs Attempt Fatal.
The next thrilling tragedy was the loss