Year: 1875

THE POSSIBILITY OF REACHING THE NORTH


sTRUcrIoNs ooNs1DERED-THE SEVERAL
ROUTES.


An expedition fitted with all the improvements and
requisites that experience proved necessary scientific
study could suggest including special representative
OF the HERALD to chronicle every varying phase of
spring success or depressing failure has been de-
spatched under the auspices OF the British
to make assault the icy dominions of King
Frost, and discover his throne tsef-the North Pole
In the early attempts Arctic exploration the causes
Of failure many and but III understood even BY
those who experienced them But atterly, thanks to
the persistence OF the votares Of science whose inu
governments bears fruit in the shape Of well
equipped expeditions fitted out public expense, and
70 the skilfu leadership by highly qualified officers and
lastly TO tho minute observations OF scientific experts
our knowledge Of the physical geography,
meteorology and phenomena peculiar TO those polar
regions is yearly growing more complete Explorers
slowly but surely shortening the radius OF the cir
Gle Of mystery that surrounds the Pole There but
four direct navgabe routes leading toward the North
Pole-namey that through Behring's Straits from the
Pacific, and those via Bafns Bay and Smiths Sound
along the west coast Of Greenland Iceland the
east coast OF Greenland between that territory and tho





spitzbergcn and Nova Zembla from the Atlantic Ocean
The FIRST and last named Of these four routes along
the OF the oceanic flowing northward
from the equatorial rcgons the Kuro siwo, japan
Stream the Pacific and the Gulf Stream tho Allan
tic The intermediate routes along the axes Of the
cold polar counter which flow souhward along
the eastern and western shore OF Greenland respectively
The values OF these currents the calculation OF the
chances Of reaching the Pole are worry great indeed
they constitute the principal factors, and affect tho
character and importance Of all others


OCEANIC CURRENTS


We will briefly explain the theory OF oceanic cur
rents because these phenomena enter SO largely into
the investigation OF those observable in the extreme
northern and southern attitudes The rotation Of the
earth on s axis from west to east generates cenrif
ugal force on its surface, which increases from tho
poles toward the Equator The operation OF this force and
that OF the opposing one gravity tendency Of
the waters OF the TO accumulate at the Equator
and in direction opposite 70 that q the oarths
rotation or from to west The Equator being the
neutral line at which tho waters meet from both hemi
spheres being also the Of the heated zone
we Gnd in the great Pacific and Atlantic oceans equa
toral currents Of heated surface water Howng west
wardly throughout the year. But this equatorial Cow
checked BY the land and dividing on the Equator is
detected TO the north and south These new currents
being Of wator aow Oh the surface
or ever substra,a Of colder, densor and,
consequently, heavier waters which arc
being constantly supplied from the polar
regions The equatorial current which enters the
Gulf Of Mexico with all the velocity and force accumu-
lated during It's passage the Atlantic and is sud
denly checked BY the sthmus Of Daren, seeks. by the
counter current called the Gulf Stream TO dow back
ward 70 its But this latter being warm cur