ARCTIC OBSERVATIONS. Lieut. Greely's Story of the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition. Two Years of Happy Life Spent at Fort Conger. The Tides-The Auroras—Explorations— Temperature-Final Sufferings.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 70, 4 October 1884, Page 5

ARCTIC OBSERVATIONS. Lieut. Greely's Story of the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition. Two Years of Happy Life Spent at Fort Conger. The Tides-The Auroras— Explorations— Temperature-Final Sufferings.

Portsmouth, N.H., August 17.— Lieut. Greely stated to a reporter to-day that the object of the Lady Franklin Bay expedition was to establish a polar station, one of the thirteen suggested by Lieut. Weyprecht, of Austria, who discovered Franz Josef Land. The expedition was fitted out under the authority of the United States Congress, and was composed of three officers of the army and one acting surgeon, besides nineteen enlisted men from the army. Stores for twenty-seven months were put on the Proteus, which left St. Johns July 7, ISSI, with the party. Two Esquimaux were added to the party at Proven. A landing was made at Carey Island, in the north water, and provisions were cached, and those left by Nares in IS7I in the Alert were found in good condition. At Littleon Island Greely personally covered the English Arctic mail left by Sir Allen^Young, which was left at Pandora in IS7G. At Care Ritter Bay in Kennedy's Channel a cache of provisions for use on the retreat was made. Moving to Discovery Harbour, the station was there established on the site occupied by tho English expedition of 187-j. On August 26th came the parting between the Greely party and the men of the Proteus. On the evening of the same day the temperature sank below freezing point, and the icy Arcticwinter was on them in earnest. At Fort Conger later on in December the temperature sank from oOJeg. to Codeg. below zero, and so remained days at a time. Buteven in that weather thecook's favourite amusement was dancing bare-headed, barearmed, and with slippered feet, on top of a snow-drift. Duringtheday themen dresscdin ordinary outside clothing, but their flannels were very heavy. Five men were generally for a part of the day engaged in scientific work, under Greely's direction, and in the duties of the camp. The remainder were generally engaged about one hour a day. They devoted the rest of the time to amusement. All slept in bunks, Their quarters were heated by large coal stoves, the average heat maintained being 30deg. above zero. Checkers, cards, and chess were the amusements of the evening. The life, Greely said, was far from being a lonely one, and many of the men said that they never passed two happier years than they spent at Fort Conger.

THE ARCTIC NIGHT AND DAY. On the loth of October the sun left them for 135 days, and twilight varying from half an hour to twenty-four hours succeeded for two months. It was so dim that the dial of a watch could not be read by it. On April 11th the sun came above the horizon, and remained there for 13,") days, giving the party a great soinciency of midnight sun. During three months the stars were visible constantly. The constellations of Orion's Belt and Great Bear, the brightest North Star, looked pown from almost overhead. Standing along outside the fort on one of the snowdrifts, these night scenes were weirdly grand. To the north flamed the aurora borealis, and bright constellations were set like jewels round the glowing moon. Over everything wa= a dead silence so horribly oppressive that the man alone is almost tempted to kill himself, so lonely does he feel. The astronomer of the party said that with a naked eye a star of one degree smaller magnitude than can be seen here in the samo way might be discerned there. The moon would remain in sight for eleven or twelve days at a time. The thermomoter registered on June 13th the highest temperature at Lady Franklin Bay which we knew during our stay. It was 52deg. above zero. The lowest temperature was in February, 1883, when it was 66deg. below zero.

ACTION OF THE TIDES. In the course of the tidal observations made, a very interesting fact discovered was that the tide? at Lady Franklin Bay came from the north, while those of Melville Bay and Cape Sabine came from the south. The temperature of the north tide is 2deg. warmer than that of the south tide at Cape Sabine. Why this was, Greely would not venture to state. The avei'age rise of the spring tides at Lady Franklin Bay was was found to be eight feet. At Cape Sabine the highest tides rise 12 feet. Surf was only abserved twice during the two years. At Lady Franklin Bay the average temperature of the water was 29deg. above zero. Wolves weighing OOlbs. were killed around Fort Conger. There are foxes and other animalß there. Fieh are wonderfully scarce, Perhaps the greatest surprise of the expedition was the taking from Lake Alexander, a fresh-water lake fifteen feet above tea level, of a four-pound salmon. From the bay or sea one or two very small fish were taken during the entire two years, and few are found north of Cape Sabine. The vegetation about Lady Franklin Bay is about the same aa at Cape Sabine, and comprises mosses, lichens, willows, and saxifrage. The highest velocity of the wind was registered during a terrific snowstorm, being 70 miles per hour.

lockwood's trip. Lockwood's trip to the North in 18S2 and ISB3 was productive of the most valuable results. Standing on the 19th May in each year where Dr. Hayes had formerly stood at about the same time of day, Lockwood, from an elevation of 2,000 feet, using his glass on Hall's Basin and Robeson's Channel, could discern nothing but ice-packs. Here it was Dr. Hayes claimed to have seen his open Polar Sea. On the trip of 1882 Lockwood reached the highest latitude ever attained, 83deg. 25min. north. This was about 500 miles directly north of Lady Franklin Bay, but to get there he travelled over 1,000 miles of open water and broken packs that frequently caused him to retrace his steps fifty miles. Lockwood found at his farthest point north about the same vegetation as at Lady Franklin Bay, but no signs of a polar current, nor an open Polar Sea. In 1883 he was stopped ne-i Cape Bryant, 125 miles from Lady Frai.K lin Bay, by an open channel extending yards to hve miles, but on the north the ice-packs extended as far as could be seen with a glass. With his supply of provisions, the failure of which had caused his return the year before, Lockwood was confident he could have reached 85deg.

west to the coast of Grinnell Land. Tho width of tins channel varied from 200 north if this open channel had not barred his way. No fossil remains were discovered on the trip, and the only ones found were trunks of trees on the south-west coast ot Grinnell Land. The only sea animals seen by Lockwood at this point, 83deg. 25mm., wore the walrus and seal, and, strange to say, the walrus is not to bo found at Lady Franklin Bay. At 83deg. 25min. tho doHection of the magnetic needle was 104deg. west, more than a quarter of the circle. As far as Lockwood went north the eastern end of tho Greenland coast continued. All through the two years at Lady Franklin Bay the magnetic needle was never quiet excepting in storms.

PREPARATIONS VOR RETREAT. | In February, 1883, preparations for the retreat were made by establishing a depot at Capo Baird, twelve miles to the south. Day after day the anxious men looked on over Lady Franklin Bay, expecting the ico to open so that they might commence the journey. At last on August 19, ISS3, tho welcome news that the iee was open was brought. All had been made ready, and that very day the party embarked in the little steam launch. Lady Franklin Bay was crossed to Cape Baird, a distance of thirteen miles, and then the western coast of Grinnell Land was followed ' south as far as Cape Hawkes. Several times the boats were lost. The suffering of the men was great. They were now within fifty miles of Cape Sabine. Striking from Cape Hawkes for Bates Island, the party was caught in an ice-pack and frozen in.

DRIFTING OX AN ICE FLOE. They drifted to within ] 1 miles of Cape Sabine, and were obliged to abandon the steam launch on September 10. The pack now remained motionless for three days, and several times the party got within two or three miles of Cape Sabine, only to be drifted back by north-west gales. Five seals were killed and eaten while the party was drifting about. Eventually a heavy north-west gale drove them by Cape Sabine, within a mile of Brevoovt Island, but they could not land. September 22 there arose the most terrible gale they had yet seen on the Arctic Ocean. Their ice floe was driven hither and thither by the tempest, and the waves washed over them again and again, the spray freezing to them, and causing them intense suffering. Night came on, one of inky blackness ; the wind threw the heavy floes together, and crash after crash over the ice breaking from their own iloe warned the men that death was near to them. No man knew what minute the floe might break up and the water engulf them. The first faint light of dawn showed that little remained ot the floe on which they were. The sea, washed another close to them ; closer it came, and at last, at a word, the men succeeded in getting upon it. The storm slowly subsided, and they gained land at Esquimaux Point, near Baird s Inlet, September 29th. Here winter quarters were built, and scouts were sent to Cape Isabella and Cape Sabine. In a few days they returned. Their report sent a thrill of horror to every heart. At Cape Isabella and Cape Sabine were found only 1,800 rations, and from Garlington's records they learned the fate of the Proteus. Everyone knew death must come to nearly all of the party long before tho hhip of rescue could force its way into Melville Bay. Efforts A\ere made to sustain the spirits of the men by lectures and light readings. October 15th, part removed to Cape Sabine. January ISth, Cross died of scurvy. In April, the rations issued daily had dwindled to four ounces of meat and six ounces of bread. Man after man died, and all hope had fled, when, on the last day, the blast of a whistle roused the survivors from the lethargy of approaching death.

RKSULT OK THE KXI'LORATIOX. Lieut. Greely, when asked to give his ideas upon the probable results ot Arctic explorations, said : "I do not think the North Pole can be reached unless every circumstance hitherto found to be unfavourable shall prove favourable to the party attempting to reach the Pole. If it is to be done at all, it will be done by way of Franz Josef Land. Ifc could never be reached by the Jeannette route. That there is an open I'olar Sea I am well-nigh certain. This is proved by ice drifting out of Mussel Bay and Spitsbergen in midwinter, and the northern drifc of the polar pack experienced by Pavy and Lockwood in S2deg. Smin. The men can stand two wintors very "well at Lady Franklin Bay, but the physical strength rapidly deteriorates. ]i\\e had had every supply and the necessary food, we could perhaps have lived for ten years at Lady Franklin Bay."