THE ARCTIC EXPEDITION.—INTERESTING PARTICULARS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4924, 4 January 1877, Page 3

THE ARCTIC EXPEDITION.—INTERESTING PARTICULARS.

(From Home Papers.) Lieutenant Aldrich, on September 27, 1870, advanced three miles beyond Parry’s most northern position, and from a mountain 2000 ft. high sighted land towards the west-north-west, extending to latitude 83deg. 7min. No land was seen to the northward. Thus, within four months of leaving England, the mystery concerning the “ Open Polar Sea ’ was cleared up. The Alert, advancing to the limit of navigation, had reached a higher northern latitude than any ship had previously been able to attain. Owing to the ice in the neighborhood remaining in motion until a late date, the Discovery was unable to send away any sledge parties during the autumn of 1875. The same reason prevented the Alert communicating with her consort, although the two ships were only seventy miles distant from each other, Lieutenant Rawson making two most determined attempts to do so without success. Owing to the high latitude attained, both the Alert and Discovery wintering farther north than any ships had previously done ; the darkness of the winter was of longer duration and greater intensity than had ever before been experienced. 33 y this date last year they had already lost sight of the sun for 17 days, but it was passed by all with much cheerfulness and in hopeful spirits. The cold experienced during the early spring was considerably greater than that in more southerly regions, and quite puts an end to the idea that “a warm country exists at the Pole, teeming with life.” The weather was by far the coldest ever experienced before, and the mercury was frozen 47 days during the winter. With the return of the sun on the 29th February, many preparations were made for the sledging campaign. On the 12 th of March Mr. Egerton and Lieutenant Rawson, accompanied, by Petersen and the dog sledge, started from the Alert to open communication with the Discovery, but unhappily on the second day out the latter was taken ill when the temperature was 40 degrees below zero. The camp was immediately pitched, but, no improvement taking place, tho two officers were obliged to return to the ship. At the utmost risk, and a noble disregard of themselves, they succeeded in retaining heat in tho poor follow’s body by alternately lying one at a time alongside of him while the other by exercise was recovering his warmth, and thus managed to bring him alive to the ship ; but both feet were very badly frost-bitten, and he ultimately sank from exhaustion two months afterwards. During tho following week the same two officers, accompanied by Simmons, seaman, of the Alert, and Began, of the Discovery, in similar weather, succeeded in reaching the Discovery, and relieving the anxiety of alLon board with regard to the proceedings and position of the Alert. ' All the travellers were started off during the first week in April, each ship being left with only half-a-dozen officers and men, whose duties kept them on board. Captain Stephenson visited the alert, and also made two trips across Hall’s Basin, and Captain Nares started off like the rest. When at Polaris Bay, Captain Stephenson hoisted the American ensign, and fired a salute as a brass tablet, which he and Captain Nares had prepared in England, was fixed on Hall’s grave. In-addition to the despatch of the northern travellers, tho coast-line to tho westward of the Alert’s position was traced for a distance of 220 miles by a party under command of Lieut. Aldrich. The coast of Greenland was explored by travelling parties from tho Discovery. Lieutenant Archer, with a party from the Discovery, explored Lady Franklin’s

Sound, proving that it terminates at a distance of 65 miles from the month, with lofty mountains and glauier-iilled valleys to the westward. During the absence of the travellers an attack of scurvy broke out in cadi of the extended sledge parties. The return journeys weio, therefore, a prolonged struggle homewards Or gradually weakening men. Lieut. layr, setting out for a lonely heroic walk of ho miles over soft snow and the heavy brokeu-up ice, brought intelligence to the Alert of the prostration of the northern division. Relief was immediately sent out, but unfortunately the party did not arrive in time to save the life of a man who died, and who had been buried by the roadside in the thick ice only a few hours previously. The Greenland and western divisions not returning on the day appointed, relief was sent to meet them, and on each occasion it just arrived in the nick of time. The men were reduced to a deplorable state, but steadily recovered immediately fresh food was procurable. The immense difficulties wore met with pluck and manful determination No trace of ancient' Eskimo remains were found north of Sldog. 52min. The “Arctic sea teeming with life” has been proved a fallacy. It is rather a desert, and it may well lie said here life ends. The Polar ice be°*an to move on July 20, and eleven days later tho Alert left her winter quarters, and joined tho Discovery on August 12. Then bemm a battle to get south through the ice, and on September <J the expedition again rejoiced in open water. The following details relate to the explorations of the Alert :—The Alert wintered on the west side of .Grant Land, in lat. 8-. deg. 27 min. She was 40 miles from the Discovery, at the other side of the Robeson Channel. The additional progress to the northward may seem small when expressed in miles, but it was achieved by severe labor and the exercise of extraordinary skill and vigilance. I he Discovery got into winter quarters on the 25tb August, but it was not until the end of September that the Alert reached her destined place. The difficulties and dangers of the navigation also increased according as the ship made; her way,to the north. Captain Nares object was (to carry the ship to the farthest limit of navigation, in order to have her as a base of operation as near as possible to the Pole, and every break in the pack of ice was availed of to press a few yards forward. For days the ship continued dodging and grinding her way forward, threatened by a hundred dangers. From the moment we entered the ice, said one who bore a most onerous part in the exploit, we felt as men who were fighting for our lives. A crush in the pack of an iceberg might have put an end to us for ever. After a month of this work the highest limit was reached—no commodious harbor opened its arms to the Alert, a mere lift in the land formed her winter-abid-in" - place. The quarters had only one thing in their favor. The cliffs gave shelter from the east and north, and quite a ring of ice floes had formed around the spot chosen for bringing the vessel up, so making a kind of artificial port. Immediately that the Alert was moored in this spot, steps were taken to secure her for the winter. Six months supplies of provisions were landed and housed, and, as the surface hardened, great banks of snow, 15ft. high, were raised all around her to protect her from a movement of the ice floes. Winter set in immediately, and about the middle of October they took their last look at the sun. The place in which they were to pass the ensuing six months was named Floe Berg Bay, an appellation suggested by the strange circle encompassing the ship. The crew proceeded immediately to make themselves comfortable for the winter. The deck was covered with snow to the depth of two feet, for the purpose of economising heat below, and precautions were taken to exclude the cold air, without, however, interfering with ventilation. These important arrangements were carried out under the supervision of Doctor Golan, an officer who has specially distinguished himself in this memorable expedition. Tests for ascertaining the purity of the air, as well as the temperature, was established all through the lower deck, and we are assured that the cold was successfully excluded. The atmosphere below was never impure to a dangerous extent. At times it was somewhat close, but never impure or dangerous to health ; and the men went through the winter without suffering from any disease save those attendant upon cold and the hardships of the exploration. While the air on the upper deck was 70deg. below,zero, equivalent to lOOdeg. of frost, on tho lower deck a mean temperature of 49deg. was maintained. Sometimes it sank .below freezing point, but the officers and men declared that while between decks they never, during the whole winter, suffered any material discomfort from the cold. When, however, they had to pass from the lower to the upper deck the effect of transition was severely felt. The duration of the winter in the spot reached by the Alert wasthe same as in the lower latitude, where the Discovery lay. Every exertion was made by the officers to lighten the tedium of the dark interval. Books, games, concerts, and theatrical performances were freely employed. It was not, however, all play and no work on board. The earlier hours were given to education ; the crew were employed at school. During the whole of the winter, classes were opened for all, according to their capacity. After the preliminary surveys had been made the exploring parties met at Cape Colombia, whence Commander Markham started to make for the Pole on a direct line across the frozen sea. The party consisied of fifteen men, besides the two officers, and they carried two sledges and two boats, with provisions for forty days. In a very short time it became evident that the expedition was hopeless. The ,floe bergs were perched so close over the surface as to form serrated ridges, through which the party had literally to cut their way. The operation was most laborious. With thenaxes the men had to hew passages eighteen to twenty feet deep, and to draw the boats and sleighs over a rugged and often precipitous surface. Some days their progress was not half-a-mile, then they would come upon and .clear a piece for a mile or so, but again the hummocks (floe bergs) heaped together, and the higher ridges of the ice would blook the way, and the axes would have to be brought into play again. After twenty days of this work the party, between scurvy and hardship, were quite worn out, the officers alone keeping up their spirits and courage. The ice beneath was shown by the dregs of the floe bergs to be ISO feet thick in places, the average being eighty feet, and some of the floe bergs were miniature mountains. Not a trace of life or vegetationwas visible. Tho average progress was not more than half a mile a day, and at the end of twenty days, and incessant labor and suffering, the two officers found themselves in latitude 83deg. 90min, 27sec. More than 400 miles of frozen sea still interposed between them and the Polo. Success was impossible, and longer perseverance in the journey might have been fatal to all. Everyone was to admit that the approach to the Pole was impracticable ; they turned their faces southward, and gained the - ship in about the same time as the journey northward had taken, Tho men were in a state of extreme exhaustion, and only that they were able to avail themselves of tho passages cut on their way up would hardly have got back at all. While upon their expedition tho men worked about ten hours a day, commencing at 6 o’clock, and resting in the middle of the clay. They slept in tents, which formed part of their equipment. Their sleeping arrangements seem to have been excellent. A waterproof sheet was laid on the snow, and upon this the beds were placed. Then the men, clad in their heavy winter clothing, nestled into bags which formed their beds, and covered themselves completely up, so as to exclude the cold air. They seem to have got pretty well through the nights, but still most of them had touches of frost-bite, which, however, tho officers were able to check by tho timely application of remedies supplied by Dr. Colon. Nothing could exceed the attention of the officers to the parties under their charge ; they seemed almost indifferent to their own hardships when tho occasion arose for minding and encouraging the men. One of tho few officers who did not take part in the work on tho ice says it would be impossible to speak too highly of their devotion and energy, and the success with ■ which they cheered and sustained the

flagging spirits of those under them when their own hearts wore low enough. Commander Markham’s party only got back to tho ship just in time to enable her to escape from being imprisoned for another winter ; a few days more, and the passage down the Sound would have been impracticable. The icc had formed across the channel, and was several inches thick. The strait was blocked with immense masses of ice, and the ship had to make her way down by sheer force. In those last moments the men for the first time became downcast. “We will never get out; we will never see England again, were heard on many Lips ; but the courage of Captain Nares rose with the difficulty, and his confident manner reassured the crew throughout, though the imminence of tho danger pressed hardly on himself. During tlm slow and laborious struggle out of the icc lie was scarcely ever out of the crow’s nest, and it was quite a marvel how he bore the fatigue. Dr. Golan says that at one period the peril of the ship being crushed by the floating masses seemed so imminent that tho whole company were ready with haversacks on their backs to jump overboard.