The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-10-13
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Centuries ago men made up their
minds to reach the North Pole ana
since then many have gone in search
of it, to leave their bones whitening
in the Arctic circle. None found It,
but what they did find in it's sur
rounding regions has had an I'M
portant place in the history OF the
world.
That the quest for the North Pole
has been more persistent and more
extensive than the -earch for the
South Pole is obviously due to the
fact that the Arctic is much nearer
to the great maritime nations than
is the Antarctic and that its waters
more nearly merge with those OF the
highways Of the sea trade.
The first incentive which sent ez-
plorers into the Arctic regions had its
basis in the commercial instinct.
And this instinct had two phases.
One was to extend the limits of the
northern fisheries; the other a desire
to shorten the water route between
the ports of Europe and the Orient,
either by a northwest or northeast
passage. But while these incentives
were predominating ones in the ear
lier history Of Arctic exploration, all
of the more recent ones have been in
the interest of scientific research.
1t is not known who was the first
to venture into the Arctic region
the region which, as the little girl
wrote in her copybook, sis chilly used
for purposes of exploration" But as
early as 1856 Frobisher made a voy-
age to the southern extremity Of
Greenland and the opposite American
coast, and in 1885 the strait forming
the entrance to the Arctic regions
west of Greenland vas discovered by
John Davis. In 1915 Bafin and Bylot
passed through Davis Strait and
sailed up the North Water to Smith
Sound, discovering OF the homeward
voyage Jones Sound and Lancaster
Sound, which we're closed by ice. Ex-
-cept for the voyage in 1881 of Luke
Fox, who sailed up Fox Channel to
Peregrine Point, nothing further was
learned of these regions for about
two hundred years, and Baf1n's dis
-coveries were almost forgotten.
Last C~entury's Research.
The interest in a northwest passage
having revived, Commander John
Ross, in 1918, set out with the Isa-
bella and Alexander. He confirmed
the accuracy of Bafin's observations,
and in the following year Lieutenant
Parry, commanding the Hecla and
Griper, sailed through Lancaster
Sound. Some few years later Sir
John Ross made another voyage in
the Victory, and passed up Regent
Inlet to the Gulf of Boothia; while
his nephew, James c. Ross, traversed
the southern part of 9oothia and the
strait named after him. A few years
earlier, in 1926, DR.. Richardson had
passed through Dolphin and Union
Straits, and sighted Wollaston Land,
part of which was afterward named
Victoria Land by Simpson, of the
Hudson Bay Company, who, with
Dease, in 1889, passed through
Dease Strait, and the entrance of
Simpson Strait; while Dr.. John Rae,
in 1857. explored the southern
coast of the Gulf of Boothia from
Fury and Hecla Straits on the east to
Lord Mayors Bay on the west, and
proved Boothia to be a peninsula.
The successful though Inflated ex-
%ploration CT Sir John Franklin in
search of a northwest passage set sail
from the Thames On May 20, 1S45,
With the Erebus and the Terror, IN
der command of Captains FitZjames
and Crozier, Franklin passed through
Lancaster Sound, and, as was after
ward ascertained, sailed up yelling
.on Channel to Penny Strait and down
'Crozier Channel. returning to Beechey
Island in winter. Subsequently the
vessels made their way to the north
west coast Of King William Island,
where Franklin died in June, 1S47.
The survivors, under Captain Crozier,
started in 1S4S for the Great Fish
River, and their remains were found
along the route to Adelaide PENN
sSula. The expedition had, therefore,
-ascertaired the existence of a sea
passage from the Atlantic to the chan
nels south of Victoria and Wollaston
Land, leading to Bering Strait.
Kane After the Pole.
Hopeful Of finding some tidings of
her husband. Lady Franklin. in 1852,
sent out the Isabel and the Con-
mander, afterward Sir Edward Au-
gustus Inglefeld. Steaming up the
open water stretching through seven
points Of the compass" he sighted
what is now known as Cape Louis
Napoleon, but he found no traces of
Franklin, despite a long and diligent
search. Twelve months later DR..
Elijah Kane, in the United States
brig Advance, followed in his tracks.
Ostensibly Kane was on a Franklin
search, but his real objective was the
North Pole. He explored the sea
which is named after him and en-
countered many hardships and met
with numerous adventures. But he
was no more successful at finding the
Pole than he was in finding traces
of Franklin.
On July 10, 1850. DR.. Hayes, who
had served with Kane, sailed from
Boston for Smith Sound, in the