New-York tribune., 1909-09-02
SEARCH FOR THE POLE.
IFS History Goes Back q Thousand
Years to 4lfred the Great.
THE ADVANCE ON THE POLE.

The passion for pole hunting is a thousand years
old. At least Alfred the Great describes an Arctic
expedition in his Chronicles. and in the year 1000
a. ID. Eric the Red. that redoubtable Morse navi-
gator made dash In the direction Of the pole
and discovered Greenland, the base Of most sub
sequeut saes Poieward. OF course, at that
early period nobody knew there North Pole
tions. but the passion existed, none the less.
It not TIL 1903 that they really went after the
pole IN earnest Columbus had just pointed out
that the world was round. and therefore had pole
worth hunting. Sebastian Cabot had discovered
Labrador and returned 10 England with tales Of
the frozen that fired the imagination Of young
Edward VI. who had leaning toward the study ~
geography. With desire 10 learn what lands, IL
any. lay 10 the far north and also to discover the
elusive shorter route 20 India, the kng dispatched
Sir Hugh Willoughby I'm 1893 for the search and
discovery Of Northern parts Of the world" He
discovered Nova Zembla. but starved with most Of
his men in Iapland on the return voyage.
IN SIXTEENTH CENTURY.
Frobsher in 157s and Davis in l5s5. made voyages
TO Greenland and the north coast Of America.
Henry Hudson. in i67. reached latitude So2 on the
coast Of Greenland. lie also learned more Of Sptz
bergen which William Barents had discovered in
1895. 4 hundred years after Hudson's voyage Cap
tain Giles sailed along the northern shore Of
Greenland till he in latitude 81 degrees high
land which has since been known as Giles Land.
II took two hundred years 20 add degree 10
Hudsons record. Tlen in 1876, Captain William
Scoresby. I'm the Resolution. reached q degrees 12
minutes - seconds Edward Parry. in eNpedl-
tion from the northern coast of Sptzhergen in
1921 reached 81 degrees - minutes. After that
the voyages Of Captain John Ross and his nephew
James which added much to the worlds know,
edge. but left Parrys record intact
The fate OF Admiral Sir John Franklin was for
many years one of the mysteries Of the north. Sir
John. after two other unsuccessful voyages. set
Il r1T So,
Terror. with l2a officers and men. They were last
iu Bafir's Bay. July 2s. I'm latitude a de-
grees minutes. by 1SiS anxiety began to be felt
for the safety ~ the party. and between that year
and 154 about fifteen expeditions were sent
out from England ard America
In the latter year intelligence reached England
that the navigator and his companions had in all
probability perishei I'm the winter Of 1s5l-51. This
report. however. lacked confirmation. and Lady
Franklin resolved to nave the mystery cleared up
in $50 captain McClintock. in Inc yacht Fox after
a persevering search. found articles belonging 10
Franklin At Ross Cairn and Point Victory. rec
ord discovered at the latter place said Franklin had
died June IL. 1S47 In 1859 c. +. Hall returned
from a five years search for the body OF Franklin
and brought back one hundred and fifty relies Of
the expedition, purchased from natives Of King
Williams Land. Lieutenant Schwatka finally
found the bodies of the Franklin party in his ex-
pedition of 1S79- ~.
AMERICAN EFFORTS
American explorations in the Arctic divide INTO
three parts those incident to the Franklin search.
those instituted by the United States government
in 1907 and lSsl-s4. and those led by Robert 7
Peary. beginning in 1921.
The Advance and the Rescue. under Lieutenant
De Haven. sailed from New FORK in 1850 on A vain
search for Franklin. Henry Grinnell. merchant
of this city, then re-equpped the Advance in 1sl3
and sent 1t under Elisha Kent Kane The Ad-
vance locked in the ice for two winters and
ys-aS 1lr- cd p1- her,
the ice 20 Tpernavik This expedition procured
some valuable scientific results one of the rart,-
William Morton. reported seeing. at Cape Constitu
tion, So q. the open polar sea. bringing forth
much subsequent discussion
in 1850 DR. Isaac l. Hayes. surgeon OF the Kan.
expedition. returned north in the schooner I-nf.e5
States. and during the spring Of 1861 ACCOMPLISHED
a memorable sledge journey. crossing Smith sound
and carrying the American flag 10 Cape LIeber
Grinneu Land. 81 30 Captain Charles Fredari,1,
Hall followed in 1871 and died from exposure.
The next year after the party started south tho
ice Zoe to which the ship had been fastened partad
and nineteen men. women and children of tba
party travelled fifteen hundred miles until ,bo,.
were picked mp. in April. ls73. off the coast OF
Labrador. Tie rest Of the party wintered near
Littleton Island. and picked up the Dar,
spring by relief expedition.
THE GREELY EXPEDITION.
The United States government. joining the prirci
pal European countries in establishing cIr,,,,,
polar weather stations, dispatched from Nevfo,r+
land. in 1851. the Proteus. under IIeuten,r,
Adophus c. Greely. and established a statfo, -,
Lady Franklin Bay, Grinnell Land. ST degrees 1.
minutes. Several expeditions were made ov.r ,b
ice from this station. which was called Fort Con
ger. the most notable that Lieutenant Iock
wood. who crossed TO the Greenland coast and T.,
lSS2. reached s. degrees "A minutes seconds ,ha
farthest north then attained The party retrestad
from Fort conser in August OF 1853. and the fol-
LOWING Of tlem
tenant Lockwood. starved To death
The scientific results OF the GreeIy expedition
were of the utmost Importance
The III fsted Jeanette set sail under Lieutenant