Citation
The story of exploration and adventure in the frozen seas

Material Information

Title:
The story of exploration and adventure in the frozen seas
Series Title:
Altemus' young people's library
Cover title:
Exploration and adventure in the frozen seas
Spine title:
Frozen seas
Creator:
Holmes, Prescott
Henry Altemus Company ( Publisher )
Place of Publication:
Philadelphia
Publisher:
Henry Altemus
Publication Date:
Language:
English
Physical Description:
256, [4] p. : ill. (some col.), maps, ports. ; 16 cm.

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Explorers -- Juvenile literature ( lcsh )
Ice -- Juvenile literature ( lcsh )
Discovery and exploration -- Juvenile literature -- Arctic regions ( lcsh )
Publishers' catalogues -- 1896 ( rbgenr )
Bldn -- 1896
Genre:
Publishers' catalogues ( rbgenr )
Spatial Coverage:
United States -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
Target Audience:
juvenile ( marctarget )

Notes

General Note:
Frontispiece printed in colors.
General Note:
Publisher's catalogue precedes and follows text.
Statement of Responsibility:
by Prescott Holmes ; with eighty illustrations.

Record Information

Source Institution:
University of Florida
Holding Location:
University of Florida
Rights Management:
This item is presumed to be in the public domain. The University of Florida George A. Smathers Libraries respect the intellectual property rights of others and do not claim any copyright interest in this item. Users of this work have responsibility for determining copyright status prior to reusing, publishing or reproducing this item for purposes other than what is allowed by fair use or other copyright exemptions. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions may require permission of the copyright holder. The Smathers Libraries would like to learn more about this item and invite individuals or organizations to contact The Department of Special and Area Studies Collections (special@uflib.ufl.edu) with any additional information they can provide.
Resource Identifier:
026813323 ( ALEPH )
ALH1995 ( NOTIS )
232332213 ( OCLC )

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Full Text










The Baldwin Library

University
RnB
Florida













ALTEMUS’ YOUNG PEOPLE'S LIBRAR¥

THE STORY oF
EXPLORATION
AND ADVENTURE iN



THE :
FROZEN SEAS

PRESCOTT HOLMES



With EIGHTY ILLUSTRATIONS

PHILADELPHIA
HENRY ALTEMUS





IN UNIFORM STYLE



Copiously Llustrated

THE PILGRIM’S PROGRESS

ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND
THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS & WHAT ALICE FOUND THERE
ROBINSON CRUSOE

THE CHILD'S STORY OF THE BIBLE

THE CHILD'S LIFE OF CHRIST

LIVES OF THE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES

THE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON

THE FABLES OF SOP

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS AND THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA
MOTHER GOOSE’S RHYMES, JINGLES AND FAIRY TALES
EXPLORATION AND ADVENTURE IN THE FROZEN SEAS
THE STORY OF DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION IN AFRICA
GULLIVER'’S TRAVELS

ARABIAN NIGHTS’ ENTERTAINMENTS

WOOD'S NATURAL HISTORY

A CHILD'S HISTORY OF ENGLAND, by CHARLES DICKENS
BLACK BEAUTY, by ANNA SEWELL

ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES

GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES

GRANDFATHER’S CHAIR, by NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE
FLOWER FABLES, by LOUISA M. ALCOTT





















Price 50 Cents Each

Henry ALTEMUS, PHILADELPHIA



Copyright 1896 by Henry Altemus



CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I. PAGE
THE ARCTIC LANDS, . . oc . : : « . 9
CHAPTER II.
VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY FROM THE CABOTS TO BAFFIN, , - 26

CHAPTER III.
VOYAGES FROM BAFFIN TO McCLINTOCK, . . : . - 60

CHAPTER IV.

SIR JOHN FRANKLIN, AND THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE, . - 83
CHAPTER V.
ELISHA KENT KANE, AND ISAAC I. HAYES, 7 7 : - 106

CHAPTER VI.
HALL’S VOYAGES: THE POLARIS EXPEDITION, . . . - 136

CHAPTER VII.
NARES’S VOYAGE WITH THE “ ALERT”? AND “DISCOVERY,” - 51

CHAPTER VIII.

THE GERMAN AND AUSTRIAN EXPEDITIONS, se ew 188
CHAPTER IX.
NORDENSKIOLD, AND THE NORTH-EAST PASSAGE, . . 167

(5)



6 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER X. PAGE
THE VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE: DE LONG, . ° . - 180
CHAPTER XI.
THE LADY FRANKLIN BAY EXPEDITION TO GRINNELL LAND, AND
THE ATTAINMENT OF THE FARTHEST NORTH, . 7 é 196

CHAPTER XII.
PEARY’S JOURNEY ACROSS GREENLAND, . : . . oo 22.

CHAPTER XIII.
NANSEN’S VOYAGES, . 2 = . 5 “ : 3 » 230

CHAPTER XIV.

TO THE POLE BY BALLOON, . . . - 240

















EXPLANATION OF TECHNICAL TERMS

MADE USE OF IN THE COURSE OF THE FOLLOWING
NARRATIVE.

Bay or Young Ice.—Ice newly formed upon the surface.

Blink.—A peculiar brightness in the atmosphere, which is
almost always perceptible in approaching ice or land
covered with snow. lLand-blink is usually more yellow

- than that of ice.

Bore.—The operation of ‘‘boring’’ through loose ice
consists in entering it under a. press of sail, and forcing
the ship through by separating the masses.

Dock.—An artificial dock is formed by cutting out with
saws a square space in a thick floe in which a ship is placed
in order to secure her from the pressure of other masses
which are seen to be approaching, and which otherwise
endanger her being ‘“‘nipped.’’ A ‘‘dock”’ is simply a
small bight accidentally found under similar circumstances.

field.—A sheet of ice, generally of great thickness, and of
such extent that its limits cannot be seen from a ship’s
mast-head. ,

floe.—The same as a field, except that its extent can be dis-
tinguished from a ship’s mast-head. A “bay floe’’ isa
flow of ice newly formed upon the surface.
(7)



8 EXPLANATION OF TECHNICAL TERMS.

A Hole or Pool of Water.—A small space of clear water
surrounded by ice on every side

Nipped.—To be forcibly pressed between two or more
masses of ice.

A Pack.—A large body of loose ice whose extent cannot be
seen.

A Patch of Jce.—The same as a pack, but ofsmall dimensions.

Sailing Ice.—Ice of which the masses are so much separated
as to allow a ship to sail among them without great
difficulty.

A Tongue.—A mass of ice projecting under water in a
horizontal direction from an iceberg or floe. A ship
sometimes grazes or is set fast on a tongue of ice, which
may, however, generally be avoided, being easily seen in
smooth water.

A Water Sky.—A certain dark appearance of the sky which
indicates clear water in that direction, and which, when
contrasted with the blink over ice or land, is very
conspicuous.



























IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

CHAPTER I.
THE ARCTIC LANDS.

A GLANCE at a map of the Arctic regions shows us
that many of the rivers belonging to the three conti-
nents—Europe, Asia, America—discharge their waters
into the Polar Ocean or its tributary bays. The terri-
tories drained by these streams, some of which (such
as the Mackenzie, the Yukon, the Lena, the Yenisei,
and the Obi) rank among the giant rivers of the earth,
form, along with the islands within or near the Arctic
Circle, the vast region over which the frost-king reigns
supreme.

‘It is difficult to determine with precision the limits of
the Arctic lands, since many countries situated as low

(9)



+6 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

as latitude 60°, or even 50°, such as South Greenland,
Labrador, Alaska, Kamtchatka, or the country about
Lake Baikal, have in their climate and productions a
decidedly Arctic character, while others of a far more
northern position, such as the coast of Norway, enjoy
even in winter a remarkably mild temperature. But
they are naturally divided into two principal and well-
marked zones—that of the forests, and that of the tree-
less wastes.

The latter, comprising the islands within the Arctic
Circle, form a belt, more or less broad, bounded by the
continental shores of the North Polar seas, and grad-
ually merging toward the south into the forest-region,
which encircles them with a garland of evergreen conif-
ere. This treeless zone bears the name of the “barren
grounds,” or the “barrens,” in North America, and of
“tundri” in Siberia and European Russia. Its want
of trees is caused not so much by its high northern lati-
tude as by the cold sea-winds which sweep unchecked
over the islands or the flat coast-lands of the Polar
Ocean, and for miles and miles compel even the hardiest
plant to crouch before the blast and creep along the
‘ground.

In winter, when animal life has mostly retreated to
the south, or sought a refuge in burrows or in caves, an
awful silence, interrupted only by the hooting of a snow-
owl or the yelping of a fox, reigns over their vast ex-
panse; but in spring, when the brown earth reappears
from under the melted snow and the swamps begin to
thaw, enormous flights of wild birds appear upon the
scene and enliven it fora few months. An admirable
instinct leads their winged legions from distant climes
to the Arctic wildernesses, where in the morasses or lakes,



THE ARCTIC LANDS. ll

on the banks of the rivers, on the flat strands, or along the
fish-teeming coasts, they find an abundance of food,
and where at the same time they can with greater secu-
rity build their nests and rear their young. Some



































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































A GREENLAND ICE FIORD.

remain on the skirts of the forest-region ; others, flying
farther northward, lay their eggs upon the naked tundra.
Eagles and hawks follow the traces of the natatorial
and strand birds; troops of ptarmigans roam among -



3 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

the stunted bushes; and when the sun shines, the finch
or the snow-bunting warbles his merry note.

But as soon as the first frosts of September announce
the approach of winter, all animals, with but few excep-
tions, hasten to leave a region where the sources of life
must soon fail, The geese, ducks, and swans return
in dense flocks to the south; the strand-birds seek in
some lower latitude a softer soil which allows their
sharp beak to seize a burrowing prey; the water-fowl
forsake the bays and channels that will soon be blocked
up with ice; the reindeer once more return to the forest,
and in a short time nothing is left that can induce man
to prolong his stay in the treeless plain. Soon a thick
mantle of snow covers the hardened earth, the frozen
lake, the ice-bound river, and conceals them all—seven,
eight, nine months long—under its monotonous pall,
except where the furious north-east wind sweeps it away
and lays bare the naked rock.

This snow, which after it has once fallen persists until
the long summer’s day has effectually thawed it, protects
in admirable manner the vegetation of the higher lati-
tudes against the cold of the long winter season. For
snow is so bad a conductor of heat, that in mid-winter,
in the high latitude of 78° 50’ (Rensselaer Bay), while
the surface temperature was as low as — 30°, Kane
found at two feet deep a temperature of — 8°, at four
feet + 2°, and at eight feet + 26°, or no more than six
degrees below the freezing-point of water. Thus cov:
ered by a warm crystal snow-mantle, the northern
plants pass the long winter in a comparatively mild
temperature, high enough to maintain their life, while,
without, icy blasts—capable of converting mercury into
a solid body—howl over the naked wilderness; and as



THE ARCTIC LANDS. . 13
the first snow-falls are more cellular and less condensed
than the nearly impalpable powder of winter, Kane
justly observes that no “‘eider-down in the cradle of an
infant is tucked in more kindly than the sleeping-dress
of winter about the feeble plant-life of the Arctic zone.”
Thanks to this protection, and to the influence of a
sun which for months circles above the horizon, and
in favorable :
localities
calls forth the
powers of
vegetation in |
an incredibly
short time, &
even Wash-
ington, Grin-
nell Land,
and Spitzber- =
gen are able —
to boast of SO
flowers. Mor- &
ton plucked §&
a crucifer at §
Cape Consti- SSS SS
tution (80° . ARCTIC Fox.
45’ N. lat),
and, on the banks of Mary Minturn River (78° 52’),
Kane came across a flower-growth which, though
drearily Arctic in its type, was rich in variety and
coloring. Amid festuca and other tufted grasses
twinkled the purple lychnis and the white star of the
chickweed; and, not without its pleasing associations,
he recognized a solitary hesperis—the Arctic repre-
sentative of the wall-flowers of home.



nee, <





14 IN THE FROZEN SEAS,

The line of perpetual snow may naturally be expected
__ to descend lower and lower on advancing to the pole,
and hence many mountainous regions or elevated pla-
teaux, such as the interior of Spitzbergen, of Greenland,
of Nova Zembla, etc., which in a more temperate clime
would be verdant with woods or meadows, are
here covered with vast fields of ice, from which fre-
quently glaciers descend down to the verge of the sea.
But even in the highest northern latitudes, no land has
yet been found covered as far as the water’s edge with
eternal snow, or where winter has entirely subdued the
powers of vegetation.

The influence of the winds is of considerable impor.
tance in determining the greater or lesser severity of an
Arctic climate. Thus the northerly winds which pre-
vail in Baffin’s Bay and Davis’s Straits during the sum-
mer months, and fill the straits of the American
north-eastern archipelago with ice, are probably
the main ‘cause of the abnormal depression of
temperature in’ that quarter; while, on the contrary, the
southerly winds that prevail during summer in the
valley of the Mackenzie tend greatly to extend the forest
of that favored region nearly down to the shores of the
Arctic Sea. Even in the depth of a Siberian winter, a
sudden change of wind is able to raise. the thermometer
from a mercury-congealing cold to a temperature above
the freezing-point of water, and a warm wind has been
known to cause rain to fall in Spitzbergen in the month
of January.

-The voyages of Kane and Belcher have made us ac-
quainted with the lowest temperatures ever felt by man.
On February 5, 1854, while the former was wintering
in Smith’s Sound (78° 37’ N. lat.), the mean of his best



























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































THE VILLAGE AND GLACIER OF KAPAROKTILIK, GREENLAND. IS



16 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

spirit-thermometer showed the unexampled temperature
of — 68° or 100° below the freezing-point of water. The
exhalations from the skin invested the exposed or par-
tially clad parts with a wreath of vapor. The air had a
perceptible pungency upon inspiration, and every one,
as it were involuntarily, breathed guardedly with com-
pressed lips. About the same time (February g and 10,
1854), Edward Belcher experienced a cold of —55° in
Wellington Channel (75° 31’ N.), and the still lower
temperature of—-62° on January 13, 1853, in North-
umberland Sound (76° 52’ N.).. Whymper, on Decem-
ber 6, 1866, experienced —58° at Nulatto, Alaska (64°
42’ N.).

Whether the temperature of the air descends still
lower on advancing toward the pole, or whether these
extreme degrees of cold are not sometimes surpassed in
those mountainous regions of the north which, though
seen, have never yet been explored, is of course an un-
decided question: so much is certain, that the observa-
tions hitherto made during the winter of the Arctic re-
gions have been limited to too short a time, and are too
few in number, to enable us to determine with any de-
gree of certainty those points where the greatest cold
prevails. All we know is, that beyond the Arctic Circle,
and eight or ten degrees farther to the south in the in-
terior of the continents of Asia and America, the aver-
age temperature of the winter generally ranges from
— 20° to — 30 °, or even lower, and for a’great part of
the year is able to convert mercury into a solid body.

It may be asked how man is able to bear the exces-
sively low temperature of an Arctic winter, which must
appear truly appalling to an inhabitant of the temper-
ate zone. A thick fur clothing; a hut small and low,



THE ARCTIC LANDS. 17

where the warmth of a fire, or simply of a train-oil
lamp, is husbanded in a narrow space, and, above all,
the wonderful power of the human constitution to ac-
commodate itself to every change of climate, go far to
counteract the rigor of the cold.

After a very few days the body develops an increas-
ing warmth as the thermometer descends; for the air
being condensed by the cold, the lungs inhale at every
breath a greater quantity of oxygen, which of course
accelerates the internal process of combustion, while at
the same time an increasing appetite, gratified with a
copious supply of animal food, of flesh and fat, enriches
the blood and enables it to circulate more vigorously.
Thus not only the hardy native of the north, but even
the healthy traveler, soon gets accustomed to bear with-
out injury the rigors of an Arctic winter.

“The mysterious compensations,” says Kane, “by
which we adapt ourselves to climate are more striking
here than in the tropics. In the Polar zone the assault
is immediate and sudden, and, unlike the insidious fatal-
ity of hot countries, produces its results rapidly. It re-
quires hardly a single winter to tell who are to be the
heat-making and acclimatized men. Petersen, for in-
stance, who has resided for two years at Upernavik,
seldom enters aroom withafire. Another of our party,
Georgé Riley, with a vigorous constitution, established
habits of free exposure, and active cheerful tempera-
ment, has so inured himself to the cold, that he sleeps
on our sledge journeys without a blanket or any other
covering than his walking suit, while the outside tem-
perature is — 30°.”

There are many proofs that a milder climate once
reigned in the northern regions of the globe. Fossil

2



38 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

pieces of wood, petrified acorns and fir-cones have been
found in the interior of Banks’s Land by McClure’s































































































































































































































































































































































































































FEMALE COSTUME,

magnolias, and even laurels, indicatin



sledging par-
ties. At Ana-
kerdluk, in
North Green-
land (70° N.), a
large forest lies
buried on a
mountain sur-
rounded by gla-
ciers, 1080 feet
above the level
of the sea. Not
only the trunks
and branches,
but even the
leaves, | fruit-
cones, and
seeds have been
preserved in the
soil, and enable
the botanist to
determine the
species of the
plants to which
they belong.
They show that,
besides firs and
sequoias, oaks,
plantains, elms,
¢ a climate like

Switzerland, flourished during the miocene period in a



THE ARCTIC LANDS. Ig

country where now even the willow is compelled to
creep along the ground. During the same epoch of
the earth’s his-
tory Spitzbergen
was likewise cov-
ered with stately
forests. The
same poplars and
the same swamp-
cypress which
then flourished in
North Greenland
have been found
ina fossilized
state at Bell .
Sound (76° N.)
by the Swedish
naturalists, who
also discovered a
plantainand a lin-
den as high as
78° and 79° in
King’s Bay—a
proof that in
those times the
climate of Spitz-
bergen can not
have been colder
than that which
now reigns in MALE COSTUME.
Southern Swe-
den and Norway, 18 degrees nearer to the line.
In the miocene times the Arctic Zone evidently pre-







































































































































































































































































































20 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

sented a very different aspect from that which it wears
at present. Now, during the greater part of the year,
an immense glacial desert, which through its floating
bergs and drift-ice depresses the temperature of countries
situated far to the south, it then consisted of verdant
lands covered with luxuriant forests and bathed by an
open sea.

What may have been the cause of these amazing:
changes of climate? The readiest answer seems to be
—a different distribution of sea and land.

We now know that our sun, with his attendant planets
and satellites, performs a vast circle, embracing perhaps
hundreds of thousands of years, round another star, and
that we are constantly entering new regions of space
untraveled by our earth before. In the course of ages
the sun conducted his herd of planets into more solitary
‘and colder regions, which caused the warm miocene
times to be followed by the glacial period, during which
the Swiss flat lands bore an Arctic character, and finally
the sun emerged into a space of an intermediate char-
acter, which determines the present condition of the
climates of our globe.

Though nature generally wears a more stern and for-
bidding aspect on advancing toward the Pole, yet the
high latitudes have many beauties of their own.
Nothing can exceed the magnificence of an Arctic sun-
set, clothing the snow-clad mountains and the skies with
all the glories of color, or be more serenely beautiful
than the clear star-light night, illumined by the brilliant
moon, which for days continually circles around the
horizon, never setting until she has run her long course
of brightness. The uniform whiteness of the landscape
and the general transparency of the atmosphere add to























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































ge
EE

















AURORA,
(Sketched by Hall.) 21



22 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

the luster of her beams, which serve the natives to
guide their nomadic life,and to lead them to their
hunting-grounds.

But of all the magnificent spectacles that relieve the
monotonous gloom of the Arctic winter, there is none
to equal the magical beauty of the Aurora. This bow
sometimes remains for several hours, heaving or waiv-
ing to and fro, before it sends forth streams of light as-
cending to the zenith. Sometimes these flashes pro-
ceed from the bow of light alone; at others they simul-
taneously shoot forth from many opposite parts of the
horizon, and form a vast sea of fire whose brilliant
waves are continually changing their position. Finally ©
they all unite in a magnificent crown or copula of light,
with the appearance of which the phenomenon attains
its highest degree of splendor. The brilliancy of the
streams, which are commonly red at their base, green in
the middle, and light yellow toward the zenith, increases,
while at the same time they dart with greater vivacity
through the skies. The colors are wonderfully trans-
parent, and the imposing silence of the night heightens -
the charms of the magnificent spectacle.

But gradually the crown fades, the bow of light dis-
solves, the streams become shorter, less frequent, and
less vivid; and finally the gloom of winter once more
descends upon the northern desert.

The North Polar region is the largest, as it is the
most important field of discovery that remains for this
generation to work out. As Frobisher declared nearly
300 years ago, it is “the only great thing left undone in
the world.”

A large portion of the area yet included by the Arctic
Ocean is still unexplored, but almost every year dimin-



THE ARCTIC LANDS. 23

ishes the extent of the unknown. Notwithstanding so
many illustrious navigators have vainly endeavored to
reach the Pole, sanguine projectors are still as eager as
ever to attain the goal; nor is it probable that man will
ever rest in his efforts until every attainable region
of the Arctic Ocean shall have been fully explored.

But it may be asked, for what purpose are these
northern voyages undertaken? The acquisition of
knowledge is the groundwork of all the instructions
under which they are set forth, The commanding
officer is directed to cause constant observations to. be
made for the advancement of every branch of science—
astronomy, navigation, hydrography, meteorology, in-
cluding electricity and magnetism, and to make collec-
tions of subjects of natural history—in short, to lose no
opportunity of acquiring new and important informa-
tion and discovery ; and when it is considered that these
voyages give employment to officers and men in time
of peace, and produce officers and men not to be sur-
passed, perhaps not equaled, in any other branch of the
service; the question, What is the good? is readily an-
swered in Bacon’s aphorism, “ Knowledge is power.”

At a meeting of the Royal Geographical Society
Captain Sherard Osborne said:

“In the year 1818 Baffin’s discoveries upon the one
hand, and those of Behring upon the other, with dots
for the mouths of the Mackenzie and Hearne Rivers,
were all we knew of the strange labyrinth of lands and
waters now accurately delineated upon our charts of the
Arctic Zone. Sailors and travelers, in 36 years, have
accomplished all this; not always, be it remembered, in
well-stored ships, sailing rapidly from point to point, but
for the most part by patiently toiling on foot, or coast-



24 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

ing in open boats round every bay and fiord. Leopold
McClintock estimates the foot explorations accom-
plished in the search for Franklin alone at about 40,000
miles. Yet during those 36 years of glorious enterprise
by ship, by boat, and by sledge, England only fairly
lost one expedition and 128 souls out of 42 successive
expeditions, and has never lost a sledge party out of
about 100 that have toiled within the Arctic Circle.
Show me upon the globe’s surface an equal amount of
geographical discovery, or in history as arduous an
achievement, with a smaller amount of human sacrifice,
and then I will concede that Arctic exploration has en-
tailed more than-its due proportion of suffering.
“Those who assert that our labors and researches have
merely added so many miles of unprofitable coast-line
to our charts, had better compare our knowledge of
Arctic phenomena to-day with the theories enunciated
by men of learning and repute a century ago. They
should confront our knowledge of to-day with that of
1800 upon the natural history, meteorology, climate,
and winds of the Arctic regions. They must remem-
ber that it was there we obtained the clue, still unraveled,
of the laws of those mysterious currents which flow
through the wastes of the ocean like two mighty rivers
—the Gulf Stream and the Ice Stream; must remember
that it was there—in Boothia—that the two Rosses first
reached the Magnetic Pole, that mysterious point round
which revolves the mariner’s compass over one-half of
the Northern hemisphere ; and let the world say whether
the mass of observations collected by our explorers on
all sides of that Magnetic Pole have added nothing to
the knowledge of the laws of magnetic declination and
dip. They should remember how a few years ago it



THE ARCTIC LANDS. 25

was gravely debated whether man could exist through
the rigors and darkness of a Polar winter, and how we
have only recently discovered that Providence has peo-
pled that region to the extreme latitude yet reached,
and that the animals upon which they subsist are there
likewise, in winter as well as in summer. All this, and
much more, should be borne in mind by those cynics
who would have you believe we have toiled in vain;
and I hold, with the late Admiral Beechey, ‘that every
voyage to the North has tended to remove that veil of
obscurity which previously hung over the geography
and all the phenomena of the Arctic regions. Before
those voyages all was darkness and terror, all beyond
the North Cape a blank; but, since then, each succes-
sive voyage has swept away some gloomy superstition,
has brought to light some new phenomenon, and tended
to the advancement of human knowledge.’ ”

Henry Grinnell of New York replied to a similar
question by stating some of the results in the extension
of commerce and trade which have flowed from Arctic
researches:

1. HumMpHREY GILBERT’s discovery of the cod-fish-
eries of Newfoundland.

2. From Davis's discoveries, the great whale-fisheries
of West Greenland.

3. From the discoveries of Hupson (who also dis-
covered and sailed into our North River, which now
bears his name, while on an Arctic voyage), Hudson’s
Bay, and the operations of the great fur companies.

4. JouN Ross: the whale-fishery of the North, and
north-west of Baffin’s Bay.

5. Captain Parry: whale-fishery of Lancaster Sound,
Barrow’s Strait, and Prince Regent’s Inlet,



26 IN THE FROZEN SEAS,

6. Admiral BrrcHry: whale-fishery of Behring’s
Straits, in which in the space of two years the whalers
of Nantucket and New Bedford obtained cargoes from
which they have realized eight millions of dollars.

The object of the present volume is to recall the
stories of the early voyagers, and to narrate the recent
efforts of gallant adventurers of various nationalities to
cross the “unknown and inaccessible” threshold; and
to show how much can be accomplished by indomitable
pluck and steady perseverance. In the limits at our
disposal we have not space to relate the adventures of
all the individual voyagers; we have therefore selected
and traced those which appear to embody the greatest
interest.



CHAPTER II.
VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY FROM THE CABOTS TO BAFFIN.

Lone before Columbus sailed from the port of Palos
(1492) on that ever-memorable voyage which changed
the geography of the world, the Scandinavians had
already found the way to North America. From Green-
land, which was known to them as early as the ninth
century, and which they began to colonize in the year
985, they sailed farther to the west, and gradually ex-
tended their discoveries from the coasts of Labrador,
Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland to those of the present
State of Rhode Island, which, from the wild-vines they
there found growing in abundance, they called the:
“good Vinland.” :

But a long series of disasters destroyed their Green-
land Colonies about the end of the fourteenth century,



THE CABOTS. 27

and as Scandinavia itself had at that time but very little
intercourse with the more civilized nations of Southern
Europe, it is not to be wondered at, despite the discov-



























































































































































































NORSE SHIP OF THE TENTH CENTURY.

eries of Ginnbjorn and Eric the Red, the great western

continent remained unknown to the world in general.
One of the first consequences of the achievements

of Columbus was the redzscovery of the northern part



28 . LN THE FROZEN SEAS.

of America, for the English merchants longed to have
a share of the commerce of India; and as the Pope
had assigned the eastern route to the. Portuguese and
the western one to the Spaniards, they resolved to as-
certain whether a third and shorter way to the Spice
Islands, or to the fabulous golden regions of the East
might not be found by steering to the north-west. In
pursuance of these views, John and Sebastian Cabot
sailed in 1497 from Bristol, at that time the chief com-
mercial port of England, and discovered the whole
American coast from Labrador to Virginia. They failed,
indeed, in the object of their mission, but they laid the
first foundations of the future colonial greatness of
England.

Cabot appears to have returned to England immedi-
ately after his discovery, as we find in the account of the
privy purse expenses of Henry VII, the following entry:

Wh August, 1497—@o him that found the
New Isle, £10.

Here we have proof positive that part of the North
American continent was visited by an English ship four-
teen months before Columbus ascertained for certain
the existence of that of a southern.

A second voyage, in 1498, by Sebastian Cabot alone,
had no important results, but in a third voyage which
he undertook in search of a north-west passage, at the
expense of Henry VIII, in 1516 or 1517, it is tolerably
certain that that great navigator discovered the two
straits which now bear the names of Davis and Hudson.
The failure of this voyage was attributed to a mutiny
of the crew; and the pusillanimity of the commander,
Sir Thomas Pert, compelled Cabot to return home.



THE CABOTS. 29

For several years there was no further attempt at a
northern voyage out of England. But Portugal, at this
period England’s most formidable rival on the sea, was
not so unwise as to allow so promising a field of honor
and emolument to remain unexplored. A passage by














felt a :
; ARV
Ha i oe
iy sta tnt
a ng

i Wy

<—
SSS

eS
Ss

SEBASTIAN CABOT,

water had been found around the continent of Africa
by one of her sons (De Gama), and this strengthened
the belief that one would be found also around the
continent of Europe, or through some portion of the
northern part of America, Accordingly, Gaspar Cor-
toreal fitted out two ships at his own expense, and sailed



30 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

from Lisbon in 1500, with the intention of following up
Sebastian Cabot’s discoveries. He touched at the
Azores, and then-pursued a course which led him to
Labrador, and he proceeded to explore it for upward
of 600 miles. In a letter written October 19, 1501,
only eleven days after the return of Cortoreal from his
northern voyage, it was stated, “On October 8, one of
the caravels under the command of Cortoreal arrived
here, and reports the finding of a country distant hence
west and north-west 2000 miles, heretofore quite un-
known. They proceeded over 600 miles without reach-
ing its termination, from which circumstance they con-
clude it to be of the mainland connected with another
region which last year was discovered in the north, but
-which the caravel could not reach on account of the ice
and the vast quantity of snow; and they are confirmed
in this belief by the multitude of great rivers they found,
which certainly could not proceed from an island.
They say the country is very populous, and the dwellings
of the inhabitants are constructed with timber of great
length and covered with the skins of fishes. They
have brought thither 57 of the inhabitants, men, women,
and children.”

Their color, figure, stature, and aspect are described.
They were said to be “ well made in the arms, legs, and
shoulders; admirably calculated for labor ; and are the
best slaves I have ever seen.”

It was very gratifying to the nation that their first
attempt in the frozen North should have been crowned
with so much success :—but it was a more substantial,
though a basely mercenary motive which induced them
again to take the field. Twenty years earlier the south-
ern Africans were pointed out as an article of commerce,



VERAZZANO, 31

Here alone, then, there was a rich mine of wealth for
the nation, and the king eagerly entered into the proj-
ect, which can thus be traced back to this barbarous
suggestion.

The next year Cortoreal departed with two ships on
a second voyage. He is described as entering a strait
(probably Hudson’s), but here a tempest arose, and he
was separated from
his companions, and
never heard of more.
When the news of
this disaster reached
Portugal,his brother
set out in search of
him ;—he never re-
turned, and the deep
still holds the secret
of the fate of both.

In 1524 the
French, for the first
time, entered the
field of Arctic dis-
covery. In that
year, by direction
of Francis I, four ;
ships were fitted out, ~ VERAZZANO.
and the command
given to Verazzano, a Florentine, who coasted North
America from the latitude 34° to 50°, a distance of
2100 miles, embracing the whole of the present United
States, and a large portion of British America. Veraz-
zano had frequent meetings with the natives, and speaks
of them in the highest terms. It is thought probable





32 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

that he first landed near Savannah, Ga. In his progress
northward he records meeting a people as fierce and
sullen as the others had been mild and gentle. Along
the coast he mentions a cluster of thirty islands, sepa-
rated by narrow channels, a description which precisely
marks the present Bay of Penobscot (Maine). He pur-
sued his course to latitude 50°, when, his provisions
failing, he sailed for France, which he reached in safety,
July 8, 1524.

In the same year that France made her first attempt
in the north, an expedition under Gomez left Spain,
with a view of finding a northern and shorter passage
to the Moluccas. He appears to have reached the lati-
tude 40°, and, without making any material discovery,
returned after a voyage of ten months.

After an interval of ten years, the French again set
forth on the career of northern discovery. Jacques
Cartier, with two ships, sailed April 20, 1534. He
appears to have circumnavigated Newfoundland, and to
have proceeded for some time in his course up the Bay
of St. Lawrence, being the first European that visited
it; but the season being far advanced, he thought it
better to reserve, for another voyage, the further exam-
ination of what promised to be a glorious field for ex-
ploration. He returned, therefore, by the Straits of
Belle Isle to St. Malo, where he arrived Sept. 5, 1534.

On May ro, 1535, he again sailed, with three ships,
which, soon after their departure, became separated in a
storm, and did not meet with each other till July 26,
when they proceeded to examine the large gulf which he
had formerly entered. ‘It was,” to use Cartier’s words,
“a very fair gulf, full of islands, passages and entrances,
to what wind soever you pleased to bend, having a great



JACQUES CARTIER. 33

island, like a cape of land, stretching somewhat farther
forth than the others.”







LLG;




LE a

oo
SOL ILL

CTS
SSIS

SLE



xf.
USS



JACQUES CARTIER,

This isle they named Assumption. To the channel
between it and the coast of Labrador, Cartier gave the
name of St. Lawrence, which has since been extended to

3 B



3A IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

the whole gulf. The French ascended the river as far
as the Indian city of Hochelaga, and were friendly re-
ceived by the Aboriginees, Hochelaga was called
Mont Royale, since corrupted into Montreal. This
discovery was of much importance, but the prejudice |
then prevailed that no countries were valuable except
such as produced gold and silver, and for four years the
- French monarch would listen to no proposals for the
establishment of a colony.

' We have seen that for some years the French omitted
to follow up the successful issue of Cartier’s second
voyage; their next attempt was the result of a private
adventure. Jean de Roque, the Sieur de Roberval, was
given permission to found a settlement in the country,
and was made Viceroy in Canada, Hochelga, Sag-
uenay, Newfoundland, Bellisle, Lakrador, the Great
Bay, etc.; which, if merited by any one, ought to have
been conferred upon Cartier. He was given a subor-
dinate command only, and was ordered to set off with
five vessels, Cartier received a different reception this
time. The Indians resisted, by every means in their
power, any attempt at a settlement, and the French
were obliged, for their defence, to build a fort near the
present site of Quebec.

We have, in the voyage of the Cortoreals, had a sad
example of the fatal results of attempts to break as-
sunder all ties of relationship and humanity by forcing
the Red Indian to become the slave of his white fellow-
creature; it was only by acts of the most signal
vengeance that the Western hemisphere was saved from
that disagreeable traffic which is the foulest blot in the
annals of the Eastern.

It is impossible not to be struck with the determined









35



























HARBOR OF ST. JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND.











































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































36 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

resistance which has ever been made by the aboriginees
of North America to these kidnapping adventures, and
likewise the fact, that the indiscretion of one traveler
' was visited, at some future period, on the perhaps



INDIAN CHIEFS.

unoffending head of the next who happened to traverse
the same path. Through jealousy Cartier deserted
Roberval, and this gave a death-blow to the enterprise.
In 1549 Roberval, and his brother, made another















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































7

ll

f

ne
eee
i Y



ety i): sh







QUEBEC. 37



38 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

attempt at a settlement. They were never heard of
moore.

In 1549 Sebastian Cabot was created Grand Pilot of
England, and started in his old age another idea, which
has become almost equally momentous in the history
of Arctic discovery—the search for a north-eastern route
to China. Accordingly, in the year 1553, a squadron
of three small vessels were fitted with everything
which experience had proven to be necessary, and
as a further precaution, the keels were covered with
“thinne sheets of leade,” which is the first instance on
record in England of the practice of sheathing, a
method, however, long before adoptéd in Spain.

The command was entrusted to Sir Hugh Wil-
loughby, “a most valiant gentleman,” but probably no
sailor, Richard Chancellor, and Stephen Burrough, and
sailed with the vain hope of reaching India by sailing
round North Asia, the formation and vast extent of
which were at that time totally unknown.

Off Senjan, an island on the Norwegian coast in lat.
69%4°, the ships parted company in a stormy night, never
to meet again. Willoughby reached the coast of Nova
Zembla, and ultimately sought a harbor in Lapland on
the west side of the entrance into the White Sea, where
the officers and crew were miserably frozen to death, as
some Russian fishermen ascertained in the following
spring. How long they sustained the severity of the
weather is not known, but the journal found on board
the Admiral proved that Willoughby ‘and most of the
ships’s company were alive in January,1554. “Seventy
souls” perished,-either through famine or the intense
cold. The two ships were recovered, and with the
dead bodies in them were sent to England, but on the































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































MONTREAL. 39



&

40 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

passage they “ sank with their dead, and them also that
brought them.”

They died the victims of inexperience; for had they
“been skilled in hunting and clothing themselves, and
taken the precaution of laying in at the beginning
of the winter a stock of mossy turf such as the country
produces for fuel, and above all had they secured a few
of the very many seals which abounded in the sea
around them, they might have preserved their lives and
passed an endurable winter.”

Chancellor was either more fortunate or more skillful,
for after having long been buffeted about by stormy
weather, he eventually reached St. Nicholas, in the
White Sea. From thence he proceeded overland to
Moscow and delivered his credentials to the Czar, from
whom he obtained many privileges for the company
who had fitted out the expedition. In 1554 he returned
to England, and shortly afterwards was sent back
to Russia by Queen Mary to negotiate a treaty of com-
merce between the two nations. Accomplishing his
mission, he once more set sail from the White Sea, ac-
companied by a Muscovite ambassador. The return
voyage was extremely unfortunate, for Chancellor, after
losing two of his vessels off the coast of Norway, was
carried by a violent tempest into the Bay of Pitsligo, in
Scotland, where his ship was wrecked. He endeavored
to save the ambassador and himself in a boat, but
the small pinnance was upset; and although the Rus-
sian safely reached the strand, the Englishman, after
having escaped so many dangers in the Arctic Ocean, ,
was drowned within sight of his native shores.

In 1556 the Muscovy Company fitted out the Serch-
thrift pinnance, under the command of Stephen Bur-





SIR HUGH WILLOUGHBY,



‘a3. IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

rough, the master of Chancellor’s ship in his first voy-
age, for discovery toward the River Obi and further
search for a north-east passage. This small vessel
teached the strait between Nova Zembla and Vaigats,
called by the Russians the Kara Gate, but the enormous
masses of ice that came floating through the channel
compelled it to return.

In spite of these disappointments, the desire to discover
a northern route to India was too great to allow enter-
prising European nations: to abandon the scheme as
hopeless.

In the days of Oudeh Elizabeth the question of the
North-west Passage was again revived, and Martin
Frobisher, who had solicited merchants and nobles
during fifteen years for means to undertake “ the only
great thing left undone in the world,’ sailed in the year
1576 with three small vessels of 35, 30, and Io tons,
on-no less an errand than the circumnavigation of
Northern America.. The reader may smile at the ig-
norance which encouraged such efforts, but he cannot
fail to admire the iron-hearted man who ventured in
such wretched nutshells to face the Arctic seas. Ex-
perience has since proved that such vessels were better
adapted for Arctic exploration than ships of a larger
measurement; but this fact was not then known. The
expedition safely reached'the coasts of Greenland and
Labrador, and brought home some glittering stones,
the lustre of. which was erroneously attributed to gold.
This belief so inflamed the zeal for new expeditions to
“Meta Incognita,” as Frobisher had named the coasts
he had discovered, that he found no difficulty in equip-
ping three ships of a much larger size, that they might
be able to hold more of the anticipated treasure. At



FROBISHER. 43

the entrance of the straits which still bear his name,
he was prevented by the gales and drift-ice from forcing






RRR
ON
.

.

vy

SAN
\
Is
as
ASS
ith Y °

a passage to the sea beyond, but having secured about
200 tons of the supposed golden ore, the expedition was



44 ; THE FROZEN SEAS.

considered eminently successful. Special commis-
sioners—gentlemen of great judgment, art, and skill—
were appointed by Her Majesty “to look thoroughly
into all matters pertaining to this ore.” It was nothing
but micaceous sand; but the commissioners made a
favorable report, both on the ore, and the prospects of a
passage to India; though upon what evidence it was
based is not known—the whole proceedings of these
functionaries being wrapped up in mystery. A large
squadron of fifteen vessels was consequently fitted out
in 1578 for a third voyage, and commissioned not only
to bring back an untold amount of treasure, but also to
take out materials and men to establish a colony on
those desolate shores. But this grand expedition, which
sailed with such extravagant hopes, was to end in dis-
appointment. One of the largest vessels was crushed
by an iceberg at the entrance of the strait, and the
others were so beaten about by storms and obstructed
by fogs that they were at length glad to return to Eng-
land without having done anything for the advance-
ment of geographical knowledge. The utter worthless-
ness of the glittering stones having meanwhile been
discovered, Frobisher relinquished all further attempts
to push his fortunes in the northern regions, and
sought new laurels in a sunnier clime. He accom-
panied Drake to the West Indies, where he commanded
one of the largest vessels opposed to the Spanish
Armada, and ended his heroic life while attacking a
small French fort in behalf of Henry IV., during the
war with the League.

The discovery of the North-western Passage was,
however, still the great enterprise of the day, and thus,
seven years after Frobisher’s disastrous voyage, sundry



DAVIS. AS

London merchants again “ cast in their adventure,” and
sent out John Davis, in 1585, with his two ships,
Sunshine and Moonshine, carrying, besides their more
necessary equipments, a band of music “to cheer and
recreate the spirits of the native.’ Davis arrived in
sight of the south-western coast of Greenland, where he
saw a high mountain (Sukkertoppen) towering like a
cone of silver over the fog which veiled the dismal
shore. The voyagers were glad to turn from the
gloomy scene, and to steer through the open water to
the north-west, where, on August 6, they discovered
land in latitude 66° 40’ altogether free from “the
pesters of ice, and ankered in a very fair rode.” A’
friendly understanding was established with the Esqui-
maux, and a lively traffic opened, the natives eagerly
giving their skins and furs for beads and knives until a
brisk wind: separated the strange visitants from their
simple-minded friends. The remainder of the season
was spent in exploring Cumberland Sound and the
entrance to Frobisher’s and Hudson’s Straits.

The discovery by Davis of a free open passage to the
_ westward, inspired sanguine hopes of the ultimate
success of the search. In the year following a second
voyage was undertaken by Davis, for which the Szw-
shine and Moonshine were again engaged, with two
other vessels. On June 29, 1586, he landed on the
coast of Greenland, in latitude 64°, and steered to the
west. The enormous ice-floes which come drifting
from Baffin’s Bay until the season is far advanced, op-
posed his progress. For some days he coasted these
floating islands, when a fog came on, during which
ropes, sails, and cordage were alike fast frozen, and the
seamen, hopeless of accomplishing the passage, warned



46 ‘IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

their commander that “by his overboldness he might
cause their widows and fatherless children to give him
bitter curses.” Touched by this appeal, Davis ordered
two of his ships to return home.

On August 1, he discovered land, latitude 66° 33’
N., and longitude 70° W. Here he was abandoned
by. his remaining vessels, and proceeded by himself on
his voyage. On September 4, in latitude 54° N., Davis
states he had “perfect hope of the passage, finding a
mightie great sea passing between the two lands west.”
After this, in consequence of severe weather, he thought
_ it prudent to return home.

On June 16, 1587, we once more find him on the coast
of Greenland, in his old tried bark the Swzshine, in com-
pany with the Azadeh and a pinnace. The supplies
for this third voyage were furnished under the express
condition that the expenses should be lightened as
much as possible by fishing at all suitable times; the
two larger ships were stationed for the purpose near
the part of the coast which they had formerly visited,
‘while Davis steered forward in the small and ill-con-
ditioned vessel which alone remained at his disposal.
He sailed along the Greenland coast as far as 72° latitude,
where, having fairly entered Baffin’s Bay, he named the
point at which he touched Sanderson’s Hope, in honor
of his chief patron, and then steered to the west, until
he once more fell in with the ice-barrier which had
prevented his progress the year before. Time and
perseverance, however, overcame all obstacles, and by
July 19 he had crossed to the opposite side of the
strait which bears his name. He then sailed for two
days up Cumberland Strait—which, it will be remem-
‘bered, he discovered on his first expedition—but be-















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































C

La

ANH

Ly
ye



























THE “SUNSHINE”? AND THE *¢ MOONSHINE.” 47



48 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

lieving this passage to be an inclosed gulf, he returned,
and again passing the entrance to Hudson’s Bay, with-
out an effort to investigate it, repaired to the rendezvous
appointed for the two whaling vessels to meet him on
their way to England. Judge of his astonishment and
consternation when he found his companions had sailed
away, leaving him to find his way home in his miserable
pinnace, which, however, landed him safely on his
native shores. This was the last of the Arctic voyages
of that great navigator, for the spirit of the nation was
chilled by his three successive disappointments ; and all
the zeal with which he pleaded for a fourth expedition
proved fruitless. The projected invasion by the Span-
ish Armada put a stop to everything just then.

He susequently made five voyages to the East Indies,
and was killed on December 27, 1605, on the coast of
Malacca, in a fight with the Malays.

Seven years after Davis’s last voyage, the Dutch
made their first appearance on the scene of Northern
discovery. They had just succeeded in casting off the
Spanish yoke, and were now striving to gain, by the
development of maritime trade, a position among the
neighboring States, which the smallness of their terri-
tory seemed to deny them. All the known avenues to
the treasures of the south were at that time too well
guarded by the fleets of Portugal and Spain to admit of
any rivalry; but if fortune favored them in finding the
yet unexplored northern passage to India, they might
still hope to share in that most lucrative of trades.

Animated by this enterprise, some merchants of Am-
sterdam fitted out in 1594 an expedition in quest of the
North-eastern Passage, which they intrusted to the com-
mand of Cornelius Corneliszoon, Brant Ysbrantzoon,



BARENTZ, 49

and William Barentz, one of the most experienced sea-
men of the day. The three vessels sailed from the
Texel on June 6, and reaching the coast of Lapland,
separated into two divisions; Barentz chose the bolder
course of coasting the west side of Nova Zembla as far
as the islands of Orange, the most northerly points of































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































BARENTZ’S HOUSE,

the archipelago; while his less adventurous comrades

sailed along the Russian coast until they reached a

strait, to which they gave the very appropriate name of

Vaigats, or “ Wind-hole.” Forcing their way through

the ice, which almost constantly blocks up the entrance

to the Kara Sea, they saw, on rounding a promontory
4



50 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

at the other end of the strait, a clear expanse of blue
open sea, stretching onward as far as the eye could
reach, while the continent trended away rapidly toward
the south-east. They believed they had sailed round
the famous Cape Tabin—a fabulous headland, which,
according to Pliny (an indisputable authority in those ~
times of geographical ignorance), formed the northern
extremity of Asia, from whence the voyage was sup-
posed to be easy to its eastern and southern shores,
Little did Brant and Cornelius dream that within the
Arctic Circle the Asiatic coast still stretched 120° to
the east; and fully trusting their erroneous impressions,
they started in full sail for Holland, eager to bring to
their countrymen the news of their imaginary success.
Off Russian Lapland. they fell in with Barentz, who,
having arrived at the northern extremity of Nova
Zembla—a higher latitude than any navigator is re-
corded to have reached before—had turned back before
strong ‘opposing winds and floating ice, and. the three
vessels returned together to the Texel.

The hopes raised by the discovery of the imaginary
Cape Tabin induced the fitting out of a fleet of six
ships, laden with all sorts of merchandise fit for the
Indian market. A little yacht was added, which was
to accompany the fleet as far as that promontory, and
thence to return with the good news that the squadron.
had been left steering with a favorable wind right off to
India. As may be supposed, these sanguine hopes
were doomed to a woful disappointment, for the
“Wind-hole Strait,” doing full justice to its name, did
not allow the vessels to pass; and after fruitless efforts
to force their way through the ice-blocks, they returned



BARENTZ. 51

crestfallen to the port whence they had sailed a few
months before with such brilliant expectations.

Although great disappointment was felt at this fail-
ure, the scheme of sailing round Cape Tabin to India
was, however, not abandoned by the persevering Am-
sterdamers; and on May 16, 1596, a fourth expedition
started for the north-east, with Barentz and two others
commanding, Bear Island and Spitzbergen were dis-
covered, whereupon the ships separated, two returning
to: Holland, while Barentz, slowly making his way
through the fog and ice, advanced to the most northern
point of Nova Zembla, the crew being encouraged by
the tidings that from the high cliffs of Orange Island
clear open water had been seen to the south-east. The
effort to reach this inviting channel was frustrated by
the ice, which gathered about the ship as it lay near
shore, and gradually collecting under and around it,
raised it far above the level of the sea. All hope of re-
_ turn before the next summer now vanished, and here,
at the end of August, in latitude 76° N., were seventeen
unfortunate creatures doomed to endure all the horrors
of the dreary Arctic winter, doubly fearful because
unknown.

They started to build a hut, which after great labor
was finished on October 2. Each day the cold became
more intense. Did they hang up their clothes to dry,
the side away from the fire was frozen hard. “It
seemed as if the fire had lost all power of conveying
heat; their stockings were burned before their feet felt
any warmth, and this burning was announced by smell
rather than by feeling.”

On November 4 the sun disappeared, and with it
also a very disagreeable visitor, who put them in great



52 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

alarm—the huge white bear. They had, however, the
pale light of the moon, and the little Arctic fox, whose
flesh they found very palatable. On January 24, 1596,
after a darkness of 81 days, the edge of the sun ap-
- peared above the horizon, and the sight was a joyful
one indeed. The furious snow-storm ceased, and
though the severity of the cold continued till April,
they were better able to brave the outer air and to re-
cruit their strength by exercise. With the return of
daylight the bears came again and some being shot, af-
forded a supply of grease, so that they were able to
burn lamps and pass the time in reading.

When summer returned it was found impossible to
disengage the ice-bound vessel, and the only hope of
escape rested on two small boats, in which they finally
quitted the scene of so much suffering on June 14,
1596. On the fourth day out their barks became sur-
rounded by enormous masses of floating ice, which so
crushed and injured them that the crews gave up all
hope and took a solemn leave ofeach other. In this des- ©
perate crisis they owed their preservation to the presence
of mind and agility of a sailor, who, with a well-secured
rope, leaped from one ice-block to another till he
reached a larger floe, on which first the sick, then the
stores, the crews, and finally the boats themselves were
fairly landed. Here they were obliged to remain while
the boats underwent the necessary repairs, and during
this detention upon a floating ice-raft the gallant Ba-
rentz closed the eventful voyage of his life. He died as
he had lived, calmly and bravely, thinking less of him-
self than of the welfare of his fellow-sufferers, for his
last words were directions as to the course in which
they were to steer. His death was bitterly mourned



BARENTZ, 53

by the rough men under his command, and even the
prospect of a return to their homes could not console
them for the loss of their beloved leader, After a













































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































POLAR BEARS.

tedious passage (for by July 28 they had only reached
the southern extremity of Nova Zembla) they at length,
at the end of August, arrived at Kola, in Russian Lap-



54 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

land, where, to their glad surprise, they found three
Dutch ships. Of the 17 men stranded on Nova Zem-
bla, 12 returned to Amsterdam. The natural condition
of the high northern regions during winter was made
known to us by these voyages.

England tried it once more in 1602, when Weymouth
was repulsed by a violent storm, in his attempt to sail
up the promising inlet now so well known as the
entrance to Hudson’s Bay; and, in 1606, a melancholy
issue awaited the next expedition, which sailed under
the command of John Knight.

In 1607, Hendrick Hudson made the first attempt to sail
across the North Pole, a plan started in 1527 by Robert
Thorne, but not yet acted tipon by any one during the
80 years that had since passed. He reached the east
coast of Greenland in 73° of latitude, and then sailed
to the northern extremity of Spitzbergen, but all his
efforts to launch forth into the unknown ocean beyond
were baffled by the ice-fields that opposed his progress.

In his next voyage (1608) he vainly tried for the
North-east Passage; but his third voyage (1609), which
he performed in the service of the Dutch, led to the dis-
covery of the magnificent river which still bears his
name, and at whose mouth the “ Empire City ” of this
great "Republic has arisen.

In April, 1610, he sailed on the last and most cele-
brated of his voyages. In all but its commander, this
expedition was miserably inadequate to the object of its
mission, for it consisted only of one vessel of 55 tons,
provisioned for six months, and manned by a crew who
speedily proved unworthy of their leader. On entering
Hudson’s Straits, the large masses of ice which encum-
bered the surface of the water and the thickness of the



HUDSON. oS

constant fogs made them lose all courage, and they
earnestly. begged their commander to return at once to
England. But Hudson pressed on until at last his little
bark emerged into a vast open water, rippling and
sparkling in the morning sunshine. Hudson’s Bay ex-
panded before him, and the enraptured discoverer was
fully convinced
that the north-
western route
to Indianow lay
open, and that
he had succeed-
ed in accom- {
plishing that
which had _ baf- [_.
fled so many
before him. e
It was the be-

ginning of Au-
gust, and the
dastardly crew
considering the
passage effected
urged an imme-
diate return; HENDRICK HUDSON.

but Hudson .

was determined on completing the adventure, and
wintering, if possible, on the sunny shores of India.
For three months he continued tracking the south
coasts of that vast northern Mediterranean, but all
his hopes of finding a new channel opening to the
south proved vain, until at length the ship . was
frozen in on November 10 in the south-east corner of





56 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

James’s Bay. A dreary winter awaited the ice-bound
seamen, with almost exhausted provisions, and unfortu-
nately without that heroic patience and concord which
had sustained the courage of Barentz and his companions
under trials far more severe. But spring came at last,
and revived the spirits of their leader. His ship was
once more afloat, once more his fancy indulged in visions
of the sunny East, when, as he stepped on deck on the
morning of June 21, his arms were suddenly pinioned,
and he found himself in the power of three of his men.

Inquiry, remonstrance, entreaty, command, all failed
to draw a word from the stubborn mutineers, and Hud-
son resigned himself bravely to his fate, and, with the
quiet dignity of a noble nature, looked on calmly at the
ominous preparations going forward. A small open
boat was in waiting, and into this Hudson—his hands
being previously tied behind his back—was lowered;
some powder and shot and the carpenter’s box came
next, followed by the carpenter himself, John King,
whose name ought to be held in honorable remem-
brance, as he alone among the crew remained true to
his master. Six invalids were also forced into the boat,
which was then cut adrift, and the vessel sailed onward
on its homeward course.. Nothing more was ever heard
of Hudson; but the ringleaders of that dark conspiracy
soon paid a terrible penalty. Some fell in a fight with
the Esquimaux, and others died on the homeward
voyage, during which they suffered from the extremest
famine.

Thus miserably perished a man, of whom it has been
truly said, that he was, “in point of Skill, inferior to
few; in regard to Courage, surpassed by none, and in
point of Industry and Labor, hardly equalled by any.”



























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































Teh NN ne
DYNA AITO : ;













































HLL) Ran Fe
| i ) i atl Ml A U\\\ :
A

VAAL un

TOS \





THE “HALF MOON” IN THE HUDSON RIVER. 57



58 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

The account of the great expanse of sea which had
been reached gave new vigor to the spirit of discovery,
and new expeditions sallied forth (Thomas Button, 1612,
Gibbons, 1614, Bylot, 1615), to seek along the western
shores of Hudson’s Bay the passage which was to open
the way to India. All efforts in this direction were of
course doomed to disappointment, but Baffin, who sailed
in 1616, with directions to try his fortune beyond Davis’s
Straits, enriched geography with a new and important
conquest by sailing round the enormous bay which will
bear his name as long as honest worth shall be recog-
nized in the world. During this voyage he discovered
the entrances to Smith’s, Jones’s, and Lancaster Sounds,
without attempting to investigate these broad highways
to fields of later exploration. He believed them to be
mere inclosed gulfs, and this belief became so firmly
grounded in the public mind that two full .centuries’
elapsed before any new attempt was made to seek for a
western passage in this direction, while Jens Munk, a
Dane, sent out in 1619 with two good vessels, under the
patronage of his king, Christian IV; Fox and James
(1631-1632), Knight and Barlow (1719), Middleton
(1741), Moor and Smith (1746), confined their efforts to
Hudson’s Bay, and, by their repeated disappointments,
made all expeditions in quest of a north-western pas-
sage appear well-nigh as chimerical as those of the
knights-errant of romance.

Vitus Behring, a Dane by birth, but an officer in the
Russian navy, was sent by the Empress Catherine, from
St. Petersburg, on February 5, 1725, to explore the Sea of
Kamtchatka. During this voyage, which occupied several
years, he discovered Behring’s Strait (1728), and ascer.
tained that Asia was not joined to America. In a sub-





CAPTAIN JAMES COOK.
(Who first Circumnavigated the Globe.)

59



60 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

sequent voyage he was wrecked on Behring’s Island,
where he died of scurvy, on September 8, 1741.

Behring Sea, or the Sea of Kamtchatka, is the most
northern part of the Pacific Ocean, extending between
the peninsulas of Alaska and Kamtchatka. It is con-
nected by Behring Strait with the Arctic Ocean. Its
width is about 45 miles at the narrowest part, between
East Cape (Asia) and Cape Prince of Wales (America).
Its depth in the middle is about 180 feet.

CHAPTER JII.
VOYAGES FROM BAFFIN TO McCLINTOCK:

‘Tue failure of Captain Phipps in the Spitzbergen seas
(1773), and that of the illustrious Cook (1776), in his at-
tempt to circumnavigate the northern shores of America
or Asia, by way of the Straits of Behring, entirely damped
for the next 40 years the spirit of Arctic discovery ;
but hope revived when it became known that Captain
Scoresby, on a. whaling expedition in the Greenland
seas (1806), had attained 81° 30’ N. latitude, and thus
approached the Pole to within 540 miles. No previous
navigator had ever reached so far to the north ; an open
sea lay temptingly before him and the absence of the
ice-blink proved that for miles beyond the visible hori-
zon no ice-field or snow-covered land opposed his on-
ward course; but.as his object was strictly commercial,
and he himself answerable to the owners of the vessel,
he felt obliged to sacrifice his inclinations to his duty,
and to steer again to the south.

During the continental war, England had no leisure



FRANKLIN. ai

for discoveries in the Arctic Ocean; but not long after
the conclusion of peace, four stout vessels (1818) were
sent out by the Government. Two of these, the Dorothea,
Captain Buchan, and the 7ven¢, Commander John Frank-
lin, endeavored to cross the Polar Sea. After un-
numbered difficulties, the expedition was battling with
the ice to the north-west of Spitzbergen, when, on July
30, a sudden gale compelled the commander, as the
only chance of safety, to “take the ice””—that is, thrust
the ships into any opening among the moving masses
that could be perceived. In this very hazardous oper-
ation, the Dorothea was so injured that she was in
danger of sinking, and was therefore turned homewards
as soon as the storm subsided, and the TJrent of ne-
cessity accompanied her.

The other two ships which sailed in the same year,
the /sabela, commanded by John Ross, and. the A/ex-
ander, by William Edward Parry, had been ordered to
proceed up the middle of Davis’s Strait to a high north-
ern latitude, and then to stretch across to the westward,
in the hope of reaching Behring’s Strait by that route.
This expedition ended in disappointment; for though
Ross defined more clearly the Greenland coast to the
north of the Danish possessions between Cape Melville
and Smith’s Sound, he was satisfied with making a very
cursory examination of all the great channels leading
from Baffin’s Bay into the Polar Sea. After sailing for
some little distance up Lancaster Sound, he was arrested
by the atmospheric deception of a range of mountains,
extending across the passage, and concluding it useless
to persevere, he abandoned a course which was to
render his successor illustrious. The manner in which
Ross had conducted this expedition failed to satisfy the



62 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

authorities at home; and, in the following year, the
flecla, commanded by Parry, and the Gviper, under
Matthew Liddon, were commissioned for the purpose
of exploring the sound, whose entrance only had been
seen by Baffin and Ross.

With this brilliant voyage, the epoch of modern dis-
coveries in the Arctic Ocean may properly be said to
begin. Sailing right through Lancaster Sound, over
the site of Ross’s imaginary Croker Mountains, Parry
passed Barrow’s Strait, and after exploring Prince Re-
gent’s Inlet, whence the ice compelled him to return to
the main channel, he discovered Wellington Channel
(August 22, 1818), and soon after had the satisfaction
of announcing to his men that, having reached 110° W.
longitude, they were entitled to the bounty of $25,000,
secured to “ such of His Majesty’s subjects as might suc-
ceed in penetrating thus far to the west within the
Arctic Circle.” After passing and naming Melville
Island, a little progress was still made westward; but
the ice was now rapidly gathering, the vessels were
soon beset, and, after getting free with great difficulty,
Parry was only too glad to turn back and settle down
in Winter Harbor. It was no easy task to attain this
dreary port, as a canal over two miles in length had.
first to be cut through solid ice of seven inches average
thickness ; yet such was the energy of the men that it
was executed in three days. The two vessels were im-
mediately unrigged, the decks housed over, a heating
apparatus arranged, and everything made as comforta-
ble as possible. To relieve the monotony of the long
winter’s night, plays were acted, a school established,
and a newspaper set on foot—certainly the first period-
ical ever issued in so high a latitude. During the day















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































PARRY’S CREW CUTTING A PASSAGE THROUGH THE ICE. 63



>

64 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

the men were employed for exercise in banking up the
ships with snow or making excursions within a certain
distance; and when the weather forbade their leaving
shelter, they were obliged to run round the decks to the
tune of a barrel-organ.

The cold became more and more intense. It was 51°
below zero in the open air on January 12, 1819, and on
the 14th the thermometer fell to 54°.

February 3, 1819, was a memorable day—the sun
being visible from the maintop of the Hecla, from
whence it was last seen on November 11, 1818, eighty-
four days before. The weather grew milder in March;
on the 6th the thermometer rose to zero, for the first
time since December 17, and on April 30 it stood at
the freezing-point, which it had not reached since Sep-
tember 12 of the previous year.

May appeared, bringing the long summer’s day of
the high northern latitudes; but as many a week must
still pass before the vessels could move out of their ice-
bound harbor, Parry started on June 1, 1819, to explore
the interior of the island, which at this early period of
the season still wore a dreary aspect. Such was the
rapidity of vegetation, that by the end of the month the
land, now completely clear of snow, was covered with
the purple-colored saxifrage in blossom, with mosses,
and with sorrel, and the grass was from two to three
inches long. The pasturage appeared to be excellent
in the valleys, and to judge by the numerous tracks of
musk-oxen and reindeer, there were animals enough to
enjoy its abundance.

It was not before August 1 that the ships were re-
leased from their ten months’ blockade in Winter Har-
bor, when Parry once more stood boldly for the west;



PARRY. 65

but no amount of skill or patience could penetrate the
obstinate masses of ice that blocked the passage, or in-
sure the safety of the vessels under the repeated shocks
sustained from them. Finding the barriers insuperable,
he gave way, and steering homeward, reached London
on November 3, 1820, and was enthusiastically received.

While Parry was engaged on this wonderful voyage,
John Franklin and Dr. Richardson, accompanied by
two midshipmen, George Back and Robert Hood, and
a sailor, John Hepburn, to whom were added during the
course of the journey a troop of Canadians and Indians,
were penetrating by land to the mouth of the Copper-
mine River for the purpose of examining the unex-
plored shores of the Polar Sea to the east. An idea of
their difficulties may be formed when it is mentioned
that the travelers started from Fort York, Hudson’s Bay,
on August 30, 1819, and after a boat voyage of 700
miles up the Saskatchewan arrived before winter at
Fort Cumberland. The next winter found them 700
miles farther on their journey, established during the
extreme cold at Fort Enterprise, as they called a log-
house built by them on Winter Lake, where they spent
10 months, depending upon fishing and the success of
their Indian hunters. During the summer of 1821,
they accomplished the remaining 334 miles to the
mouth of the Coppermine, and on July 21 Franklin
and his party embarked in two birch-bark canoes on
theit voyage of exploration. In these frail shallops
they skirted the desolate coast of the American con-
tinent 555 miles to the east of the Coppermine as far as
Point Turnagain, when the rapid decrease of their pro-
visions and the shattered state of the canoes compelled
their return (August 22). And now began a dreadful

5 Cc



66 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

land-journey of two. months, accompanied by all the
horrors of cold, famine, and fatigue. An esculent .
lichen (tripe de roche), with an occasional ptarmigan,
formed their scanty food, but on many days even this
poor supply could not be obtained, and their appetites
became ravenous. Sometimes they had the good
fortune to pick up pieces of skin, and a few bones of
deer which had been devoured by the wolves in the
previous spring. The bones were rendered friable by
burning, and now and then their old shoes were added
to the repast. On reaching the Coppermine, a raft had
to be framed, a task accomplished with difficulty by
the exhausted party. One or two of the Canadians
had already fallen behind, and never rejoined their
' comrades, and now Hood and three or four more of
the party broke down and could proceed no farther,
Richardson volunteering to remain with them, while
Back, with the most vigorous of the men, pushed on to
send succor from Fort Enterprise, and Franklin fol-
lowed more slowly with the others. On reaching the
log house they found it desolate, with no deposit of
provisions and no trace of the Indians whom they had
expected to meet there. “It would be impossible,”
says Franklin, “to describe our sensations after enter-
ing this miserable abode and discovering how we had
been neglected; the whole party shed tears, not so
much for our own fate as for that of our friends in the
rear, whose lives depended entirely on our sending
immediate relief from this place.” Their only consola-
tion was a gleam of hope afforded them by a note from
Back, stating that he had reached the deserted hut two
days before, and was going in search of the Indians.
The fortunate discovery of some cast-off deer-skins and





EDWARD PARRY AND GEORGE BACK.

67



68 FRANKLIN,

of a heap of acrid bones, a provision worthy of the
place, sustained their flickering life-flame, and after 18
miserable days they were joined by Richardson and.
Hepburn, the sole survivors of their-party. ;
_ “Upon entering the desolate dwelling,” says Richard-
son, “we had the satisfaction of embracing Franklin,
but no words can convey an idea of the filth and
wretchedness that met our eyes on looking around.
Our own misery had stolen upon us by degrees, and
we were accustomed to the contemplation of each
other’s emaciated figures; but the ghastly counte-
nances, dilated eyeballs, and sepulchral voices of Frank-
lin and those with him were more than we could at first
bear.” At length, on November 7, when the few sur-
vivors of the ill-fated expedition (for most of the voy-
agers died from sheer exhaustion) were on the point of
sinking under their sufferings, three Indians, sent by
Back, brought them the succor they had so long been
waiting for. The eagerness with which they. feasted on
dried meat and tongues brought on severe pains in the
stomach which soon warned them that after so long an
abstinence they must be careful in the quantity of food
taken. In a fortnight’s time they had recruited their
strength and joined Back at Moose Deer Island, and in
the following year they returned to England.

Parry’s second voyage of discovery (1821-1823) was
undertaken for the purpose of ascertaining whether a
communication might be found between Regent’s Inlet
and Rowe’s Welcome, or through Repulse Bay and
thence to the north-western shores of America. The
first summer (1821) was spent in the vain attempt of
forcing a way through Frozen Strait, Repulse Bay, the
large masses of ice in these waters holding the ships



PARRY. 69
helplessly in their grasp, and often carrying them back
in a few days to the very spot which they had left a
month before. Owing to these tebuffs, the season
came’ to an end while their enterprise was yet scarcely
begun, and the ships took up their quarters in an open
roadstead at Winter Island to the south of Melville
Peninsula. The monotony of the winter was pleasantly
broken during February by friendly visits from a party
of Esquimaux. Among these was a young woman
whose quickness of comprehension enabled her to be-
come an interpreter between her people and the Eng-
lish. The nature of a map having been explained to
her, she sketched with chalk upon the deck the out-
lines of the adjoining coast, and delineated the whole
eastern shore of Melville Peninsula, rounding its
northern extremity by a large island and a strait of suf-
ficient magnitude to afford a safe passage for the ships.
This information greatly encouraged the whole party,
which already fancied the worst part of their voyage
overcome, and its truth was eagerly tested on July 2,
- as soon as the ships could once more be set afloat.
After running great dangers from the ice, they
reached the small island of Igloolik, near the entrance
of the channel, the situation of which had been
accurately laid down by the Esquimau woman. But
all their efforts to force a passage through the narrow
strait proved vain, for after struggling 65 days to get
forward, they had only in that time reached 40 miles to
the westward of Igloolik. The vessels were therefore
again placed in winter-quarters in a channel between
Igloolik and the land; but having ascertained by boat
excursions the termination of the strait, Parry thought
it so promising for the ensuing summer that he at once



70 IN THE. FROZEN SEAS.

named it the “ Hecla and Fury Strait.” But his hopes
were once more doomed to disappointment by the ice-
obstructed channel, and he found it impossible to pass
through it with his ships. His return to England with
his crews in health, after two winters in the high lati-
tudes, was another triumph of judgment and discipline.

In the following year two new expeditions set out.
Captain Lyon was sent out in the Grzper, with orders to
land at Wager River, off Repulse Bay, and thence to
cross Melville Peninsula, and proceed. overland to Point
Turnagain, where Franklin’s journey ended. Buta suc-
cession of dreadful storms so crippled the Griger, that
it necessarily returned to’ England.

Such was the esteem Parry had acquired among the
companions of his two former voyages, that when he
took the command of a third expedition, to seek a
passage through Prince Regent’s Inlet, they all volun-
teered to accompany him. From the middle of July
till nearly the middle of September (1824), the Hecla
and the Fury had to contend with the enormous ice-
masses of Baffin’s Bay, which would certainly have
crushed vessels less stoutly ribbed; and thus it was
September 10 before they entered Lancaster Sound,
which they found clear of ice, except here and there a
solitary berg. But new ice now began to form, which,
increasing daily in thickness, beset the ship, and carried

- them once more back again into Baffin’s Bay. By per-
severance and the aid of a strong easterly breeze, Parry
regained the lost ground, and on the 27th reached ‘the
entrance of Port Bowen, on the eastern shore of Prince

~ Regent’s Inlet, where he passed the winter. By July

19, 1825, the vessels were again free; and Parry now

sailed across the inlet to examine the coast of North



PARRY. 71

Somerset; but the floating ice so injured the Fury that
it was found necessary to abandon her. ' Her crew and
valuables were therefore tranferred to the Hecla, the
provisions, stores, and boats were landed, and safely
housed on Fury Point, off North Somerset, for the
relief of any wandering Esquimaux or future Arctic
explorers who might chance to visit the spot, and the
crippled ship was given up to the mercy of the ice,
while her companion made the best of her way to
England.

In spite of the dreadful sufferings of Franklin, Rich-
ardson and Back during their first land- journey, we
find these heroes once more setting forth in 1825,deter-
mined to resume the survey of the Arctic coasts. Ade-
quate preparation was made for the necessities of their
journey; and before they settled down for the winter at
“ Fort Franklin,” on the shores of Great Bear Lake, a
journey of investigation down the Mackenzie River to
the sea had been brought to a successful end. As soon
as the ice broke in the following summer, they set out
in four boats, and separated at the point where the river :
divides into two main branches, Franklin and Back
proposing to survey the coast-line to the westward,
while Richardson set out in an easterly direction to the
mouth of the Coppermine River. Franklin arrived at
the mouth of the Mackenzie on July 7, 1826, where a
large tribe of Esquimaux pillaged his boats, and it was
only by great prudence and forbearance that the whole
party were not massacred. A full month was now spent
in the tedious survey of 374 miles of coast, as far as
Return Reef, more than tooo miles distant from their
winter-quarters on Great Bear Lake. The return jour-
ney to Fort Franklin was safely accomplished, and they



72 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

arrived at their house on September 21, where they had
the pleasure of finding Richardson, who had reached
the Coppermine, thus connecting Franklin’s former dis-
coveries to the eastward in Coronation Gulf with those
made by him on this occasion to the westward of the.
Mackenzie. The cold during the second winter at Fort
Franklin was intense, the thermometer standing at one
time at 58° below zero; but the comfort they now en-
joyed formed a most pleasant contrast to the squalid
misery of Fort Enterprise.

When Franklin left England to proceed on this ex-
pedition, his first wife was then lying at the point of
death, and indeed expired the day after his departure. .
But with heroic fortitude she urged him to set out on
the very day appointed, entreating him, as he valued
her peace and his own glory, not to delay a moment
on her account. His feelings may be imagined when
he raised on Garry Island a silk flag which she had
made and given him as a parting gift, with the instruc-
tion that he was only to hoist it on reaching the Polar
Sea.

While Parry and Franklin were thus searching for a
western passage, a sea expedition under Captain
Beechey had been sent to Behring’s Straits to co-operate
with them, so as to furnish provisions to the former and
a conveyance home to the latter—a task more easily
planned than executed; and thus we cannot wonder
that when the Blossom reached the appointed place of
rendezvous at Chamisso Island, in Kotzebue Sound
(July 25, 1826), she found neither Parry (who had long
since returned to England) nor Franklin,

In the year 1827 the indefatigable Parry undertook
one of the most extraordinary voyages ever performed



PARRY. 73

by man; being no less than an attempt to reach the
North Pole by boat and sledge-traveling over the ice.
His hopes of success were founded on Crosby’s author-
ity, who reported having seen ice-fields so free from either





















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































wi
saa

PARRY JOURNEYING ON THE ICE.

fissure or hummock, that had they not been covered
with snow, a coach might have been driven many
leagues over them in a direct line; but when Parry
reached the ice-fields to the north of Spitzbergen, he
found them of a very different nature, composed of



74 : IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

loose, rugged masses, intermixed with poois of water,
which rendered traveling over them extremely arduous
and slow. The strong, flat-bottomed boats, specially
prepared for an amphibious journey, with a runner at-
tached to each side of the keel, so as to adapt them for
sledging, had thus frequently to be laden and unladen,
in order to be raised over the hummocks, and repeated
journeys backward and forward over the same ground
were the necessary consequence... Frequently the crew
had to go on hands and knees to secure a footing.
Heavy showers of rain often rendered the surface of
the ice a mass of slush, and in some places the ice took
the form of sharp-pointed crystals, which cut the boots
like penknives. But in spite of all these obstacles, they
toiled cheerfully on, until at length, after 35 days of
incessant drudgery, the discovery was made that, while
they were apparently advancing toward the Pole, the
ice-field on which they were traveling was drifting to
the south, and thus rendering all their exertions fruitless.
Yet, though disappointed in his hope of planting his
country’s standard on the northern axis of the globe,
Parry had the glory of reaching the highest authenti-
cated latitude ever yet attained (82° 4o’ 30’). .On their
return to the Hecla, which awaited them in Treurenberg
Bay, on the northern coast of Spitzbergen, the boats
encountered a dreadful storm on the open sea, which
obliged them to bear up for Walden Island—one of the
most northerly rocks of the archipelago—where, fortu-
nately, a reserve supply of provisions had been depos-
ited. “Everything belonging to us,” says Parry, “was
now completely drenched by the spray and snow; we
had been 56 hours without rest, and 48 at work in the
boats, so that by the time they were unloaded we had



ROSS. 7

barely strength to haul them up on the rocks. How-
ever, by great exertion, we managed to get the boats
above the surf, after which a hot supper, a blazing fire
of drift-wood, and a few hours’ quiet rest restored us.”
He who laments over the degeneracy of the human
race, and supposes it to have been more vigorous or
endowed with greater powers of endurance in ancient
times, may perhaps come to a different opinion when
reading of Parry and his companions.

Thus ended the last of this great navigator’s Arctic
voyages. In his 28th year he discovered Melville
Island, and his subsequent expedition confirmed the
excellent reputation he had acquired by his first brilliant
success. From the years 1829 to 1834 we find him in
New South Wales. In 1837 he was organizing the mail-
packet service, and was finally appointed Governor of
Greenwich Hospital. He died in the summer of 1855
at Ems. ,

Ten years had elapsed since John Ross’s first unsuc-
cessful voyage, when the veteran seaman, anxious to ob-
literate the reproach of former failure by some worthy
achievement. was able to accomplish his wishes. A
small steamer, named the Victory, was purchased for the
voyage, an unfortunate selection, for nothing can be
more unpractical than paddle-boxes among ice-blocks ;
but to make amends for this error, Ross was fortunate
in being accompanied by his nephew, James Ross, who,
-with every quality of the seaman, united the zeal of an
able naturalist. He it was who, by his well-executed
sledge journeys, made the chief discoveries of the ex-
pedition; but the voyage of the Victory is far less
remarkable for successes achieved than for its unexam-
pled protraction during a period of five years,



76 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

The first season ended well, On August Io, 1829,
the Victory entered Prince Regent’s Inlet, and reached
on the 13th the spot where Parry, on his third voyage,
had been obliged to abandon the Fury. The ship itself
had been swept away; but all her sails, stores, and pro-
visions on land were found untouched. The hermeti-
cally sealed tin cans in which the stores were packed had
preserved them from the attacks of the white bears, and
they were found as good after four years as they
had been on the day when they were abandoned. - It
was to this discovery that the crew of the Victory
owed their subsequent preservation, for how else could
they have passed four winters in the Arctic wastes ?

On August 15 Cape Garry was attained, the most
southern point of the inlet which Parry had reached on
his third voyage. Fogs and drift-ice greatly. retarded
the progress of the expedition, but Ross moved on,
though slowly, so that by September 15 he had gone
over some 500 miles of newly-discovered coast. But
now, at the beginning of winter, the Victory was obliged
to take refuge in Felix Harbor, where the useless
steam-engine was thrown overboard, and the usual
preparations made for spending the cold season as
pleasantly as possible.

The following spring (from May 17 to June 13, 1830,)
was employed by James Ross on a sledge journey,
which led to the discovery of King William’s Sound
and King William’s Land, and during which that cour-
ageous mariner penetrated so far to the west that he had
only ten days’ provisions for a return voyage of 200
miles through an empty wilderness.

After twelve months’ imprisonment the Victory was
released from the ice on September 17, and proceeded



ROSS. wy

once more on her discoveries. But the period of her
liberty was short, for, after advancing three miles in one
continual battle against the currents and the drift-ice,
she again froze fast on the 27th.

In the following spring James Ross extended the cir-
cle of his sledge excursions, and planted the British
flag on the site of the Northern Magnetic Pole—which,
however, is not invariably fixed to one spot, as was then
believed, but moves from place to place within the
glacial zone. ‘

On August 28, 1831, the Victory—after a second im-
prisonment of eleven months—was warped into open
water; but after spending a month to advance four
miles, she was encompassed by the ice September 27,
and once more fettered in the dreary wilderness.

As there seemed no prospect of extricating her next
summer, they resolved to abandon her and travel over
the ice to Fury Beach, there to avail themselves of the
boats, provisions, and stores, which would assist them
in reaching Davis’s Straits. Accordingly, on May 29,
1832, the colors of the Victory were hoisted and nailed
to the mast, and after drinking a parting glass to
the ship with the crew, and having seen every man out
in the evening, the captain took his own leave of her.
“Tt was the first vessel,” says Ross, “that I had ever
been obliged to abandon, after having served in thirty-
six during a period of 42 years. It was like the last
parting with an old friend, and I did not pass the point
where she ceased to be visible without stopping to take
a sketch of this melancholy desert, rendered more mel-
ancholy by the solitary, abandoned, helpless home
of our past years, fixed in immovable ice, till time
should perform on her his usual work.”



78 IN THE £ROZEN SEAS.

After having, with incredible difficulty, reached Fury
Beach, where, thanks to Parry’s-forethought, they fortu-
nately found a sufficient number of boats left for their
purpose, and all the provisions in good condition, they
set out on August I-—a considerable extent of open

‘sea being visible—and after much buffeting among the

ice, reached the north of the inlet by the end of the
month. But here they were doomed to disappointment,
for, after several fruitless attempts to run along Bar-
row’s Strait, the-ice obliged them to haul their boats on
shore and pitch their tents. Day after day they lingered
till the third week in September, but the strait continu-
ing one impenetrable mass of ice, it was unanimously
agreed that there only resource was to fall back again
on the stores at Fury Beach, and there spend a fourth
long winter within the Arctic Circle. They were only
able to get half the distance in the boats, which were
hauled on shore in Batty Bay on September 24, and
performed the rest of their journey on foot, the provi-
sions being dragged in sledges. On October 7, they
once more reached the canvas hut, dignified with the
name of “ Somerset House,” which they had erected in
July on the scene of the ury’s wreck, and which they
had vainly hoped never to see again.

They now set about building a snow-wall four feet
thick round their dwelling, and strengthening the roof
with spars, for the purpose of covering it with snow,
and by means of this shelter, and an additional stove,
made themselves tolerably comfortable, until the in-
creasing severity of the cold and the furious gales con-

fined them within- doors, and sorely tried their patience,
Scurvy now began to appear, and several of the men
fell victims to the scourge. At the same time, cares for



ROSS. 79

the future darkened the gloom of their situation; for,
should they be disappointed in their hopes of escaping
in the ensuing summer, their failing strength and di-
minishing stores gave them but little hope of surviving
another year.

It may be imagined how anxiously the movements
of the ice were watched when the next season opened,
and with what beating hearts they embarked at Batty
Bay on August 15. Making their way slowly among
the masses of ice with which the inlet was encumbered,
they to their great joy found, on the 17th, the wide ex-
panse of Barrow’s Strait open to navigation. °

Pushing on with renewed spirits, Cape York soon lay
behind them, and, alternately rowing and sailing, on the
night of the 25th they rested in a good harbor on the
eastern shore of Navy Board Inlet. Early next morn-
ing they were roused from their slumber by the joyful
intelligence of a ship being in sight, dnd never did men
more hurriedly and energetically set out; but the ele-
ments were against them, and the ship disappeared
in the distant haze. ,

After a few hours’ suspense, the sight of another ves-
sel lying to in a calm relieved their dispair. This time
their exertions were successful, and, strange to say, the
ship which took them on board was the same /sadella—
now reduced to the rank of a private whaler—in which
Ross had made his first voyage to the Arctic Sea.

The seamen of the /sade//a told him of his own death—
of which all England was persuaded—and could hardly
believé that it was really he and his party who now stood
before them. But when all doubts were cleared away,
the rigging was instantly manned to do them honor, and



80 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

thundering cheers welcomed Ross and his gallant band
on board.

The /sabella remained some time longer in Baffin’s
Bay to prosecute the fishery, and thus our Arctic voy-
agers did not return to England before October 15,
1833, when they were received as men risen from the
grave. Wherever Ross appeared, he was escorted by
a crowd of sympathizers ; orders, medals, and diplomas
from foreign States and learned societies rained down
upon him. London and Liverpool presented him with
the freedom of their cities; he received the honor of
knighthood; and Parliament granted him $25,000 as a
remuneration for his pecuniary outlay and privations.

It may be imagined that his long absence had not
been allowed to pass without awakening a strong desire
to bring him aid and assistance. Thus, when Captain
Back volunteered to lead a land expedition in quest of
Ross to the northern shore of America, $20,000 were
immediately raised by public subscription to defray ex-
penses. While deep in the American wilds, Back was
gratified to learn that Ross had safely arrived in Eng-
land; but, instead of returning home, he resolved to
trace the unknown course of the Great Fish River,
down to the distant outlet where it pours its waters into
the Polar seas.

_ It would take a volume to relate his adventures in
this expedition, the numberless falls, cascades, and
rapids that obstructed his progress; the storms and
snow-drifts, the horrors of the deserts through which he
_ forced his way, until he finally (June 28, 1833) reached
the mouth of the river, or, rather, the broad estuary
through which it disembogues itself into the Polar Sea.









































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































6 SNOW HOUSES. 81



82 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

The Fish River has since been named Back’s River,
in honor of its discoverer; and surely no geographical
distinction has ever been more justly merited.

The land expedition sent out by the Hudson’s Bay
Company (1837-1839), under the direction of Peter
Dease, one of their chief factors, and Thomas Simpson,
proved more successful. Descending the Mackenzie to
the sea, they surveyed, in July, 1837, that part of the
northern coast of America which had been left un-
examined by Franklin in’ 1825, from Return Reef to
Cape Barrow.

Although .it was the height of summer, the ground

was found frozen several inches below the surface, and
the spray froze on the oars and rigging of their boats,
which the drift-ice along the shore ultimately obliged
them to leave behind.
_ As they went onward on foot, heavily laden, the fre-
quent necessity of wading up to the middle in the ice-
cold water of the inlets, together with the constant fogs
and the sharp north wind, tried their powers of endur-
ance to the utmost; but Simpson, the hero of the ex-
pedition, was not to be deterred by anything short of
absolute impossibility; nor did he stop till he had
reached Point Barrow. Indeed, no man could be more
fit than he to lead an expedition like this, for he had
once before traveled 2000 miles on foot in the middle
of winter from York Factory to Athabasca, walking
sometimes not less than 50 miles in one day, and with-
out any protection against the cold but an ordinary
cloth mantle. /

After wintering at Fort Confidence, on Great Bear
Lake, the next season was profitably employed in de-
scending the Coppermine River, and tracing nearly 140



SIR JOHN FRANKLIN. 83

miles of new coast beyond Cape Turnagain, the limit of
Franklin’s survey in 1821. The third season (1839)
was still more favored by fortune, for Simpson suc-
ceeded in discovering the whole coast beyond Cape
Turnagain as far as Castor and Pollux River (August
20, 1839), on the eastern side of the vast arm of the
sea which receives the waters of the Great Fish River
On his return voyage, he traced 60 miles of the south
coast of King William’s Island, and a great part of the
high, bold shores of Victoria Land, and reached Fort
Confidence on September 24, after one of the longest
and most successful boat voyages ever performed in the
Polar waters, having traversed more than 1600 miles of
sea.

Unfortunately he was not destined to reap the re-_
wards of his labor, for in the following year, while
traveling from the Red River to the Mississippi, where
he intended to embark for England, he was assassinated
by his Indian guides; and thus died, aged 36, one of
the best men that have ever served the cause of science
in the frozen North.

CHAPTER IV.

SIR JOHN FRANKLIN AND THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE.

On May 26, 1845, Sir John Franklin, now in the
sixtieth year of his age, and Captain Crozier, sailed
from England to make a new attempt at the North-
west Passage. Never did stouter vessels than the Ere-
bus and Terror, well-tried in the Antarctic Seas, carry a
finer or more ably-commanded crew; never before had
human foresight so strained all her resources to insure



84 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

success; and thus, when the commander’s last des:
patches from the Whalefish Islands, Baffin’s Bay (July
12), previous to his sailing to Lancaster Sound, arrived
in England, n was about to
y add a new
and brilliant
chapter te
the history
‘of Arctic dis-
> covery.
His return
NS was confi-
‘ dently ex-
pected to-
ward the end
of 1847; but
when the
winter pass-
ed and still
no tidings
came, the
anxiety at
. his prolong-
z= ed absence
2 became gen-
eral, and the
A RUDDER CRUSHED BY ICE. early part of
1848 wit-
nessed the beginning of a series of searching expeditions
fitted out at the public cost or by private munificence, on
a scale exceeding all former examples. The Plover and
the Herald (1848) were sent to Behring’s Straits to meet
Franklin with supplies, should he succeed in getting





SIR JOHN FRANKLIN. 85

thither. In the spring John Richardson hurried to the
shores of the Polar Sea, anxious to find the traces of
his lost friend. He was accompanied by Dr. Rae, who
had just returned from the memorable land expedition
(1846-47), during which, after crossing the. isthmus
which joins Melville Peninsula to the mainland, he traced
the shores of Committee Bay and the east coastof Boothia
as far as the Lord Mayor’s Bay of John Ross, thus prov-
ing that desolate land to be likewise a vast peninsula.

But in vain did Rae and Richardson explore all the
coasts between the Mackenzie and the Coppermine.
The desert remained mute; and James Ross (E£xter-
prise) and Captain Bird (Zuvestigator), who set sail in
June, 1848, three months after Richardson’s departure,
and minutely examined all the shores near Barrow’s
Strait, proved equally unsuccessful.

Three years had now passed since Franklin had been
expected home, and even the most sanguine began to
despair; but to remove all doubts, it was resolved to
explore once more all the gulfs and channels of the
Polar Sea. Thus in the year 1850 no less than twelve
ships sailed forth, some to Behring’s Straits, some to the.
sounds leading from Baffin’s Bay.* Other expeditions
* 1850-1854. Jnvestigator, Captain McClure, sy :

1850-1855. Enterprise, Captain Collinson, } Behring Sahil

1850, 1851. Resolude, Captain Austin, Lancaster Strait and

1850, 1851. Assistance, Captain Ommaney, Cornwallis Island.

1850, 1851. Lady Franklin,Master Penny, accompanied by the Sophia,
Master A. Stewart, under Admiralty Orders, to Lan-
caster Strait and Wellington Channel,

1850, Prince Albert, Captain Forsyth, belonging to Lady Frank
lin, to Regent’s Inlet and Beechey Island.

1850, 1851. Advance, Lieutenant De Haven,

1850, 1881. Rescue, S. P. Griffin, }U. S. Navy.
Fitted at the expense of Henry Grinnell, of New York,

to Lancaster Strait and Wellington Channel,



86 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

followed in 1852 and 1853, and though none of them
succeeded in the object of their search, yet they en-
riched the geography of the Arctic World with many
interesting discoveries.

' Overcoming the ice of Baffin’s Bay by the aid of their
powerful steam-tugs, Austin, Ommaney, and Penny
reached the entrance of Lancaster Sound. Here they
separated, and while the Resolute remained behind to
examine the neighborhood of Pond’s Bay, Ommaney
found at Cape Riley (North Devon) the first traces of
the lost expedition. He was soon joined by Ross,
Austin, Penny, and the American explorers, and a
minute investigation soon proved that Cape Spencer and
Beechey Island, at the entrance of Wellington Channel,
had been the site of Franklin’s first winter-quarters, dis-
tinctly marked by the remains of a large storehouse,
staves of casks, and empty pemmican-tins. Meanwhile
winter approached,-and little more’ could be done that
season, so all the vessels which had entered Barrow’s
Strait now took up their winter-quarters at the southern
extremity of Cornwallis Land; with the exception of
the Prince Albert, which set sail for England before
winter set in, and of the Americans, who, perceiving the
impolicy of so many ships pressing to the westward on
one parallel, turned back, but were soon shut up in the
pack-ice,which for eight long months kept them prisoners.
The Rescue and Advance were drifted backward and
forward in Wellington Channel until in December a
terrific storm drove them into Barrow’s Strait, and still
farther on into Lancaster Sound. Several times during
this dreadful-passage they were in danger from the ice
opening round them and closing suddenly again, and
only escaped being “nipped” by their small size and



















































































































































































































SIR JOHN FRANKLIN,

87



88 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

strong build, which enabled them to rise above the op-
posing edges instead of being crushed between them.
Even on their arrival in Baffin’s Bay the ice did not re-
lease them from its hold, and it was not till June 9,
1851, that they reached the Danish settlement at Disco.
After recruiting his exhausted crew, the gallant De
Haven determined to return and prosecute the search
during the remainder of the season; but the discourag-
ing reports of the whalers induced him to change his —
purpose, and the ships and crews reached New York at
the beginning of October, having passed through perils
such as few have endured and lived to recount.

Meanwhile the English searching expeditions had not
remained inactive. As soon as spring came, well-or-
ganized sledge expeditions were despatched in all di-
rections, but they all returned with the same tale of dis-
appointment.

As soon as Wellington Channel opened, Penny boldly
entered the ice-lanes with a boat, and; after a series of
adventures and difficulties, penetrated up Queen’s
Channel as far as Baring Island and Cape Beecher,
where he was compelled to turn back.

A fine open sea stretched invitingly away to the
north, but his fragile boat was ill-equipped for a voyage
of discovery. Fully persuaded that Franklin must have
followed this route, he failed, however, in convincing
Captain Austin of the truth of his theory, and as, with-
out that officer’s co-operation, nothing could be effected,
he was compelled to follow the course pointed out by
the Admiralty squadron, which, after two ineffectual at-
tempts to enter Smith’s and Jones’s Sounds, returned to
England.

The Prince Albert having brought home in 1850 the



SER JOHN FRANKLIN, 89

* intelligence of the discoveries at Beechey Island, it was
resolved to prosecute the search during the next season,
and no time was lost to refit the little vessel and send
her once more on her noble errand, under the command
of William Kennedy (1851-52). Finding Prince Re-
gent’s Inlet obstructed by a barrier of ice, Kennedy was
obliged to take a temporary refuge in Port Bowen, on
the eastern shore of the inlet. As it was very undesira-
ble, however, to winter on the opposite coast to that
along which lay their line of search, Kennedy, with four
of his men, crossed to Port Leopold, amid masses of ice,
to ascertain whether any documents had been left at
this point by previous searching parties. None having
been found, they prepared to return; but to their dis-
may they now found the inlet so blocked with ice as
to render it absolutely impossible to reach the vessel
either by boat or on foot. Darkness was fast closing
round them, the ice-floe on which they stood threatened
every instant to be shivered in fragments by the con-
tending ice-blocks which crashed furiously against it:
unless they instantly returned to shore, any moment
might prove their last. A bitter cold night (September
10, 1851), with no shelter but their boat, under which.
each man in turn took an hour’s rest—the others, fa-
tigued as they were, seeking safety in brisk exercise—
was spent on this inhospitable shore, and on the follow-

ing morning they discovered that the ship had disap-

peared. The drift-ice had carried her away, leaving

Kennedy and his companions to brave the winter as

well as they could, and to endeavor in the spring to re-

join their vessel, which must have drifted down the in-
let, and was most likely by this time imprisoned by the
ice. Fortunately a depot of provisions, left by James



go IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

Ross at Whaler Point, was tolerably near, and finding
all in good preservation, they began to fit up a launch,
which had been left at the same place as the stores, for
a temporary abode. Here they sat, on October 17,
round a cheerful fire, manufacturing winter garments
and completely resigned to their lot, when suddenly
they heard the sound of well-known voices, and Lieu-
tenant Bellot, the second in command of the Prince
Albert, appeared with a party of seven men. Twice be-
fore had this gallant French volunteer made unavailing
‘attempts to reach the deserted party, who soon forgot
their past misery as they accompanied their friends
back to the ship. In the following spring Kennedy and
Bellot explored North Somerset and Prince of Wales
Land, traversing with their sledge 1100 miles of desert,
but without discovering the least traces of Franklin or
his comrades. Yet in spite of these frequent disap-
pointments the searching expeditions were not given
over, and as Wellington Channel and the sounds to the
north of Baffin’s Bay appeared to offer the best chances,
the spring of 1852 witnessed the departure of Edward
Belcher and Captain Inglefield * for those still unknown
regions.

The voyage of the latter proved one of the most suc-
cessful in the annals of Arctic navigation. Boldly
pushing up Smith’s Sound, which had hitherto baffled

® 1852. Lsabel, Captain E. Inglefield. Lady Franklin’s vessel.

1852-1854. Assistance, Edward Belcher, to Lancaster Sound, Wel-
lington Channel. i

1852-1854. Reso/ute, Captain Kellett, Lancaster Strait, Melville
and Banks’s Islands.

1852-1854. Proneer, Lieutenant Sherard Osborne.

1852-1854. Jxtrepid, Captain McClintock.

1852-1354. Worth Star, Captain Pullen.





OL

ERT McCLURE,

ROB:



92 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

every research, Inglefield examined this noble channel
as far as 78° 30’ N. lat., when stormy weather drove
him back. He next attempted Jones’s Sound, and
entered it sufficiently to see it expand into a wide chan-
nel to the northward.

The squadron which sailed under the command of
Belcher was charged with the double mission of prose-
cuting the discoveries in Wellington Channel, and of
affording assistance to Collinson and McClure, who, it
will be remembered, had sailed in 1850 to Behring’ s
Straits.

At Beechey Island, where the orth Star was stationed
as depot-ship, the squadron separated, Belcher proceed-,
ing with the Asszstance and the Pioneer up Wellington
Channel, while Kellett, with the Aesolude and Lnirepid,
steered to the west. Scarcely had the latter reached
nis winter-quarters (September 7, 1852) at Dealy Island,
on the south coast of Melville Island, when parties were
sent out to deposit provisions at various points of the
coast, for the sledge parties in the ensuing spring.

The difficulties of transport over the broken surface
of the desert when denuded of snow may. be estimated
from the fact, that though the distance from the north
to the-south coast of Melville Island is no more than 36
miles in a direct line, McClintock required no less than
1g days to reach the Hecla and Griper Gulf. Similar
difficulties awaited Mechan on his way to Liddon Gulf,
but he was amply rewarded by finding at Winter Har-
bor despatches from McClure, showing that, in April,
1851, the /uvestigator was lying in Mercy Bay, on the
opposite side of Banks’s Strait, and that consequently
. the North-west Passage, the object of so many heroic
efforts, was at last discovered.



SIR JOHN FRANKLIN. 93

On March 9g, 1853, the Resolute opened her spring
campaign with Lieutenant Pym’s sledge journey to
Mercy Bay, to bring assistance to McClure, or to follow
his traces in case he should no longer be there.

A month later three other sledge expeditions left the
ship. The one under McClintock proceeded from the
Hecla and Griper Gulf to the west, and returned after
106 days, having explored 1200 miles of coast—a sledge
journey without a parallel in the history of Arctic re-
search, though nearly equaled by the second party
under Mechan, which likewise started to the west from -
Liddon Gulf, and traveled over 1000 miles in 93 days.
The third party, under Hamilton, which proceeded to
the north-east towards the rendezvous appointed by
Belcher the preceding summer, was the first that returned
to the ship, but before its arrival another party had
found its way to the Resolute—pale, worn, emaciated
figures, slowly creeping along over the uneven ice. A
stranger might have been surprised at the thundering
hurrahs which hailed the ragged troop from a distance,
or at the warm and cordial greetings which welcomed
them on deck, but no wonder that McClure and his
heroic crew were thus received by their fellow-seamen
after a three years’ imprisonment in the ice of the
Polar Sea.

Neither the sledge parties of the Resolute, nor those
which Belcher had sent out in all directions from his first
winter-quarters in Northumberland Sound (76° 52’N. lat.)
on the west side of Grinnell Peninsula, had been able
to discover the least traces of Franklin. The winter
(1853-54) passed, and in April Mechan found docu-
ments from Collinson giving intelligence of his pro-
ceedings since his separation from the Lnvestigator.



94 IN THE FROZEN SEAS,

On returning to the Resolute, Mechan found all
hands busy preparing to leave the ship, Belcher having
given orders to abandon her, as well as the Asszstance, |
Proneer, and Lntrepid, which had now been blocked up
above a year in the ice,and had no chance of escaping,

Thus the summer of 1854 witnessed the return to
England of the Worth Star, with all those brave crews
which had spent so .many unavailing efforts, and in
numerous boat and sledge excursions had explored so
many known and unknown coasts in search of Frank-
lin; and thus also McClure and his comrades, abandon-
ing the J/xvestigator in Mercy Bay, returned home
through Davis’s Straits, after having entered the Polar
Ocean at the Strait of Behring. He had, however, been
preceded by Lieutenant Cresswell and Mr. Wynniat,
who, on an excursion to Beechey Island in the summer
of 1858, had there met with and joined the Phenzx,
Captain Inglefield, who, accompanied by his friend
Bellot, had conveyed provisions to Belcher’s squadron,
and was about to return to England. During this ex-
pedition Bellot, whose many excellent qualities had
made him a universal favorite, was unfortunately
drowned by a fall into an ice-crevice during a sledge
excursion,

Years had thus passed without bringing any tidings
of the Zrebus and Terror since the discovery of their first
Wwinter-quarters, until at last, in the spring of 1854, Dr.
Rae, of the Hudson’s Bay Company, while engaged in
the survey of the Boothian Isthmus, fell in with a party
of Esquimaux, who informed him that in the spring of
1850 some of their countrymen on King William’s
Island had seen a party of white men making their way
to the mainland. None of them could speak the Esqui-

























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































sae

ABN LL



DANGERS OF SLEDGE-TRAVELING. 95



96 IN THE FROZEN SEAS...

maux language intelligibly, but by signs they gave
them to understand that their ships had been crushed
by ice, and that they were now going to where they
expected to find deer to shoot. Ata later date of the
same season, but before the breaking up of the ice, the





BELLOT’S DEATH.

bodies of some thirty men were discovered on the con-
tinent a day’s journey from Back’s Great Fish River,
and five on an island near it. Some of the bodies had
been buried (probably those of the first victims of

















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































E FROZEN SEAS.

ERING IN TH.

WINT



98 IN THE FROZEN SEAS,

famine), some were in a tent, others under the boat
which had been turned over to form a shelter, and
several lay scattered about in different directions. Of
those found on the island, one was supposed to have
been an officer, as he had a telescope strapped over his
shoulder, and’ his double-barreled gun lay underneath
him. The mutilated condition of several of the corpses
and the contents of the kettles left no doubt that the
men had been driven to the last-resource of canni-
balism, as a means of prolonging existence. Some
silver spoons and forks, a round silver plate, engraved
Sir John Franklin, K. C. B., a star or order, with the
motto, ec aspera terrent, which Rea purchased of the
Esquimaux, corroborated the truth of their narrative.

Thus it was now known how part of the unfortunate
mariners had perished, but the fate of the expedition
was still enveloped in mystery. What-had become of
the ships and of the greater part of their crews? And
was Franklin one of the party seen by the Esquimaux,
or had an earlier death shortened his sufferings ?

To solve at least this mournful secret—for every
hope that he might still be alive had long since van-
ished—his widow resolved to spend all her available
means—since the English Government would no longer
prosecute the search—and with the assistance of her
friends, but mostly at her own expense, fitted out a
small screw steamer, the fox, which the gallant McClin-
tock volunteered to command. Another Arctic officer,
Lieutenant Hobson, likewise came forward to serve
without pay.

At first it seemed as if all the elements had con-
spired against the success of this work of piety, for in
the summer of 1857 the floating ice off Melville Bay,



Full Text







The Baldwin Library

University
RnB
Florida




ALTEMUS’ YOUNG PEOPLE'S LIBRAR¥

THE STORY oF
EXPLORATION
AND ADVENTURE iN



THE :
FROZEN SEAS

PRESCOTT HOLMES



With EIGHTY ILLUSTRATIONS

PHILADELPHIA
HENRY ALTEMUS


IN UNIFORM STYLE



Copiously Llustrated

THE PILGRIM’S PROGRESS

ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND
THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS & WHAT ALICE FOUND THERE
ROBINSON CRUSOE

THE CHILD'S STORY OF THE BIBLE

THE CHILD'S LIFE OF CHRIST

LIVES OF THE PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES

THE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON

THE FABLES OF SOP

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS AND THE DISCOVERY OF AMERICA
MOTHER GOOSE’S RHYMES, JINGLES AND FAIRY TALES
EXPLORATION AND ADVENTURE IN THE FROZEN SEAS
THE STORY OF DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION IN AFRICA
GULLIVER'’S TRAVELS

ARABIAN NIGHTS’ ENTERTAINMENTS

WOOD'S NATURAL HISTORY

A CHILD'S HISTORY OF ENGLAND, by CHARLES DICKENS
BLACK BEAUTY, by ANNA SEWELL

ANDERSEN'S FAIRY TALES

GRIMM’S FAIRY TALES

GRANDFATHER’S CHAIR, by NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE
FLOWER FABLES, by LOUISA M. ALCOTT





















Price 50 Cents Each

Henry ALTEMUS, PHILADELPHIA



Copyright 1896 by Henry Altemus
CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I. PAGE
THE ARCTIC LANDS, . . oc . : : « . 9
CHAPTER II.
VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY FROM THE CABOTS TO BAFFIN, , - 26

CHAPTER III.
VOYAGES FROM BAFFIN TO McCLINTOCK, . . : . - 60

CHAPTER IV.

SIR JOHN FRANKLIN, AND THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE, . - 83
CHAPTER V.
ELISHA KENT KANE, AND ISAAC I. HAYES, 7 7 : - 106

CHAPTER VI.
HALL’S VOYAGES: THE POLARIS EXPEDITION, . . . - 136

CHAPTER VII.
NARES’S VOYAGE WITH THE “ ALERT”? AND “DISCOVERY,” - 51

CHAPTER VIII.

THE GERMAN AND AUSTRIAN EXPEDITIONS, se ew 188
CHAPTER IX.
NORDENSKIOLD, AND THE NORTH-EAST PASSAGE, . . 167

(5)
6 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER X. PAGE
THE VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE: DE LONG, . ° . - 180
CHAPTER XI.
THE LADY FRANKLIN BAY EXPEDITION TO GRINNELL LAND, AND
THE ATTAINMENT OF THE FARTHEST NORTH, . 7 é 196

CHAPTER XII.
PEARY’S JOURNEY ACROSS GREENLAND, . : . . oo 22.

CHAPTER XIII.
NANSEN’S VOYAGES, . 2 = . 5 “ : 3 » 230

CHAPTER XIV.

TO THE POLE BY BALLOON, . . . - 240














EXPLANATION OF TECHNICAL TERMS

MADE USE OF IN THE COURSE OF THE FOLLOWING
NARRATIVE.

Bay or Young Ice.—Ice newly formed upon the surface.

Blink.—A peculiar brightness in the atmosphere, which is
almost always perceptible in approaching ice or land
covered with snow. lLand-blink is usually more yellow

- than that of ice.

Bore.—The operation of ‘‘boring’’ through loose ice
consists in entering it under a. press of sail, and forcing
the ship through by separating the masses.

Dock.—An artificial dock is formed by cutting out with
saws a square space in a thick floe in which a ship is placed
in order to secure her from the pressure of other masses
which are seen to be approaching, and which otherwise
endanger her being ‘“‘nipped.’’ A ‘‘dock”’ is simply a
small bight accidentally found under similar circumstances.

field.—A sheet of ice, generally of great thickness, and of
such extent that its limits cannot be seen from a ship’s
mast-head. ,

floe.—The same as a field, except that its extent can be dis-
tinguished from a ship’s mast-head. A “bay floe’’ isa
flow of ice newly formed upon the surface.
(7)
8 EXPLANATION OF TECHNICAL TERMS.

A Hole or Pool of Water.—A small space of clear water
surrounded by ice on every side

Nipped.—To be forcibly pressed between two or more
masses of ice.

A Pack.—A large body of loose ice whose extent cannot be
seen.

A Patch of Jce.—The same as a pack, but ofsmall dimensions.

Sailing Ice.—Ice of which the masses are so much separated
as to allow a ship to sail among them without great
difficulty.

A Tongue.—A mass of ice projecting under water in a
horizontal direction from an iceberg or floe. A ship
sometimes grazes or is set fast on a tongue of ice, which
may, however, generally be avoided, being easily seen in
smooth water.

A Water Sky.—A certain dark appearance of the sky which
indicates clear water in that direction, and which, when
contrasted with the blink over ice or land, is very
conspicuous.
























IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

CHAPTER I.
THE ARCTIC LANDS.

A GLANCE at a map of the Arctic regions shows us
that many of the rivers belonging to the three conti-
nents—Europe, Asia, America—discharge their waters
into the Polar Ocean or its tributary bays. The terri-
tories drained by these streams, some of which (such
as the Mackenzie, the Yukon, the Lena, the Yenisei,
and the Obi) rank among the giant rivers of the earth,
form, along with the islands within or near the Arctic
Circle, the vast region over which the frost-king reigns
supreme.

‘It is difficult to determine with precision the limits of
the Arctic lands, since many countries situated as low

(9)
+6 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

as latitude 60°, or even 50°, such as South Greenland,
Labrador, Alaska, Kamtchatka, or the country about
Lake Baikal, have in their climate and productions a
decidedly Arctic character, while others of a far more
northern position, such as the coast of Norway, enjoy
even in winter a remarkably mild temperature. But
they are naturally divided into two principal and well-
marked zones—that of the forests, and that of the tree-
less wastes.

The latter, comprising the islands within the Arctic
Circle, form a belt, more or less broad, bounded by the
continental shores of the North Polar seas, and grad-
ually merging toward the south into the forest-region,
which encircles them with a garland of evergreen conif-
ere. This treeless zone bears the name of the “barren
grounds,” or the “barrens,” in North America, and of
“tundri” in Siberia and European Russia. Its want
of trees is caused not so much by its high northern lati-
tude as by the cold sea-winds which sweep unchecked
over the islands or the flat coast-lands of the Polar
Ocean, and for miles and miles compel even the hardiest
plant to crouch before the blast and creep along the
‘ground.

In winter, when animal life has mostly retreated to
the south, or sought a refuge in burrows or in caves, an
awful silence, interrupted only by the hooting of a snow-
owl or the yelping of a fox, reigns over their vast ex-
panse; but in spring, when the brown earth reappears
from under the melted snow and the swamps begin to
thaw, enormous flights of wild birds appear upon the
scene and enliven it fora few months. An admirable
instinct leads their winged legions from distant climes
to the Arctic wildernesses, where in the morasses or lakes,
THE ARCTIC LANDS. ll

on the banks of the rivers, on the flat strands, or along the
fish-teeming coasts, they find an abundance of food,
and where at the same time they can with greater secu-
rity build their nests and rear their young. Some



































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































A GREENLAND ICE FIORD.

remain on the skirts of the forest-region ; others, flying
farther northward, lay their eggs upon the naked tundra.
Eagles and hawks follow the traces of the natatorial
and strand birds; troops of ptarmigans roam among -
3 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

the stunted bushes; and when the sun shines, the finch
or the snow-bunting warbles his merry note.

But as soon as the first frosts of September announce
the approach of winter, all animals, with but few excep-
tions, hasten to leave a region where the sources of life
must soon fail, The geese, ducks, and swans return
in dense flocks to the south; the strand-birds seek in
some lower latitude a softer soil which allows their
sharp beak to seize a burrowing prey; the water-fowl
forsake the bays and channels that will soon be blocked
up with ice; the reindeer once more return to the forest,
and in a short time nothing is left that can induce man
to prolong his stay in the treeless plain. Soon a thick
mantle of snow covers the hardened earth, the frozen
lake, the ice-bound river, and conceals them all—seven,
eight, nine months long—under its monotonous pall,
except where the furious north-east wind sweeps it away
and lays bare the naked rock.

This snow, which after it has once fallen persists until
the long summer’s day has effectually thawed it, protects
in admirable manner the vegetation of the higher lati-
tudes against the cold of the long winter season. For
snow is so bad a conductor of heat, that in mid-winter,
in the high latitude of 78° 50’ (Rensselaer Bay), while
the surface temperature was as low as — 30°, Kane
found at two feet deep a temperature of — 8°, at four
feet + 2°, and at eight feet + 26°, or no more than six
degrees below the freezing-point of water. Thus cov:
ered by a warm crystal snow-mantle, the northern
plants pass the long winter in a comparatively mild
temperature, high enough to maintain their life, while,
without, icy blasts—capable of converting mercury into
a solid body—howl over the naked wilderness; and as
THE ARCTIC LANDS. . 13
the first snow-falls are more cellular and less condensed
than the nearly impalpable powder of winter, Kane
justly observes that no “‘eider-down in the cradle of an
infant is tucked in more kindly than the sleeping-dress
of winter about the feeble plant-life of the Arctic zone.”
Thanks to this protection, and to the influence of a
sun which for months circles above the horizon, and
in favorable :
localities
calls forth the
powers of
vegetation in |
an incredibly
short time, &
even Wash-
ington, Grin-
nell Land,
and Spitzber- =
gen are able —
to boast of SO
flowers. Mor- &
ton plucked §&
a crucifer at §
Cape Consti- SSS SS
tution (80° . ARCTIC Fox.
45’ N. lat),
and, on the banks of Mary Minturn River (78° 52’),
Kane came across a flower-growth which, though
drearily Arctic in its type, was rich in variety and
coloring. Amid festuca and other tufted grasses
twinkled the purple lychnis and the white star of the
chickweed; and, not without its pleasing associations,
he recognized a solitary hesperis—the Arctic repre-
sentative of the wall-flowers of home.



nee, <


14 IN THE FROZEN SEAS,

The line of perpetual snow may naturally be expected
__ to descend lower and lower on advancing to the pole,
and hence many mountainous regions or elevated pla-
teaux, such as the interior of Spitzbergen, of Greenland,
of Nova Zembla, etc., which in a more temperate clime
would be verdant with woods or meadows, are
here covered with vast fields of ice, from which fre-
quently glaciers descend down to the verge of the sea.
But even in the highest northern latitudes, no land has
yet been found covered as far as the water’s edge with
eternal snow, or where winter has entirely subdued the
powers of vegetation.

The influence of the winds is of considerable impor.
tance in determining the greater or lesser severity of an
Arctic climate. Thus the northerly winds which pre-
vail in Baffin’s Bay and Davis’s Straits during the sum-
mer months, and fill the straits of the American
north-eastern archipelago with ice, are probably
the main ‘cause of the abnormal depression of
temperature in’ that quarter; while, on the contrary, the
southerly winds that prevail during summer in the
valley of the Mackenzie tend greatly to extend the forest
of that favored region nearly down to the shores of the
Arctic Sea. Even in the depth of a Siberian winter, a
sudden change of wind is able to raise. the thermometer
from a mercury-congealing cold to a temperature above
the freezing-point of water, and a warm wind has been
known to cause rain to fall in Spitzbergen in the month
of January.

-The voyages of Kane and Belcher have made us ac-
quainted with the lowest temperatures ever felt by man.
On February 5, 1854, while the former was wintering
in Smith’s Sound (78° 37’ N. lat.), the mean of his best
























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































THE VILLAGE AND GLACIER OF KAPAROKTILIK, GREENLAND. IS
16 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

spirit-thermometer showed the unexampled temperature
of — 68° or 100° below the freezing-point of water. The
exhalations from the skin invested the exposed or par-
tially clad parts with a wreath of vapor. The air had a
perceptible pungency upon inspiration, and every one,
as it were involuntarily, breathed guardedly with com-
pressed lips. About the same time (February g and 10,
1854), Edward Belcher experienced a cold of —55° in
Wellington Channel (75° 31’ N.), and the still lower
temperature of—-62° on January 13, 1853, in North-
umberland Sound (76° 52’ N.).. Whymper, on Decem-
ber 6, 1866, experienced —58° at Nulatto, Alaska (64°
42’ N.).

Whether the temperature of the air descends still
lower on advancing toward the pole, or whether these
extreme degrees of cold are not sometimes surpassed in
those mountainous regions of the north which, though
seen, have never yet been explored, is of course an un-
decided question: so much is certain, that the observa-
tions hitherto made during the winter of the Arctic re-
gions have been limited to too short a time, and are too
few in number, to enable us to determine with any de-
gree of certainty those points where the greatest cold
prevails. All we know is, that beyond the Arctic Circle,
and eight or ten degrees farther to the south in the in-
terior of the continents of Asia and America, the aver-
age temperature of the winter generally ranges from
— 20° to — 30 °, or even lower, and for a’great part of
the year is able to convert mercury into a solid body.

It may be asked how man is able to bear the exces-
sively low temperature of an Arctic winter, which must
appear truly appalling to an inhabitant of the temper-
ate zone. A thick fur clothing; a hut small and low,
THE ARCTIC LANDS. 17

where the warmth of a fire, or simply of a train-oil
lamp, is husbanded in a narrow space, and, above all,
the wonderful power of the human constitution to ac-
commodate itself to every change of climate, go far to
counteract the rigor of the cold.

After a very few days the body develops an increas-
ing warmth as the thermometer descends; for the air
being condensed by the cold, the lungs inhale at every
breath a greater quantity of oxygen, which of course
accelerates the internal process of combustion, while at
the same time an increasing appetite, gratified with a
copious supply of animal food, of flesh and fat, enriches
the blood and enables it to circulate more vigorously.
Thus not only the hardy native of the north, but even
the healthy traveler, soon gets accustomed to bear with-
out injury the rigors of an Arctic winter.

“The mysterious compensations,” says Kane, “by
which we adapt ourselves to climate are more striking
here than in the tropics. In the Polar zone the assault
is immediate and sudden, and, unlike the insidious fatal-
ity of hot countries, produces its results rapidly. It re-
quires hardly a single winter to tell who are to be the
heat-making and acclimatized men. Petersen, for in-
stance, who has resided for two years at Upernavik,
seldom enters aroom withafire. Another of our party,
Georgé Riley, with a vigorous constitution, established
habits of free exposure, and active cheerful tempera-
ment, has so inured himself to the cold, that he sleeps
on our sledge journeys without a blanket or any other
covering than his walking suit, while the outside tem-
perature is — 30°.”

There are many proofs that a milder climate once
reigned in the northern regions of the globe. Fossil

2
38 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

pieces of wood, petrified acorns and fir-cones have been
found in the interior of Banks’s Land by McClure’s































































































































































































































































































































































































































FEMALE COSTUME,

magnolias, and even laurels, indicatin



sledging par-
ties. At Ana-
kerdluk, in
North Green-
land (70° N.), a
large forest lies
buried on a
mountain sur-
rounded by gla-
ciers, 1080 feet
above the level
of the sea. Not
only the trunks
and branches,
but even the
leaves, | fruit-
cones, and
seeds have been
preserved in the
soil, and enable
the botanist to
determine the
species of the
plants to which
they belong.
They show that,
besides firs and
sequoias, oaks,
plantains, elms,
¢ a climate like

Switzerland, flourished during the miocene period in a
THE ARCTIC LANDS. Ig

country where now even the willow is compelled to
creep along the ground. During the same epoch of
the earth’s his-
tory Spitzbergen
was likewise cov-
ered with stately
forests. The
same poplars and
the same swamp-
cypress which
then flourished in
North Greenland
have been found
ina fossilized
state at Bell .
Sound (76° N.)
by the Swedish
naturalists, who
also discovered a
plantainand a lin-
den as high as
78° and 79° in
King’s Bay—a
proof that in
those times the
climate of Spitz-
bergen can not
have been colder
than that which
now reigns in MALE COSTUME.
Southern Swe-
den and Norway, 18 degrees nearer to the line.
In the miocene times the Arctic Zone evidently pre-




































































































































































































































































































20 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

sented a very different aspect from that which it wears
at present. Now, during the greater part of the year,
an immense glacial desert, which through its floating
bergs and drift-ice depresses the temperature of countries
situated far to the south, it then consisted of verdant
lands covered with luxuriant forests and bathed by an
open sea.

What may have been the cause of these amazing:
changes of climate? The readiest answer seems to be
—a different distribution of sea and land.

We now know that our sun, with his attendant planets
and satellites, performs a vast circle, embracing perhaps
hundreds of thousands of years, round another star, and
that we are constantly entering new regions of space
untraveled by our earth before. In the course of ages
the sun conducted his herd of planets into more solitary
‘and colder regions, which caused the warm miocene
times to be followed by the glacial period, during which
the Swiss flat lands bore an Arctic character, and finally
the sun emerged into a space of an intermediate char-
acter, which determines the present condition of the
climates of our globe.

Though nature generally wears a more stern and for-
bidding aspect on advancing toward the Pole, yet the
high latitudes have many beauties of their own.
Nothing can exceed the magnificence of an Arctic sun-
set, clothing the snow-clad mountains and the skies with
all the glories of color, or be more serenely beautiful
than the clear star-light night, illumined by the brilliant
moon, which for days continually circles around the
horizon, never setting until she has run her long course
of brightness. The uniform whiteness of the landscape
and the general transparency of the atmosphere add to




















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































ge
EE

















AURORA,
(Sketched by Hall.) 21
22 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

the luster of her beams, which serve the natives to
guide their nomadic life,and to lead them to their
hunting-grounds.

But of all the magnificent spectacles that relieve the
monotonous gloom of the Arctic winter, there is none
to equal the magical beauty of the Aurora. This bow
sometimes remains for several hours, heaving or waiv-
ing to and fro, before it sends forth streams of light as-
cending to the zenith. Sometimes these flashes pro-
ceed from the bow of light alone; at others they simul-
taneously shoot forth from many opposite parts of the
horizon, and form a vast sea of fire whose brilliant
waves are continually changing their position. Finally ©
they all unite in a magnificent crown or copula of light,
with the appearance of which the phenomenon attains
its highest degree of splendor. The brilliancy of the
streams, which are commonly red at their base, green in
the middle, and light yellow toward the zenith, increases,
while at the same time they dart with greater vivacity
through the skies. The colors are wonderfully trans-
parent, and the imposing silence of the night heightens -
the charms of the magnificent spectacle.

But gradually the crown fades, the bow of light dis-
solves, the streams become shorter, less frequent, and
less vivid; and finally the gloom of winter once more
descends upon the northern desert.

The North Polar region is the largest, as it is the
most important field of discovery that remains for this
generation to work out. As Frobisher declared nearly
300 years ago, it is “the only great thing left undone in
the world.”

A large portion of the area yet included by the Arctic
Ocean is still unexplored, but almost every year dimin-
THE ARCTIC LANDS. 23

ishes the extent of the unknown. Notwithstanding so
many illustrious navigators have vainly endeavored to
reach the Pole, sanguine projectors are still as eager as
ever to attain the goal; nor is it probable that man will
ever rest in his efforts until every attainable region
of the Arctic Ocean shall have been fully explored.

But it may be asked, for what purpose are these
northern voyages undertaken? The acquisition of
knowledge is the groundwork of all the instructions
under which they are set forth, The commanding
officer is directed to cause constant observations to. be
made for the advancement of every branch of science—
astronomy, navigation, hydrography, meteorology, in-
cluding electricity and magnetism, and to make collec-
tions of subjects of natural history—in short, to lose no
opportunity of acquiring new and important informa-
tion and discovery ; and when it is considered that these
voyages give employment to officers and men in time
of peace, and produce officers and men not to be sur-
passed, perhaps not equaled, in any other branch of the
service; the question, What is the good? is readily an-
swered in Bacon’s aphorism, “ Knowledge is power.”

At a meeting of the Royal Geographical Society
Captain Sherard Osborne said:

“In the year 1818 Baffin’s discoveries upon the one
hand, and those of Behring upon the other, with dots
for the mouths of the Mackenzie and Hearne Rivers,
were all we knew of the strange labyrinth of lands and
waters now accurately delineated upon our charts of the
Arctic Zone. Sailors and travelers, in 36 years, have
accomplished all this; not always, be it remembered, in
well-stored ships, sailing rapidly from point to point, but
for the most part by patiently toiling on foot, or coast-
24 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

ing in open boats round every bay and fiord. Leopold
McClintock estimates the foot explorations accom-
plished in the search for Franklin alone at about 40,000
miles. Yet during those 36 years of glorious enterprise
by ship, by boat, and by sledge, England only fairly
lost one expedition and 128 souls out of 42 successive
expeditions, and has never lost a sledge party out of
about 100 that have toiled within the Arctic Circle.
Show me upon the globe’s surface an equal amount of
geographical discovery, or in history as arduous an
achievement, with a smaller amount of human sacrifice,
and then I will concede that Arctic exploration has en-
tailed more than-its due proportion of suffering.
“Those who assert that our labors and researches have
merely added so many miles of unprofitable coast-line
to our charts, had better compare our knowledge of
Arctic phenomena to-day with the theories enunciated
by men of learning and repute a century ago. They
should confront our knowledge of to-day with that of
1800 upon the natural history, meteorology, climate,
and winds of the Arctic regions. They must remem-
ber that it was there we obtained the clue, still unraveled,
of the laws of those mysterious currents which flow
through the wastes of the ocean like two mighty rivers
—the Gulf Stream and the Ice Stream; must remember
that it was there—in Boothia—that the two Rosses first
reached the Magnetic Pole, that mysterious point round
which revolves the mariner’s compass over one-half of
the Northern hemisphere ; and let the world say whether
the mass of observations collected by our explorers on
all sides of that Magnetic Pole have added nothing to
the knowledge of the laws of magnetic declination and
dip. They should remember how a few years ago it
THE ARCTIC LANDS. 25

was gravely debated whether man could exist through
the rigors and darkness of a Polar winter, and how we
have only recently discovered that Providence has peo-
pled that region to the extreme latitude yet reached,
and that the animals upon which they subsist are there
likewise, in winter as well as in summer. All this, and
much more, should be borne in mind by those cynics
who would have you believe we have toiled in vain;
and I hold, with the late Admiral Beechey, ‘that every
voyage to the North has tended to remove that veil of
obscurity which previously hung over the geography
and all the phenomena of the Arctic regions. Before
those voyages all was darkness and terror, all beyond
the North Cape a blank; but, since then, each succes-
sive voyage has swept away some gloomy superstition,
has brought to light some new phenomenon, and tended
to the advancement of human knowledge.’ ”

Henry Grinnell of New York replied to a similar
question by stating some of the results in the extension
of commerce and trade which have flowed from Arctic
researches:

1. HumMpHREY GILBERT’s discovery of the cod-fish-
eries of Newfoundland.

2. From Davis's discoveries, the great whale-fisheries
of West Greenland.

3. From the discoveries of Hupson (who also dis-
covered and sailed into our North River, which now
bears his name, while on an Arctic voyage), Hudson’s
Bay, and the operations of the great fur companies.

4. JouN Ross: the whale-fishery of the North, and
north-west of Baffin’s Bay.

5. Captain Parry: whale-fishery of Lancaster Sound,
Barrow’s Strait, and Prince Regent’s Inlet,
26 IN THE FROZEN SEAS,

6. Admiral BrrcHry: whale-fishery of Behring’s
Straits, in which in the space of two years the whalers
of Nantucket and New Bedford obtained cargoes from
which they have realized eight millions of dollars.

The object of the present volume is to recall the
stories of the early voyagers, and to narrate the recent
efforts of gallant adventurers of various nationalities to
cross the “unknown and inaccessible” threshold; and
to show how much can be accomplished by indomitable
pluck and steady perseverance. In the limits at our
disposal we have not space to relate the adventures of
all the individual voyagers; we have therefore selected
and traced those which appear to embody the greatest
interest.



CHAPTER II.
VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY FROM THE CABOTS TO BAFFIN.

Lone before Columbus sailed from the port of Palos
(1492) on that ever-memorable voyage which changed
the geography of the world, the Scandinavians had
already found the way to North America. From Green-
land, which was known to them as early as the ninth
century, and which they began to colonize in the year
985, they sailed farther to the west, and gradually ex-
tended their discoveries from the coasts of Labrador,
Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland to those of the present
State of Rhode Island, which, from the wild-vines they
there found growing in abundance, they called the:
“good Vinland.” :

But a long series of disasters destroyed their Green-
land Colonies about the end of the fourteenth century,
THE CABOTS. 27

and as Scandinavia itself had at that time but very little
intercourse with the more civilized nations of Southern
Europe, it is not to be wondered at, despite the discov-



























































































































































































NORSE SHIP OF THE TENTH CENTURY.

eries of Ginnbjorn and Eric the Red, the great western

continent remained unknown to the world in general.
One of the first consequences of the achievements

of Columbus was the redzscovery of the northern part
28 . LN THE FROZEN SEAS.

of America, for the English merchants longed to have
a share of the commerce of India; and as the Pope
had assigned the eastern route to the. Portuguese and
the western one to the Spaniards, they resolved to as-
certain whether a third and shorter way to the Spice
Islands, or to the fabulous golden regions of the East
might not be found by steering to the north-west. In
pursuance of these views, John and Sebastian Cabot
sailed in 1497 from Bristol, at that time the chief com-
mercial port of England, and discovered the whole
American coast from Labrador to Virginia. They failed,
indeed, in the object of their mission, but they laid the
first foundations of the future colonial greatness of
England.

Cabot appears to have returned to England immedi-
ately after his discovery, as we find in the account of the
privy purse expenses of Henry VII, the following entry:

Wh August, 1497—@o him that found the
New Isle, £10.

Here we have proof positive that part of the North
American continent was visited by an English ship four-
teen months before Columbus ascertained for certain
the existence of that of a southern.

A second voyage, in 1498, by Sebastian Cabot alone,
had no important results, but in a third voyage which
he undertook in search of a north-west passage, at the
expense of Henry VIII, in 1516 or 1517, it is tolerably
certain that that great navigator discovered the two
straits which now bear the names of Davis and Hudson.
The failure of this voyage was attributed to a mutiny
of the crew; and the pusillanimity of the commander,
Sir Thomas Pert, compelled Cabot to return home.
THE CABOTS. 29

For several years there was no further attempt at a
northern voyage out of England. But Portugal, at this
period England’s most formidable rival on the sea, was
not so unwise as to allow so promising a field of honor
and emolument to remain unexplored. A passage by














felt a :
; ARV
Ha i oe
iy sta tnt
a ng

i Wy

<—
SSS

eS
Ss

SEBASTIAN CABOT,

water had been found around the continent of Africa
by one of her sons (De Gama), and this strengthened
the belief that one would be found also around the
continent of Europe, or through some portion of the
northern part of America, Accordingly, Gaspar Cor-
toreal fitted out two ships at his own expense, and sailed
30 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

from Lisbon in 1500, with the intention of following up
Sebastian Cabot’s discoveries. He touched at the
Azores, and then-pursued a course which led him to
Labrador, and he proceeded to explore it for upward
of 600 miles. In a letter written October 19, 1501,
only eleven days after the return of Cortoreal from his
northern voyage, it was stated, “On October 8, one of
the caravels under the command of Cortoreal arrived
here, and reports the finding of a country distant hence
west and north-west 2000 miles, heretofore quite un-
known. They proceeded over 600 miles without reach-
ing its termination, from which circumstance they con-
clude it to be of the mainland connected with another
region which last year was discovered in the north, but
-which the caravel could not reach on account of the ice
and the vast quantity of snow; and they are confirmed
in this belief by the multitude of great rivers they found,
which certainly could not proceed from an island.
They say the country is very populous, and the dwellings
of the inhabitants are constructed with timber of great
length and covered with the skins of fishes. They
have brought thither 57 of the inhabitants, men, women,
and children.”

Their color, figure, stature, and aspect are described.
They were said to be “ well made in the arms, legs, and
shoulders; admirably calculated for labor ; and are the
best slaves I have ever seen.”

It was very gratifying to the nation that their first
attempt in the frozen North should have been crowned
with so much success :—but it was a more substantial,
though a basely mercenary motive which induced them
again to take the field. Twenty years earlier the south-
ern Africans were pointed out as an article of commerce,
VERAZZANO, 31

Here alone, then, there was a rich mine of wealth for
the nation, and the king eagerly entered into the proj-
ect, which can thus be traced back to this barbarous
suggestion.

The next year Cortoreal departed with two ships on
a second voyage. He is described as entering a strait
(probably Hudson’s), but here a tempest arose, and he
was separated from
his companions, and
never heard of more.
When the news of
this disaster reached
Portugal,his brother
set out in search of
him ;—he never re-
turned, and the deep
still holds the secret
of the fate of both.

In 1524 the
French, for the first
time, entered the
field of Arctic dis-
covery. In that
year, by direction
of Francis I, four ;
ships were fitted out, ~ VERAZZANO.
and the command
given to Verazzano, a Florentine, who coasted North
America from the latitude 34° to 50°, a distance of
2100 miles, embracing the whole of the present United
States, and a large portion of British America. Veraz-
zano had frequent meetings with the natives, and speaks
of them in the highest terms. It is thought probable


32 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

that he first landed near Savannah, Ga. In his progress
northward he records meeting a people as fierce and
sullen as the others had been mild and gentle. Along
the coast he mentions a cluster of thirty islands, sepa-
rated by narrow channels, a description which precisely
marks the present Bay of Penobscot (Maine). He pur-
sued his course to latitude 50°, when, his provisions
failing, he sailed for France, which he reached in safety,
July 8, 1524.

In the same year that France made her first attempt
in the north, an expedition under Gomez left Spain,
with a view of finding a northern and shorter passage
to the Moluccas. He appears to have reached the lati-
tude 40°, and, without making any material discovery,
returned after a voyage of ten months.

After an interval of ten years, the French again set
forth on the career of northern discovery. Jacques
Cartier, with two ships, sailed April 20, 1534. He
appears to have circumnavigated Newfoundland, and to
have proceeded for some time in his course up the Bay
of St. Lawrence, being the first European that visited
it; but the season being far advanced, he thought it
better to reserve, for another voyage, the further exam-
ination of what promised to be a glorious field for ex-
ploration. He returned, therefore, by the Straits of
Belle Isle to St. Malo, where he arrived Sept. 5, 1534.

On May ro, 1535, he again sailed, with three ships,
which, soon after their departure, became separated in a
storm, and did not meet with each other till July 26,
when they proceeded to examine the large gulf which he
had formerly entered. ‘It was,” to use Cartier’s words,
“a very fair gulf, full of islands, passages and entrances,
to what wind soever you pleased to bend, having a great
JACQUES CARTIER. 33

island, like a cape of land, stretching somewhat farther
forth than the others.”







LLG;




LE a

oo
SOL ILL

CTS
SSIS

SLE



xf.
USS



JACQUES CARTIER,

This isle they named Assumption. To the channel
between it and the coast of Labrador, Cartier gave the
name of St. Lawrence, which has since been extended to

3 B
3A IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

the whole gulf. The French ascended the river as far
as the Indian city of Hochelaga, and were friendly re-
ceived by the Aboriginees, Hochelaga was called
Mont Royale, since corrupted into Montreal. This
discovery was of much importance, but the prejudice |
then prevailed that no countries were valuable except
such as produced gold and silver, and for four years the
- French monarch would listen to no proposals for the
establishment of a colony.

' We have seen that for some years the French omitted
to follow up the successful issue of Cartier’s second
voyage; their next attempt was the result of a private
adventure. Jean de Roque, the Sieur de Roberval, was
given permission to found a settlement in the country,
and was made Viceroy in Canada, Hochelga, Sag-
uenay, Newfoundland, Bellisle, Lakrador, the Great
Bay, etc.; which, if merited by any one, ought to have
been conferred upon Cartier. He was given a subor-
dinate command only, and was ordered to set off with
five vessels, Cartier received a different reception this
time. The Indians resisted, by every means in their
power, any attempt at a settlement, and the French
were obliged, for their defence, to build a fort near the
present site of Quebec.

We have, in the voyage of the Cortoreals, had a sad
example of the fatal results of attempts to break as-
sunder all ties of relationship and humanity by forcing
the Red Indian to become the slave of his white fellow-
creature; it was only by acts of the most signal
vengeance that the Western hemisphere was saved from
that disagreeable traffic which is the foulest blot in the
annals of the Eastern.

It is impossible not to be struck with the determined






35



























HARBOR OF ST. JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND.








































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































36 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

resistance which has ever been made by the aboriginees
of North America to these kidnapping adventures, and
likewise the fact, that the indiscretion of one traveler
' was visited, at some future period, on the perhaps



INDIAN CHIEFS.

unoffending head of the next who happened to traverse
the same path. Through jealousy Cartier deserted
Roberval, and this gave a death-blow to the enterprise.
In 1549 Roberval, and his brother, made another












































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































7

ll

f

ne
eee
i Y



ety i): sh







QUEBEC. 37
38 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

attempt at a settlement. They were never heard of
moore.

In 1549 Sebastian Cabot was created Grand Pilot of
England, and started in his old age another idea, which
has become almost equally momentous in the history
of Arctic discovery—the search for a north-eastern route
to China. Accordingly, in the year 1553, a squadron
of three small vessels were fitted with everything
which experience had proven to be necessary, and
as a further precaution, the keels were covered with
“thinne sheets of leade,” which is the first instance on
record in England of the practice of sheathing, a
method, however, long before adoptéd in Spain.

The command was entrusted to Sir Hugh Wil-
loughby, “a most valiant gentleman,” but probably no
sailor, Richard Chancellor, and Stephen Burrough, and
sailed with the vain hope of reaching India by sailing
round North Asia, the formation and vast extent of
which were at that time totally unknown.

Off Senjan, an island on the Norwegian coast in lat.
69%4°, the ships parted company in a stormy night, never
to meet again. Willoughby reached the coast of Nova
Zembla, and ultimately sought a harbor in Lapland on
the west side of the entrance into the White Sea, where
the officers and crew were miserably frozen to death, as
some Russian fishermen ascertained in the following
spring. How long they sustained the severity of the
weather is not known, but the journal found on board
the Admiral proved that Willoughby ‘and most of the
ships’s company were alive in January,1554. “Seventy
souls” perished,-either through famine or the intense
cold. The two ships were recovered, and with the
dead bodies in them were sent to England, but on the




























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































MONTREAL. 39
&

40 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

passage they “ sank with their dead, and them also that
brought them.”

They died the victims of inexperience; for had they
“been skilled in hunting and clothing themselves, and
taken the precaution of laying in at the beginning
of the winter a stock of mossy turf such as the country
produces for fuel, and above all had they secured a few
of the very many seals which abounded in the sea
around them, they might have preserved their lives and
passed an endurable winter.”

Chancellor was either more fortunate or more skillful,
for after having long been buffeted about by stormy
weather, he eventually reached St. Nicholas, in the
White Sea. From thence he proceeded overland to
Moscow and delivered his credentials to the Czar, from
whom he obtained many privileges for the company
who had fitted out the expedition. In 1554 he returned
to England, and shortly afterwards was sent back
to Russia by Queen Mary to negotiate a treaty of com-
merce between the two nations. Accomplishing his
mission, he once more set sail from the White Sea, ac-
companied by a Muscovite ambassador. The return
voyage was extremely unfortunate, for Chancellor, after
losing two of his vessels off the coast of Norway, was
carried by a violent tempest into the Bay of Pitsligo, in
Scotland, where his ship was wrecked. He endeavored
to save the ambassador and himself in a boat, but
the small pinnance was upset; and although the Rus-
sian safely reached the strand, the Englishman, after
having escaped so many dangers in the Arctic Ocean, ,
was drowned within sight of his native shores.

In 1556 the Muscovy Company fitted out the Serch-
thrift pinnance, under the command of Stephen Bur-


SIR HUGH WILLOUGHBY,
‘a3. IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

rough, the master of Chancellor’s ship in his first voy-
age, for discovery toward the River Obi and further
search for a north-east passage. This small vessel
teached the strait between Nova Zembla and Vaigats,
called by the Russians the Kara Gate, but the enormous
masses of ice that came floating through the channel
compelled it to return.

In spite of these disappointments, the desire to discover
a northern route to India was too great to allow enter-
prising European nations: to abandon the scheme as
hopeless.

In the days of Oudeh Elizabeth the question of the
North-west Passage was again revived, and Martin
Frobisher, who had solicited merchants and nobles
during fifteen years for means to undertake “ the only
great thing left undone in the world,’ sailed in the year
1576 with three small vessels of 35, 30, and Io tons,
on-no less an errand than the circumnavigation of
Northern America.. The reader may smile at the ig-
norance which encouraged such efforts, but he cannot
fail to admire the iron-hearted man who ventured in
such wretched nutshells to face the Arctic seas. Ex-
perience has since proved that such vessels were better
adapted for Arctic exploration than ships of a larger
measurement; but this fact was not then known. The
expedition safely reached'the coasts of Greenland and
Labrador, and brought home some glittering stones,
the lustre of. which was erroneously attributed to gold.
This belief so inflamed the zeal for new expeditions to
“Meta Incognita,” as Frobisher had named the coasts
he had discovered, that he found no difficulty in equip-
ping three ships of a much larger size, that they might
be able to hold more of the anticipated treasure. At
FROBISHER. 43

the entrance of the straits which still bear his name,
he was prevented by the gales and drift-ice from forcing






RRR
ON
.

.

vy

SAN
\
Is
as
ASS
ith Y °

a passage to the sea beyond, but having secured about
200 tons of the supposed golden ore, the expedition was
44 ; THE FROZEN SEAS.

considered eminently successful. Special commis-
sioners—gentlemen of great judgment, art, and skill—
were appointed by Her Majesty “to look thoroughly
into all matters pertaining to this ore.” It was nothing
but micaceous sand; but the commissioners made a
favorable report, both on the ore, and the prospects of a
passage to India; though upon what evidence it was
based is not known—the whole proceedings of these
functionaries being wrapped up in mystery. A large
squadron of fifteen vessels was consequently fitted out
in 1578 for a third voyage, and commissioned not only
to bring back an untold amount of treasure, but also to
take out materials and men to establish a colony on
those desolate shores. But this grand expedition, which
sailed with such extravagant hopes, was to end in dis-
appointment. One of the largest vessels was crushed
by an iceberg at the entrance of the strait, and the
others were so beaten about by storms and obstructed
by fogs that they were at length glad to return to Eng-
land without having done anything for the advance-
ment of geographical knowledge. The utter worthless-
ness of the glittering stones having meanwhile been
discovered, Frobisher relinquished all further attempts
to push his fortunes in the northern regions, and
sought new laurels in a sunnier clime. He accom-
panied Drake to the West Indies, where he commanded
one of the largest vessels opposed to the Spanish
Armada, and ended his heroic life while attacking a
small French fort in behalf of Henry IV., during the
war with the League.

The discovery of the North-western Passage was,
however, still the great enterprise of the day, and thus,
seven years after Frobisher’s disastrous voyage, sundry
DAVIS. AS

London merchants again “ cast in their adventure,” and
sent out John Davis, in 1585, with his two ships,
Sunshine and Moonshine, carrying, besides their more
necessary equipments, a band of music “to cheer and
recreate the spirits of the native.’ Davis arrived in
sight of the south-western coast of Greenland, where he
saw a high mountain (Sukkertoppen) towering like a
cone of silver over the fog which veiled the dismal
shore. The voyagers were glad to turn from the
gloomy scene, and to steer through the open water to
the north-west, where, on August 6, they discovered
land in latitude 66° 40’ altogether free from “the
pesters of ice, and ankered in a very fair rode.” A’
friendly understanding was established with the Esqui-
maux, and a lively traffic opened, the natives eagerly
giving their skins and furs for beads and knives until a
brisk wind: separated the strange visitants from their
simple-minded friends. The remainder of the season
was spent in exploring Cumberland Sound and the
entrance to Frobisher’s and Hudson’s Straits.

The discovery by Davis of a free open passage to the
_ westward, inspired sanguine hopes of the ultimate
success of the search. In the year following a second
voyage was undertaken by Davis, for which the Szw-
shine and Moonshine were again engaged, with two
other vessels. On June 29, 1586, he landed on the
coast of Greenland, in latitude 64°, and steered to the
west. The enormous ice-floes which come drifting
from Baffin’s Bay until the season is far advanced, op-
posed his progress. For some days he coasted these
floating islands, when a fog came on, during which
ropes, sails, and cordage were alike fast frozen, and the
seamen, hopeless of accomplishing the passage, warned
46 ‘IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

their commander that “by his overboldness he might
cause their widows and fatherless children to give him
bitter curses.” Touched by this appeal, Davis ordered
two of his ships to return home.

On August 1, he discovered land, latitude 66° 33’
N., and longitude 70° W. Here he was abandoned
by. his remaining vessels, and proceeded by himself on
his voyage. On September 4, in latitude 54° N., Davis
states he had “perfect hope of the passage, finding a
mightie great sea passing between the two lands west.”
After this, in consequence of severe weather, he thought
_ it prudent to return home.

On June 16, 1587, we once more find him on the coast
of Greenland, in his old tried bark the Swzshine, in com-
pany with the Azadeh and a pinnace. The supplies
for this third voyage were furnished under the express
condition that the expenses should be lightened as
much as possible by fishing at all suitable times; the
two larger ships were stationed for the purpose near
the part of the coast which they had formerly visited,
‘while Davis steered forward in the small and ill-con-
ditioned vessel which alone remained at his disposal.
He sailed along the Greenland coast as far as 72° latitude,
where, having fairly entered Baffin’s Bay, he named the
point at which he touched Sanderson’s Hope, in honor
of his chief patron, and then steered to the west, until
he once more fell in with the ice-barrier which had
prevented his progress the year before. Time and
perseverance, however, overcame all obstacles, and by
July 19 he had crossed to the opposite side of the
strait which bears his name. He then sailed for two
days up Cumberland Strait—which, it will be remem-
‘bered, he discovered on his first expedition—but be-












































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































C

La

ANH

Ly
ye



























THE “SUNSHINE”? AND THE *¢ MOONSHINE.” 47
48 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

lieving this passage to be an inclosed gulf, he returned,
and again passing the entrance to Hudson’s Bay, with-
out an effort to investigate it, repaired to the rendezvous
appointed for the two whaling vessels to meet him on
their way to England. Judge of his astonishment and
consternation when he found his companions had sailed
away, leaving him to find his way home in his miserable
pinnace, which, however, landed him safely on his
native shores. This was the last of the Arctic voyages
of that great navigator, for the spirit of the nation was
chilled by his three successive disappointments ; and all
the zeal with which he pleaded for a fourth expedition
proved fruitless. The projected invasion by the Span-
ish Armada put a stop to everything just then.

He susequently made five voyages to the East Indies,
and was killed on December 27, 1605, on the coast of
Malacca, in a fight with the Malays.

Seven years after Davis’s last voyage, the Dutch
made their first appearance on the scene of Northern
discovery. They had just succeeded in casting off the
Spanish yoke, and were now striving to gain, by the
development of maritime trade, a position among the
neighboring States, which the smallness of their terri-
tory seemed to deny them. All the known avenues to
the treasures of the south were at that time too well
guarded by the fleets of Portugal and Spain to admit of
any rivalry; but if fortune favored them in finding the
yet unexplored northern passage to India, they might
still hope to share in that most lucrative of trades.

Animated by this enterprise, some merchants of Am-
sterdam fitted out in 1594 an expedition in quest of the
North-eastern Passage, which they intrusted to the com-
mand of Cornelius Corneliszoon, Brant Ysbrantzoon,
BARENTZ, 49

and William Barentz, one of the most experienced sea-
men of the day. The three vessels sailed from the
Texel on June 6, and reaching the coast of Lapland,
separated into two divisions; Barentz chose the bolder
course of coasting the west side of Nova Zembla as far
as the islands of Orange, the most northerly points of































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































BARENTZ’S HOUSE,

the archipelago; while his less adventurous comrades

sailed along the Russian coast until they reached a

strait, to which they gave the very appropriate name of

Vaigats, or “ Wind-hole.” Forcing their way through

the ice, which almost constantly blocks up the entrance

to the Kara Sea, they saw, on rounding a promontory
4
50 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

at the other end of the strait, a clear expanse of blue
open sea, stretching onward as far as the eye could
reach, while the continent trended away rapidly toward
the south-east. They believed they had sailed round
the famous Cape Tabin—a fabulous headland, which,
according to Pliny (an indisputable authority in those ~
times of geographical ignorance), formed the northern
extremity of Asia, from whence the voyage was sup-
posed to be easy to its eastern and southern shores,
Little did Brant and Cornelius dream that within the
Arctic Circle the Asiatic coast still stretched 120° to
the east; and fully trusting their erroneous impressions,
they started in full sail for Holland, eager to bring to
their countrymen the news of their imaginary success.
Off Russian Lapland. they fell in with Barentz, who,
having arrived at the northern extremity of Nova
Zembla—a higher latitude than any navigator is re-
corded to have reached before—had turned back before
strong ‘opposing winds and floating ice, and. the three
vessels returned together to the Texel.

The hopes raised by the discovery of the imaginary
Cape Tabin induced the fitting out of a fleet of six
ships, laden with all sorts of merchandise fit for the
Indian market. A little yacht was added, which was
to accompany the fleet as far as that promontory, and
thence to return with the good news that the squadron.
had been left steering with a favorable wind right off to
India. As may be supposed, these sanguine hopes
were doomed to a woful disappointment, for the
“Wind-hole Strait,” doing full justice to its name, did
not allow the vessels to pass; and after fruitless efforts
to force their way through the ice-blocks, they returned
BARENTZ. 51

crestfallen to the port whence they had sailed a few
months before with such brilliant expectations.

Although great disappointment was felt at this fail-
ure, the scheme of sailing round Cape Tabin to India
was, however, not abandoned by the persevering Am-
sterdamers; and on May 16, 1596, a fourth expedition
started for the north-east, with Barentz and two others
commanding, Bear Island and Spitzbergen were dis-
covered, whereupon the ships separated, two returning
to: Holland, while Barentz, slowly making his way
through the fog and ice, advanced to the most northern
point of Nova Zembla, the crew being encouraged by
the tidings that from the high cliffs of Orange Island
clear open water had been seen to the south-east. The
effort to reach this inviting channel was frustrated by
the ice, which gathered about the ship as it lay near
shore, and gradually collecting under and around it,
raised it far above the level of the sea. All hope of re-
_ turn before the next summer now vanished, and here,
at the end of August, in latitude 76° N., were seventeen
unfortunate creatures doomed to endure all the horrors
of the dreary Arctic winter, doubly fearful because
unknown.

They started to build a hut, which after great labor
was finished on October 2. Each day the cold became
more intense. Did they hang up their clothes to dry,
the side away from the fire was frozen hard. “It
seemed as if the fire had lost all power of conveying
heat; their stockings were burned before their feet felt
any warmth, and this burning was announced by smell
rather than by feeling.”

On November 4 the sun disappeared, and with it
also a very disagreeable visitor, who put them in great
52 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

alarm—the huge white bear. They had, however, the
pale light of the moon, and the little Arctic fox, whose
flesh they found very palatable. On January 24, 1596,
after a darkness of 81 days, the edge of the sun ap-
- peared above the horizon, and the sight was a joyful
one indeed. The furious snow-storm ceased, and
though the severity of the cold continued till April,
they were better able to brave the outer air and to re-
cruit their strength by exercise. With the return of
daylight the bears came again and some being shot, af-
forded a supply of grease, so that they were able to
burn lamps and pass the time in reading.

When summer returned it was found impossible to
disengage the ice-bound vessel, and the only hope of
escape rested on two small boats, in which they finally
quitted the scene of so much suffering on June 14,
1596. On the fourth day out their barks became sur-
rounded by enormous masses of floating ice, which so
crushed and injured them that the crews gave up all
hope and took a solemn leave ofeach other. In this des- ©
perate crisis they owed their preservation to the presence
of mind and agility of a sailor, who, with a well-secured
rope, leaped from one ice-block to another till he
reached a larger floe, on which first the sick, then the
stores, the crews, and finally the boats themselves were
fairly landed. Here they were obliged to remain while
the boats underwent the necessary repairs, and during
this detention upon a floating ice-raft the gallant Ba-
rentz closed the eventful voyage of his life. He died as
he had lived, calmly and bravely, thinking less of him-
self than of the welfare of his fellow-sufferers, for his
last words were directions as to the course in which
they were to steer. His death was bitterly mourned
BARENTZ, 53

by the rough men under his command, and even the
prospect of a return to their homes could not console
them for the loss of their beloved leader, After a













































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































POLAR BEARS.

tedious passage (for by July 28 they had only reached
the southern extremity of Nova Zembla) they at length,
at the end of August, arrived at Kola, in Russian Lap-
54 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

land, where, to their glad surprise, they found three
Dutch ships. Of the 17 men stranded on Nova Zem-
bla, 12 returned to Amsterdam. The natural condition
of the high northern regions during winter was made
known to us by these voyages.

England tried it once more in 1602, when Weymouth
was repulsed by a violent storm, in his attempt to sail
up the promising inlet now so well known as the
entrance to Hudson’s Bay; and, in 1606, a melancholy
issue awaited the next expedition, which sailed under
the command of John Knight.

In 1607, Hendrick Hudson made the first attempt to sail
across the North Pole, a plan started in 1527 by Robert
Thorne, but not yet acted tipon by any one during the
80 years that had since passed. He reached the east
coast of Greenland in 73° of latitude, and then sailed
to the northern extremity of Spitzbergen, but all his
efforts to launch forth into the unknown ocean beyond
were baffled by the ice-fields that opposed his progress.

In his next voyage (1608) he vainly tried for the
North-east Passage; but his third voyage (1609), which
he performed in the service of the Dutch, led to the dis-
covery of the magnificent river which still bears his
name, and at whose mouth the “ Empire City ” of this
great "Republic has arisen.

In April, 1610, he sailed on the last and most cele-
brated of his voyages. In all but its commander, this
expedition was miserably inadequate to the object of its
mission, for it consisted only of one vessel of 55 tons,
provisioned for six months, and manned by a crew who
speedily proved unworthy of their leader. On entering
Hudson’s Straits, the large masses of ice which encum-
bered the surface of the water and the thickness of the
HUDSON. oS

constant fogs made them lose all courage, and they
earnestly. begged their commander to return at once to
England. But Hudson pressed on until at last his little
bark emerged into a vast open water, rippling and
sparkling in the morning sunshine. Hudson’s Bay ex-
panded before him, and the enraptured discoverer was
fully convinced
that the north-
western route
to Indianow lay
open, and that
he had succeed-
ed in accom- {
plishing that
which had _ baf- [_.
fled so many
before him. e
It was the be-

ginning of Au-
gust, and the
dastardly crew
considering the
passage effected
urged an imme-
diate return; HENDRICK HUDSON.

but Hudson .

was determined on completing the adventure, and
wintering, if possible, on the sunny shores of India.
For three months he continued tracking the south
coasts of that vast northern Mediterranean, but all
his hopes of finding a new channel opening to the
south proved vain, until at length the ship . was
frozen in on November 10 in the south-east corner of


56 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

James’s Bay. A dreary winter awaited the ice-bound
seamen, with almost exhausted provisions, and unfortu-
nately without that heroic patience and concord which
had sustained the courage of Barentz and his companions
under trials far more severe. But spring came at last,
and revived the spirits of their leader. His ship was
once more afloat, once more his fancy indulged in visions
of the sunny East, when, as he stepped on deck on the
morning of June 21, his arms were suddenly pinioned,
and he found himself in the power of three of his men.

Inquiry, remonstrance, entreaty, command, all failed
to draw a word from the stubborn mutineers, and Hud-
son resigned himself bravely to his fate, and, with the
quiet dignity of a noble nature, looked on calmly at the
ominous preparations going forward. A small open
boat was in waiting, and into this Hudson—his hands
being previously tied behind his back—was lowered;
some powder and shot and the carpenter’s box came
next, followed by the carpenter himself, John King,
whose name ought to be held in honorable remem-
brance, as he alone among the crew remained true to
his master. Six invalids were also forced into the boat,
which was then cut adrift, and the vessel sailed onward
on its homeward course.. Nothing more was ever heard
of Hudson; but the ringleaders of that dark conspiracy
soon paid a terrible penalty. Some fell in a fight with
the Esquimaux, and others died on the homeward
voyage, during which they suffered from the extremest
famine.

Thus miserably perished a man, of whom it has been
truly said, that he was, “in point of Skill, inferior to
few; in regard to Courage, surpassed by none, and in
point of Industry and Labor, hardly equalled by any.”
























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































Teh NN ne
DYNA AITO : ;













































HLL) Ran Fe
| i ) i atl Ml A U\\\ :
A

VAAL un

TOS \





THE “HALF MOON” IN THE HUDSON RIVER. 57
58 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

The account of the great expanse of sea which had
been reached gave new vigor to the spirit of discovery,
and new expeditions sallied forth (Thomas Button, 1612,
Gibbons, 1614, Bylot, 1615), to seek along the western
shores of Hudson’s Bay the passage which was to open
the way to India. All efforts in this direction were of
course doomed to disappointment, but Baffin, who sailed
in 1616, with directions to try his fortune beyond Davis’s
Straits, enriched geography with a new and important
conquest by sailing round the enormous bay which will
bear his name as long as honest worth shall be recog-
nized in the world. During this voyage he discovered
the entrances to Smith’s, Jones’s, and Lancaster Sounds,
without attempting to investigate these broad highways
to fields of later exploration. He believed them to be
mere inclosed gulfs, and this belief became so firmly
grounded in the public mind that two full .centuries’
elapsed before any new attempt was made to seek for a
western passage in this direction, while Jens Munk, a
Dane, sent out in 1619 with two good vessels, under the
patronage of his king, Christian IV; Fox and James
(1631-1632), Knight and Barlow (1719), Middleton
(1741), Moor and Smith (1746), confined their efforts to
Hudson’s Bay, and, by their repeated disappointments,
made all expeditions in quest of a north-western pas-
sage appear well-nigh as chimerical as those of the
knights-errant of romance.

Vitus Behring, a Dane by birth, but an officer in the
Russian navy, was sent by the Empress Catherine, from
St. Petersburg, on February 5, 1725, to explore the Sea of
Kamtchatka. During this voyage, which occupied several
years, he discovered Behring’s Strait (1728), and ascer.
tained that Asia was not joined to America. In a sub-


CAPTAIN JAMES COOK.
(Who first Circumnavigated the Globe.)

59
60 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

sequent voyage he was wrecked on Behring’s Island,
where he died of scurvy, on September 8, 1741.

Behring Sea, or the Sea of Kamtchatka, is the most
northern part of the Pacific Ocean, extending between
the peninsulas of Alaska and Kamtchatka. It is con-
nected by Behring Strait with the Arctic Ocean. Its
width is about 45 miles at the narrowest part, between
East Cape (Asia) and Cape Prince of Wales (America).
Its depth in the middle is about 180 feet.

CHAPTER JII.
VOYAGES FROM BAFFIN TO McCLINTOCK:

‘Tue failure of Captain Phipps in the Spitzbergen seas
(1773), and that of the illustrious Cook (1776), in his at-
tempt to circumnavigate the northern shores of America
or Asia, by way of the Straits of Behring, entirely damped
for the next 40 years the spirit of Arctic discovery ;
but hope revived when it became known that Captain
Scoresby, on a. whaling expedition in the Greenland
seas (1806), had attained 81° 30’ N. latitude, and thus
approached the Pole to within 540 miles. No previous
navigator had ever reached so far to the north ; an open
sea lay temptingly before him and the absence of the
ice-blink proved that for miles beyond the visible hori-
zon no ice-field or snow-covered land opposed his on-
ward course; but.as his object was strictly commercial,
and he himself answerable to the owners of the vessel,
he felt obliged to sacrifice his inclinations to his duty,
and to steer again to the south.

During the continental war, England had no leisure
FRANKLIN. ai

for discoveries in the Arctic Ocean; but not long after
the conclusion of peace, four stout vessels (1818) were
sent out by the Government. Two of these, the Dorothea,
Captain Buchan, and the 7ven¢, Commander John Frank-
lin, endeavored to cross the Polar Sea. After un-
numbered difficulties, the expedition was battling with
the ice to the north-west of Spitzbergen, when, on July
30, a sudden gale compelled the commander, as the
only chance of safety, to “take the ice””—that is, thrust
the ships into any opening among the moving masses
that could be perceived. In this very hazardous oper-
ation, the Dorothea was so injured that she was in
danger of sinking, and was therefore turned homewards
as soon as the storm subsided, and the TJrent of ne-
cessity accompanied her.

The other two ships which sailed in the same year,
the /sabela, commanded by John Ross, and. the A/ex-
ander, by William Edward Parry, had been ordered to
proceed up the middle of Davis’s Strait to a high north-
ern latitude, and then to stretch across to the westward,
in the hope of reaching Behring’s Strait by that route.
This expedition ended in disappointment; for though
Ross defined more clearly the Greenland coast to the
north of the Danish possessions between Cape Melville
and Smith’s Sound, he was satisfied with making a very
cursory examination of all the great channels leading
from Baffin’s Bay into the Polar Sea. After sailing for
some little distance up Lancaster Sound, he was arrested
by the atmospheric deception of a range of mountains,
extending across the passage, and concluding it useless
to persevere, he abandoned a course which was to
render his successor illustrious. The manner in which
Ross had conducted this expedition failed to satisfy the
62 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

authorities at home; and, in the following year, the
flecla, commanded by Parry, and the Gviper, under
Matthew Liddon, were commissioned for the purpose
of exploring the sound, whose entrance only had been
seen by Baffin and Ross.

With this brilliant voyage, the epoch of modern dis-
coveries in the Arctic Ocean may properly be said to
begin. Sailing right through Lancaster Sound, over
the site of Ross’s imaginary Croker Mountains, Parry
passed Barrow’s Strait, and after exploring Prince Re-
gent’s Inlet, whence the ice compelled him to return to
the main channel, he discovered Wellington Channel
(August 22, 1818), and soon after had the satisfaction
of announcing to his men that, having reached 110° W.
longitude, they were entitled to the bounty of $25,000,
secured to “ such of His Majesty’s subjects as might suc-
ceed in penetrating thus far to the west within the
Arctic Circle.” After passing and naming Melville
Island, a little progress was still made westward; but
the ice was now rapidly gathering, the vessels were
soon beset, and, after getting free with great difficulty,
Parry was only too glad to turn back and settle down
in Winter Harbor. It was no easy task to attain this
dreary port, as a canal over two miles in length had.
first to be cut through solid ice of seven inches average
thickness ; yet such was the energy of the men that it
was executed in three days. The two vessels were im-
mediately unrigged, the decks housed over, a heating
apparatus arranged, and everything made as comforta-
ble as possible. To relieve the monotony of the long
winter’s night, plays were acted, a school established,
and a newspaper set on foot—certainly the first period-
ical ever issued in so high a latitude. During the day












































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































PARRY’S CREW CUTTING A PASSAGE THROUGH THE ICE. 63
>

64 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

the men were employed for exercise in banking up the
ships with snow or making excursions within a certain
distance; and when the weather forbade their leaving
shelter, they were obliged to run round the decks to the
tune of a barrel-organ.

The cold became more and more intense. It was 51°
below zero in the open air on January 12, 1819, and on
the 14th the thermometer fell to 54°.

February 3, 1819, was a memorable day—the sun
being visible from the maintop of the Hecla, from
whence it was last seen on November 11, 1818, eighty-
four days before. The weather grew milder in March;
on the 6th the thermometer rose to zero, for the first
time since December 17, and on April 30 it stood at
the freezing-point, which it had not reached since Sep-
tember 12 of the previous year.

May appeared, bringing the long summer’s day of
the high northern latitudes; but as many a week must
still pass before the vessels could move out of their ice-
bound harbor, Parry started on June 1, 1819, to explore
the interior of the island, which at this early period of
the season still wore a dreary aspect. Such was the
rapidity of vegetation, that by the end of the month the
land, now completely clear of snow, was covered with
the purple-colored saxifrage in blossom, with mosses,
and with sorrel, and the grass was from two to three
inches long. The pasturage appeared to be excellent
in the valleys, and to judge by the numerous tracks of
musk-oxen and reindeer, there were animals enough to
enjoy its abundance.

It was not before August 1 that the ships were re-
leased from their ten months’ blockade in Winter Har-
bor, when Parry once more stood boldly for the west;
PARRY. 65

but no amount of skill or patience could penetrate the
obstinate masses of ice that blocked the passage, or in-
sure the safety of the vessels under the repeated shocks
sustained from them. Finding the barriers insuperable,
he gave way, and steering homeward, reached London
on November 3, 1820, and was enthusiastically received.

While Parry was engaged on this wonderful voyage,
John Franklin and Dr. Richardson, accompanied by
two midshipmen, George Back and Robert Hood, and
a sailor, John Hepburn, to whom were added during the
course of the journey a troop of Canadians and Indians,
were penetrating by land to the mouth of the Copper-
mine River for the purpose of examining the unex-
plored shores of the Polar Sea to the east. An idea of
their difficulties may be formed when it is mentioned
that the travelers started from Fort York, Hudson’s Bay,
on August 30, 1819, and after a boat voyage of 700
miles up the Saskatchewan arrived before winter at
Fort Cumberland. The next winter found them 700
miles farther on their journey, established during the
extreme cold at Fort Enterprise, as they called a log-
house built by them on Winter Lake, where they spent
10 months, depending upon fishing and the success of
their Indian hunters. During the summer of 1821,
they accomplished the remaining 334 miles to the
mouth of the Coppermine, and on July 21 Franklin
and his party embarked in two birch-bark canoes on
theit voyage of exploration. In these frail shallops
they skirted the desolate coast of the American con-
tinent 555 miles to the east of the Coppermine as far as
Point Turnagain, when the rapid decrease of their pro-
visions and the shattered state of the canoes compelled
their return (August 22). And now began a dreadful

5 Cc
66 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

land-journey of two. months, accompanied by all the
horrors of cold, famine, and fatigue. An esculent .
lichen (tripe de roche), with an occasional ptarmigan,
formed their scanty food, but on many days even this
poor supply could not be obtained, and their appetites
became ravenous. Sometimes they had the good
fortune to pick up pieces of skin, and a few bones of
deer which had been devoured by the wolves in the
previous spring. The bones were rendered friable by
burning, and now and then their old shoes were added
to the repast. On reaching the Coppermine, a raft had
to be framed, a task accomplished with difficulty by
the exhausted party. One or two of the Canadians
had already fallen behind, and never rejoined their
' comrades, and now Hood and three or four more of
the party broke down and could proceed no farther,
Richardson volunteering to remain with them, while
Back, with the most vigorous of the men, pushed on to
send succor from Fort Enterprise, and Franklin fol-
lowed more slowly with the others. On reaching the
log house they found it desolate, with no deposit of
provisions and no trace of the Indians whom they had
expected to meet there. “It would be impossible,”
says Franklin, “to describe our sensations after enter-
ing this miserable abode and discovering how we had
been neglected; the whole party shed tears, not so
much for our own fate as for that of our friends in the
rear, whose lives depended entirely on our sending
immediate relief from this place.” Their only consola-
tion was a gleam of hope afforded them by a note from
Back, stating that he had reached the deserted hut two
days before, and was going in search of the Indians.
The fortunate discovery of some cast-off deer-skins and


EDWARD PARRY AND GEORGE BACK.

67
68 FRANKLIN,

of a heap of acrid bones, a provision worthy of the
place, sustained their flickering life-flame, and after 18
miserable days they were joined by Richardson and.
Hepburn, the sole survivors of their-party. ;
_ “Upon entering the desolate dwelling,” says Richard-
son, “we had the satisfaction of embracing Franklin,
but no words can convey an idea of the filth and
wretchedness that met our eyes on looking around.
Our own misery had stolen upon us by degrees, and
we were accustomed to the contemplation of each
other’s emaciated figures; but the ghastly counte-
nances, dilated eyeballs, and sepulchral voices of Frank-
lin and those with him were more than we could at first
bear.” At length, on November 7, when the few sur-
vivors of the ill-fated expedition (for most of the voy-
agers died from sheer exhaustion) were on the point of
sinking under their sufferings, three Indians, sent by
Back, brought them the succor they had so long been
waiting for. The eagerness with which they. feasted on
dried meat and tongues brought on severe pains in the
stomach which soon warned them that after so long an
abstinence they must be careful in the quantity of food
taken. In a fortnight’s time they had recruited their
strength and joined Back at Moose Deer Island, and in
the following year they returned to England.

Parry’s second voyage of discovery (1821-1823) was
undertaken for the purpose of ascertaining whether a
communication might be found between Regent’s Inlet
and Rowe’s Welcome, or through Repulse Bay and
thence to the north-western shores of America. The
first summer (1821) was spent in the vain attempt of
forcing a way through Frozen Strait, Repulse Bay, the
large masses of ice in these waters holding the ships
PARRY. 69
helplessly in their grasp, and often carrying them back
in a few days to the very spot which they had left a
month before. Owing to these tebuffs, the season
came’ to an end while their enterprise was yet scarcely
begun, and the ships took up their quarters in an open
roadstead at Winter Island to the south of Melville
Peninsula. The monotony of the winter was pleasantly
broken during February by friendly visits from a party
of Esquimaux. Among these was a young woman
whose quickness of comprehension enabled her to be-
come an interpreter between her people and the Eng-
lish. The nature of a map having been explained to
her, she sketched with chalk upon the deck the out-
lines of the adjoining coast, and delineated the whole
eastern shore of Melville Peninsula, rounding its
northern extremity by a large island and a strait of suf-
ficient magnitude to afford a safe passage for the ships.
This information greatly encouraged the whole party,
which already fancied the worst part of their voyage
overcome, and its truth was eagerly tested on July 2,
- as soon as the ships could once more be set afloat.
After running great dangers from the ice, they
reached the small island of Igloolik, near the entrance
of the channel, the situation of which had been
accurately laid down by the Esquimau woman. But
all their efforts to force a passage through the narrow
strait proved vain, for after struggling 65 days to get
forward, they had only in that time reached 40 miles to
the westward of Igloolik. The vessels were therefore
again placed in winter-quarters in a channel between
Igloolik and the land; but having ascertained by boat
excursions the termination of the strait, Parry thought
it so promising for the ensuing summer that he at once
70 IN THE. FROZEN SEAS.

named it the “ Hecla and Fury Strait.” But his hopes
were once more doomed to disappointment by the ice-
obstructed channel, and he found it impossible to pass
through it with his ships. His return to England with
his crews in health, after two winters in the high lati-
tudes, was another triumph of judgment and discipline.

In the following year two new expeditions set out.
Captain Lyon was sent out in the Grzper, with orders to
land at Wager River, off Repulse Bay, and thence to
cross Melville Peninsula, and proceed. overland to Point
Turnagain, where Franklin’s journey ended. Buta suc-
cession of dreadful storms so crippled the Griger, that
it necessarily returned to’ England.

Such was the esteem Parry had acquired among the
companions of his two former voyages, that when he
took the command of a third expedition, to seek a
passage through Prince Regent’s Inlet, they all volun-
teered to accompany him. From the middle of July
till nearly the middle of September (1824), the Hecla
and the Fury had to contend with the enormous ice-
masses of Baffin’s Bay, which would certainly have
crushed vessels less stoutly ribbed; and thus it was
September 10 before they entered Lancaster Sound,
which they found clear of ice, except here and there a
solitary berg. But new ice now began to form, which,
increasing daily in thickness, beset the ship, and carried

- them once more back again into Baffin’s Bay. By per-
severance and the aid of a strong easterly breeze, Parry
regained the lost ground, and on the 27th reached ‘the
entrance of Port Bowen, on the eastern shore of Prince

~ Regent’s Inlet, where he passed the winter. By July

19, 1825, the vessels were again free; and Parry now

sailed across the inlet to examine the coast of North
PARRY. 71

Somerset; but the floating ice so injured the Fury that
it was found necessary to abandon her. ' Her crew and
valuables were therefore tranferred to the Hecla, the
provisions, stores, and boats were landed, and safely
housed on Fury Point, off North Somerset, for the
relief of any wandering Esquimaux or future Arctic
explorers who might chance to visit the spot, and the
crippled ship was given up to the mercy of the ice,
while her companion made the best of her way to
England.

In spite of the dreadful sufferings of Franklin, Rich-
ardson and Back during their first land- journey, we
find these heroes once more setting forth in 1825,deter-
mined to resume the survey of the Arctic coasts. Ade-
quate preparation was made for the necessities of their
journey; and before they settled down for the winter at
“ Fort Franklin,” on the shores of Great Bear Lake, a
journey of investigation down the Mackenzie River to
the sea had been brought to a successful end. As soon
as the ice broke in the following summer, they set out
in four boats, and separated at the point where the river :
divides into two main branches, Franklin and Back
proposing to survey the coast-line to the westward,
while Richardson set out in an easterly direction to the
mouth of the Coppermine River. Franklin arrived at
the mouth of the Mackenzie on July 7, 1826, where a
large tribe of Esquimaux pillaged his boats, and it was
only by great prudence and forbearance that the whole
party were not massacred. A full month was now spent
in the tedious survey of 374 miles of coast, as far as
Return Reef, more than tooo miles distant from their
winter-quarters on Great Bear Lake. The return jour-
ney to Fort Franklin was safely accomplished, and they
72 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

arrived at their house on September 21, where they had
the pleasure of finding Richardson, who had reached
the Coppermine, thus connecting Franklin’s former dis-
coveries to the eastward in Coronation Gulf with those
made by him on this occasion to the westward of the.
Mackenzie. The cold during the second winter at Fort
Franklin was intense, the thermometer standing at one
time at 58° below zero; but the comfort they now en-
joyed formed a most pleasant contrast to the squalid
misery of Fort Enterprise.

When Franklin left England to proceed on this ex-
pedition, his first wife was then lying at the point of
death, and indeed expired the day after his departure. .
But with heroic fortitude she urged him to set out on
the very day appointed, entreating him, as he valued
her peace and his own glory, not to delay a moment
on her account. His feelings may be imagined when
he raised on Garry Island a silk flag which she had
made and given him as a parting gift, with the instruc-
tion that he was only to hoist it on reaching the Polar
Sea.

While Parry and Franklin were thus searching for a
western passage, a sea expedition under Captain
Beechey had been sent to Behring’s Straits to co-operate
with them, so as to furnish provisions to the former and
a conveyance home to the latter—a task more easily
planned than executed; and thus we cannot wonder
that when the Blossom reached the appointed place of
rendezvous at Chamisso Island, in Kotzebue Sound
(July 25, 1826), she found neither Parry (who had long
since returned to England) nor Franklin,

In the year 1827 the indefatigable Parry undertook
one of the most extraordinary voyages ever performed
PARRY. 73

by man; being no less than an attempt to reach the
North Pole by boat and sledge-traveling over the ice.
His hopes of success were founded on Crosby’s author-
ity, who reported having seen ice-fields so free from either





















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































wi
saa

PARRY JOURNEYING ON THE ICE.

fissure or hummock, that had they not been covered
with snow, a coach might have been driven many
leagues over them in a direct line; but when Parry
reached the ice-fields to the north of Spitzbergen, he
found them of a very different nature, composed of
74 : IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

loose, rugged masses, intermixed with poois of water,
which rendered traveling over them extremely arduous
and slow. The strong, flat-bottomed boats, specially
prepared for an amphibious journey, with a runner at-
tached to each side of the keel, so as to adapt them for
sledging, had thus frequently to be laden and unladen,
in order to be raised over the hummocks, and repeated
journeys backward and forward over the same ground
were the necessary consequence... Frequently the crew
had to go on hands and knees to secure a footing.
Heavy showers of rain often rendered the surface of
the ice a mass of slush, and in some places the ice took
the form of sharp-pointed crystals, which cut the boots
like penknives. But in spite of all these obstacles, they
toiled cheerfully on, until at length, after 35 days of
incessant drudgery, the discovery was made that, while
they were apparently advancing toward the Pole, the
ice-field on which they were traveling was drifting to
the south, and thus rendering all their exertions fruitless.
Yet, though disappointed in his hope of planting his
country’s standard on the northern axis of the globe,
Parry had the glory of reaching the highest authenti-
cated latitude ever yet attained (82° 4o’ 30’). .On their
return to the Hecla, which awaited them in Treurenberg
Bay, on the northern coast of Spitzbergen, the boats
encountered a dreadful storm on the open sea, which
obliged them to bear up for Walden Island—one of the
most northerly rocks of the archipelago—where, fortu-
nately, a reserve supply of provisions had been depos-
ited. “Everything belonging to us,” says Parry, “was
now completely drenched by the spray and snow; we
had been 56 hours without rest, and 48 at work in the
boats, so that by the time they were unloaded we had
ROSS. 7

barely strength to haul them up on the rocks. How-
ever, by great exertion, we managed to get the boats
above the surf, after which a hot supper, a blazing fire
of drift-wood, and a few hours’ quiet rest restored us.”
He who laments over the degeneracy of the human
race, and supposes it to have been more vigorous or
endowed with greater powers of endurance in ancient
times, may perhaps come to a different opinion when
reading of Parry and his companions.

Thus ended the last of this great navigator’s Arctic
voyages. In his 28th year he discovered Melville
Island, and his subsequent expedition confirmed the
excellent reputation he had acquired by his first brilliant
success. From the years 1829 to 1834 we find him in
New South Wales. In 1837 he was organizing the mail-
packet service, and was finally appointed Governor of
Greenwich Hospital. He died in the summer of 1855
at Ems. ,

Ten years had elapsed since John Ross’s first unsuc-
cessful voyage, when the veteran seaman, anxious to ob-
literate the reproach of former failure by some worthy
achievement. was able to accomplish his wishes. A
small steamer, named the Victory, was purchased for the
voyage, an unfortunate selection, for nothing can be
more unpractical than paddle-boxes among ice-blocks ;
but to make amends for this error, Ross was fortunate
in being accompanied by his nephew, James Ross, who,
-with every quality of the seaman, united the zeal of an
able naturalist. He it was who, by his well-executed
sledge journeys, made the chief discoveries of the ex-
pedition; but the voyage of the Victory is far less
remarkable for successes achieved than for its unexam-
pled protraction during a period of five years,
76 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

The first season ended well, On August Io, 1829,
the Victory entered Prince Regent’s Inlet, and reached
on the 13th the spot where Parry, on his third voyage,
had been obliged to abandon the Fury. The ship itself
had been swept away; but all her sails, stores, and pro-
visions on land were found untouched. The hermeti-
cally sealed tin cans in which the stores were packed had
preserved them from the attacks of the white bears, and
they were found as good after four years as they
had been on the day when they were abandoned. - It
was to this discovery that the crew of the Victory
owed their subsequent preservation, for how else could
they have passed four winters in the Arctic wastes ?

On August 15 Cape Garry was attained, the most
southern point of the inlet which Parry had reached on
his third voyage. Fogs and drift-ice greatly. retarded
the progress of the expedition, but Ross moved on,
though slowly, so that by September 15 he had gone
over some 500 miles of newly-discovered coast. But
now, at the beginning of winter, the Victory was obliged
to take refuge in Felix Harbor, where the useless
steam-engine was thrown overboard, and the usual
preparations made for spending the cold season as
pleasantly as possible.

The following spring (from May 17 to June 13, 1830,)
was employed by James Ross on a sledge journey,
which led to the discovery of King William’s Sound
and King William’s Land, and during which that cour-
ageous mariner penetrated so far to the west that he had
only ten days’ provisions for a return voyage of 200
miles through an empty wilderness.

After twelve months’ imprisonment the Victory was
released from the ice on September 17, and proceeded
ROSS. wy

once more on her discoveries. But the period of her
liberty was short, for, after advancing three miles in one
continual battle against the currents and the drift-ice,
she again froze fast on the 27th.

In the following spring James Ross extended the cir-
cle of his sledge excursions, and planted the British
flag on the site of the Northern Magnetic Pole—which,
however, is not invariably fixed to one spot, as was then
believed, but moves from place to place within the
glacial zone. ‘

On August 28, 1831, the Victory—after a second im-
prisonment of eleven months—was warped into open
water; but after spending a month to advance four
miles, she was encompassed by the ice September 27,
and once more fettered in the dreary wilderness.

As there seemed no prospect of extricating her next
summer, they resolved to abandon her and travel over
the ice to Fury Beach, there to avail themselves of the
boats, provisions, and stores, which would assist them
in reaching Davis’s Straits. Accordingly, on May 29,
1832, the colors of the Victory were hoisted and nailed
to the mast, and after drinking a parting glass to
the ship with the crew, and having seen every man out
in the evening, the captain took his own leave of her.
“Tt was the first vessel,” says Ross, “that I had ever
been obliged to abandon, after having served in thirty-
six during a period of 42 years. It was like the last
parting with an old friend, and I did not pass the point
where she ceased to be visible without stopping to take
a sketch of this melancholy desert, rendered more mel-
ancholy by the solitary, abandoned, helpless home
of our past years, fixed in immovable ice, till time
should perform on her his usual work.”
78 IN THE £ROZEN SEAS.

After having, with incredible difficulty, reached Fury
Beach, where, thanks to Parry’s-forethought, they fortu-
nately found a sufficient number of boats left for their
purpose, and all the provisions in good condition, they
set out on August I-—a considerable extent of open

‘sea being visible—and after much buffeting among the

ice, reached the north of the inlet by the end of the
month. But here they were doomed to disappointment,
for, after several fruitless attempts to run along Bar-
row’s Strait, the-ice obliged them to haul their boats on
shore and pitch their tents. Day after day they lingered
till the third week in September, but the strait continu-
ing one impenetrable mass of ice, it was unanimously
agreed that there only resource was to fall back again
on the stores at Fury Beach, and there spend a fourth
long winter within the Arctic Circle. They were only
able to get half the distance in the boats, which were
hauled on shore in Batty Bay on September 24, and
performed the rest of their journey on foot, the provi-
sions being dragged in sledges. On October 7, they
once more reached the canvas hut, dignified with the
name of “ Somerset House,” which they had erected in
July on the scene of the ury’s wreck, and which they
had vainly hoped never to see again.

They now set about building a snow-wall four feet
thick round their dwelling, and strengthening the roof
with spars, for the purpose of covering it with snow,
and by means of this shelter, and an additional stove,
made themselves tolerably comfortable, until the in-
creasing severity of the cold and the furious gales con-

fined them within- doors, and sorely tried their patience,
Scurvy now began to appear, and several of the men
fell victims to the scourge. At the same time, cares for
ROSS. 79

the future darkened the gloom of their situation; for,
should they be disappointed in their hopes of escaping
in the ensuing summer, their failing strength and di-
minishing stores gave them but little hope of surviving
another year.

It may be imagined how anxiously the movements
of the ice were watched when the next season opened,
and with what beating hearts they embarked at Batty
Bay on August 15. Making their way slowly among
the masses of ice with which the inlet was encumbered,
they to their great joy found, on the 17th, the wide ex-
panse of Barrow’s Strait open to navigation. °

Pushing on with renewed spirits, Cape York soon lay
behind them, and, alternately rowing and sailing, on the
night of the 25th they rested in a good harbor on the
eastern shore of Navy Board Inlet. Early next morn-
ing they were roused from their slumber by the joyful
intelligence of a ship being in sight, dnd never did men
more hurriedly and energetically set out; but the ele-
ments were against them, and the ship disappeared
in the distant haze. ,

After a few hours’ suspense, the sight of another ves-
sel lying to in a calm relieved their dispair. This time
their exertions were successful, and, strange to say, the
ship which took them on board was the same /sadella—
now reduced to the rank of a private whaler—in which
Ross had made his first voyage to the Arctic Sea.

The seamen of the /sade//a told him of his own death—
of which all England was persuaded—and could hardly
believé that it was really he and his party who now stood
before them. But when all doubts were cleared away,
the rigging was instantly manned to do them honor, and
80 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

thundering cheers welcomed Ross and his gallant band
on board.

The /sabella remained some time longer in Baffin’s
Bay to prosecute the fishery, and thus our Arctic voy-
agers did not return to England before October 15,
1833, when they were received as men risen from the
grave. Wherever Ross appeared, he was escorted by
a crowd of sympathizers ; orders, medals, and diplomas
from foreign States and learned societies rained down
upon him. London and Liverpool presented him with
the freedom of their cities; he received the honor of
knighthood; and Parliament granted him $25,000 as a
remuneration for his pecuniary outlay and privations.

It may be imagined that his long absence had not
been allowed to pass without awakening a strong desire
to bring him aid and assistance. Thus, when Captain
Back volunteered to lead a land expedition in quest of
Ross to the northern shore of America, $20,000 were
immediately raised by public subscription to defray ex-
penses. While deep in the American wilds, Back was
gratified to learn that Ross had safely arrived in Eng-
land; but, instead of returning home, he resolved to
trace the unknown course of the Great Fish River,
down to the distant outlet where it pours its waters into
the Polar seas.

_ It would take a volume to relate his adventures in
this expedition, the numberless falls, cascades, and
rapids that obstructed his progress; the storms and
snow-drifts, the horrors of the deserts through which he
_ forced his way, until he finally (June 28, 1833) reached
the mouth of the river, or, rather, the broad estuary
through which it disembogues itself into the Polar Sea.






































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































6 SNOW HOUSES. 81
82 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

The Fish River has since been named Back’s River,
in honor of its discoverer; and surely no geographical
distinction has ever been more justly merited.

The land expedition sent out by the Hudson’s Bay
Company (1837-1839), under the direction of Peter
Dease, one of their chief factors, and Thomas Simpson,
proved more successful. Descending the Mackenzie to
the sea, they surveyed, in July, 1837, that part of the
northern coast of America which had been left un-
examined by Franklin in’ 1825, from Return Reef to
Cape Barrow.

Although .it was the height of summer, the ground

was found frozen several inches below the surface, and
the spray froze on the oars and rigging of their boats,
which the drift-ice along the shore ultimately obliged
them to leave behind.
_ As they went onward on foot, heavily laden, the fre-
quent necessity of wading up to the middle in the ice-
cold water of the inlets, together with the constant fogs
and the sharp north wind, tried their powers of endur-
ance to the utmost; but Simpson, the hero of the ex-
pedition, was not to be deterred by anything short of
absolute impossibility; nor did he stop till he had
reached Point Barrow. Indeed, no man could be more
fit than he to lead an expedition like this, for he had
once before traveled 2000 miles on foot in the middle
of winter from York Factory to Athabasca, walking
sometimes not less than 50 miles in one day, and with-
out any protection against the cold but an ordinary
cloth mantle. /

After wintering at Fort Confidence, on Great Bear
Lake, the next season was profitably employed in de-
scending the Coppermine River, and tracing nearly 140
SIR JOHN FRANKLIN. 83

miles of new coast beyond Cape Turnagain, the limit of
Franklin’s survey in 1821. The third season (1839)
was still more favored by fortune, for Simpson suc-
ceeded in discovering the whole coast beyond Cape
Turnagain as far as Castor and Pollux River (August
20, 1839), on the eastern side of the vast arm of the
sea which receives the waters of the Great Fish River
On his return voyage, he traced 60 miles of the south
coast of King William’s Island, and a great part of the
high, bold shores of Victoria Land, and reached Fort
Confidence on September 24, after one of the longest
and most successful boat voyages ever performed in the
Polar waters, having traversed more than 1600 miles of
sea.

Unfortunately he was not destined to reap the re-_
wards of his labor, for in the following year, while
traveling from the Red River to the Mississippi, where
he intended to embark for England, he was assassinated
by his Indian guides; and thus died, aged 36, one of
the best men that have ever served the cause of science
in the frozen North.

CHAPTER IV.

SIR JOHN FRANKLIN AND THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE.

On May 26, 1845, Sir John Franklin, now in the
sixtieth year of his age, and Captain Crozier, sailed
from England to make a new attempt at the North-
west Passage. Never did stouter vessels than the Ere-
bus and Terror, well-tried in the Antarctic Seas, carry a
finer or more ably-commanded crew; never before had
human foresight so strained all her resources to insure
84 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

success; and thus, when the commander’s last des:
patches from the Whalefish Islands, Baffin’s Bay (July
12), previous to his sailing to Lancaster Sound, arrived
in England, n was about to
y add a new
and brilliant
chapter te
the history
‘of Arctic dis-
> covery.
His return
NS was confi-
‘ dently ex-
pected to-
ward the end
of 1847; but
when the
winter pass-
ed and still
no tidings
came, the
anxiety at
. his prolong-
z= ed absence
2 became gen-
eral, and the
A RUDDER CRUSHED BY ICE. early part of
1848 wit-
nessed the beginning of a series of searching expeditions
fitted out at the public cost or by private munificence, on
a scale exceeding all former examples. The Plover and
the Herald (1848) were sent to Behring’s Straits to meet
Franklin with supplies, should he succeed in getting


SIR JOHN FRANKLIN. 85

thither. In the spring John Richardson hurried to the
shores of the Polar Sea, anxious to find the traces of
his lost friend. He was accompanied by Dr. Rae, who
had just returned from the memorable land expedition
(1846-47), during which, after crossing the. isthmus
which joins Melville Peninsula to the mainland, he traced
the shores of Committee Bay and the east coastof Boothia
as far as the Lord Mayor’s Bay of John Ross, thus prov-
ing that desolate land to be likewise a vast peninsula.

But in vain did Rae and Richardson explore all the
coasts between the Mackenzie and the Coppermine.
The desert remained mute; and James Ross (E£xter-
prise) and Captain Bird (Zuvestigator), who set sail in
June, 1848, three months after Richardson’s departure,
and minutely examined all the shores near Barrow’s
Strait, proved equally unsuccessful.

Three years had now passed since Franklin had been
expected home, and even the most sanguine began to
despair; but to remove all doubts, it was resolved to
explore once more all the gulfs and channels of the
Polar Sea. Thus in the year 1850 no less than twelve
ships sailed forth, some to Behring’s Straits, some to the.
sounds leading from Baffin’s Bay.* Other expeditions
* 1850-1854. Jnvestigator, Captain McClure, sy :

1850-1855. Enterprise, Captain Collinson, } Behring Sahil

1850, 1851. Resolude, Captain Austin, Lancaster Strait and

1850, 1851. Assistance, Captain Ommaney, Cornwallis Island.

1850, 1851. Lady Franklin,Master Penny, accompanied by the Sophia,
Master A. Stewart, under Admiralty Orders, to Lan-
caster Strait and Wellington Channel,

1850, Prince Albert, Captain Forsyth, belonging to Lady Frank
lin, to Regent’s Inlet and Beechey Island.

1850, 1851. Advance, Lieutenant De Haven,

1850, 1881. Rescue, S. P. Griffin, }U. S. Navy.
Fitted at the expense of Henry Grinnell, of New York,

to Lancaster Strait and Wellington Channel,
86 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

followed in 1852 and 1853, and though none of them
succeeded in the object of their search, yet they en-
riched the geography of the Arctic World with many
interesting discoveries.

' Overcoming the ice of Baffin’s Bay by the aid of their
powerful steam-tugs, Austin, Ommaney, and Penny
reached the entrance of Lancaster Sound. Here they
separated, and while the Resolute remained behind to
examine the neighborhood of Pond’s Bay, Ommaney
found at Cape Riley (North Devon) the first traces of
the lost expedition. He was soon joined by Ross,
Austin, Penny, and the American explorers, and a
minute investigation soon proved that Cape Spencer and
Beechey Island, at the entrance of Wellington Channel,
had been the site of Franklin’s first winter-quarters, dis-
tinctly marked by the remains of a large storehouse,
staves of casks, and empty pemmican-tins. Meanwhile
winter approached,-and little more’ could be done that
season, so all the vessels which had entered Barrow’s
Strait now took up their winter-quarters at the southern
extremity of Cornwallis Land; with the exception of
the Prince Albert, which set sail for England before
winter set in, and of the Americans, who, perceiving the
impolicy of so many ships pressing to the westward on
one parallel, turned back, but were soon shut up in the
pack-ice,which for eight long months kept them prisoners.
The Rescue and Advance were drifted backward and
forward in Wellington Channel until in December a
terrific storm drove them into Barrow’s Strait, and still
farther on into Lancaster Sound. Several times during
this dreadful-passage they were in danger from the ice
opening round them and closing suddenly again, and
only escaped being “nipped” by their small size and
















































































































































































































SIR JOHN FRANKLIN,

87
88 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

strong build, which enabled them to rise above the op-
posing edges instead of being crushed between them.
Even on their arrival in Baffin’s Bay the ice did not re-
lease them from its hold, and it was not till June 9,
1851, that they reached the Danish settlement at Disco.
After recruiting his exhausted crew, the gallant De
Haven determined to return and prosecute the search
during the remainder of the season; but the discourag-
ing reports of the whalers induced him to change his —
purpose, and the ships and crews reached New York at
the beginning of October, having passed through perils
such as few have endured and lived to recount.

Meanwhile the English searching expeditions had not
remained inactive. As soon as spring came, well-or-
ganized sledge expeditions were despatched in all di-
rections, but they all returned with the same tale of dis-
appointment.

As soon as Wellington Channel opened, Penny boldly
entered the ice-lanes with a boat, and; after a series of
adventures and difficulties, penetrated up Queen’s
Channel as far as Baring Island and Cape Beecher,
where he was compelled to turn back.

A fine open sea stretched invitingly away to the
north, but his fragile boat was ill-equipped for a voyage
of discovery. Fully persuaded that Franklin must have
followed this route, he failed, however, in convincing
Captain Austin of the truth of his theory, and as, with-
out that officer’s co-operation, nothing could be effected,
he was compelled to follow the course pointed out by
the Admiralty squadron, which, after two ineffectual at-
tempts to enter Smith’s and Jones’s Sounds, returned to
England.

The Prince Albert having brought home in 1850 the
SER JOHN FRANKLIN, 89

* intelligence of the discoveries at Beechey Island, it was
resolved to prosecute the search during the next season,
and no time was lost to refit the little vessel and send
her once more on her noble errand, under the command
of William Kennedy (1851-52). Finding Prince Re-
gent’s Inlet obstructed by a barrier of ice, Kennedy was
obliged to take a temporary refuge in Port Bowen, on
the eastern shore of the inlet. As it was very undesira-
ble, however, to winter on the opposite coast to that
along which lay their line of search, Kennedy, with four
of his men, crossed to Port Leopold, amid masses of ice,
to ascertain whether any documents had been left at
this point by previous searching parties. None having
been found, they prepared to return; but to their dis-
may they now found the inlet so blocked with ice as
to render it absolutely impossible to reach the vessel
either by boat or on foot. Darkness was fast closing
round them, the ice-floe on which they stood threatened
every instant to be shivered in fragments by the con-
tending ice-blocks which crashed furiously against it:
unless they instantly returned to shore, any moment
might prove their last. A bitter cold night (September
10, 1851), with no shelter but their boat, under which.
each man in turn took an hour’s rest—the others, fa-
tigued as they were, seeking safety in brisk exercise—
was spent on this inhospitable shore, and on the follow-

ing morning they discovered that the ship had disap-

peared. The drift-ice had carried her away, leaving

Kennedy and his companions to brave the winter as

well as they could, and to endeavor in the spring to re-

join their vessel, which must have drifted down the in-
let, and was most likely by this time imprisoned by the
ice. Fortunately a depot of provisions, left by James
go IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

Ross at Whaler Point, was tolerably near, and finding
all in good preservation, they began to fit up a launch,
which had been left at the same place as the stores, for
a temporary abode. Here they sat, on October 17,
round a cheerful fire, manufacturing winter garments
and completely resigned to their lot, when suddenly
they heard the sound of well-known voices, and Lieu-
tenant Bellot, the second in command of the Prince
Albert, appeared with a party of seven men. Twice be-
fore had this gallant French volunteer made unavailing
‘attempts to reach the deserted party, who soon forgot
their past misery as they accompanied their friends
back to the ship. In the following spring Kennedy and
Bellot explored North Somerset and Prince of Wales
Land, traversing with their sledge 1100 miles of desert,
but without discovering the least traces of Franklin or
his comrades. Yet in spite of these frequent disap-
pointments the searching expeditions were not given
over, and as Wellington Channel and the sounds to the
north of Baffin’s Bay appeared to offer the best chances,
the spring of 1852 witnessed the departure of Edward
Belcher and Captain Inglefield * for those still unknown
regions.

The voyage of the latter proved one of the most suc-
cessful in the annals of Arctic navigation. Boldly
pushing up Smith’s Sound, which had hitherto baffled

® 1852. Lsabel, Captain E. Inglefield. Lady Franklin’s vessel.

1852-1854. Assistance, Edward Belcher, to Lancaster Sound, Wel-
lington Channel. i

1852-1854. Reso/ute, Captain Kellett, Lancaster Strait, Melville
and Banks’s Islands.

1852-1854. Proneer, Lieutenant Sherard Osborne.

1852-1854. Jxtrepid, Captain McClintock.

1852-1354. Worth Star, Captain Pullen.


OL

ERT McCLURE,

ROB:
92 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

every research, Inglefield examined this noble channel
as far as 78° 30’ N. lat., when stormy weather drove
him back. He next attempted Jones’s Sound, and
entered it sufficiently to see it expand into a wide chan-
nel to the northward.

The squadron which sailed under the command of
Belcher was charged with the double mission of prose-
cuting the discoveries in Wellington Channel, and of
affording assistance to Collinson and McClure, who, it
will be remembered, had sailed in 1850 to Behring’ s
Straits.

At Beechey Island, where the orth Star was stationed
as depot-ship, the squadron separated, Belcher proceed-,
ing with the Asszstance and the Pioneer up Wellington
Channel, while Kellett, with the Aesolude and Lnirepid,
steered to the west. Scarcely had the latter reached
nis winter-quarters (September 7, 1852) at Dealy Island,
on the south coast of Melville Island, when parties were
sent out to deposit provisions at various points of the
coast, for the sledge parties in the ensuing spring.

The difficulties of transport over the broken surface
of the desert when denuded of snow may. be estimated
from the fact, that though the distance from the north
to the-south coast of Melville Island is no more than 36
miles in a direct line, McClintock required no less than
1g days to reach the Hecla and Griper Gulf. Similar
difficulties awaited Mechan on his way to Liddon Gulf,
but he was amply rewarded by finding at Winter Har-
bor despatches from McClure, showing that, in April,
1851, the /uvestigator was lying in Mercy Bay, on the
opposite side of Banks’s Strait, and that consequently
. the North-west Passage, the object of so many heroic
efforts, was at last discovered.
SIR JOHN FRANKLIN. 93

On March 9g, 1853, the Resolute opened her spring
campaign with Lieutenant Pym’s sledge journey to
Mercy Bay, to bring assistance to McClure, or to follow
his traces in case he should no longer be there.

A month later three other sledge expeditions left the
ship. The one under McClintock proceeded from the
Hecla and Griper Gulf to the west, and returned after
106 days, having explored 1200 miles of coast—a sledge
journey without a parallel in the history of Arctic re-
search, though nearly equaled by the second party
under Mechan, which likewise started to the west from -
Liddon Gulf, and traveled over 1000 miles in 93 days.
The third party, under Hamilton, which proceeded to
the north-east towards the rendezvous appointed by
Belcher the preceding summer, was the first that returned
to the ship, but before its arrival another party had
found its way to the Resolute—pale, worn, emaciated
figures, slowly creeping along over the uneven ice. A
stranger might have been surprised at the thundering
hurrahs which hailed the ragged troop from a distance,
or at the warm and cordial greetings which welcomed
them on deck, but no wonder that McClure and his
heroic crew were thus received by their fellow-seamen
after a three years’ imprisonment in the ice of the
Polar Sea.

Neither the sledge parties of the Resolute, nor those
which Belcher had sent out in all directions from his first
winter-quarters in Northumberland Sound (76° 52’N. lat.)
on the west side of Grinnell Peninsula, had been able
to discover the least traces of Franklin. The winter
(1853-54) passed, and in April Mechan found docu-
ments from Collinson giving intelligence of his pro-
ceedings since his separation from the Lnvestigator.
94 IN THE FROZEN SEAS,

On returning to the Resolute, Mechan found all
hands busy preparing to leave the ship, Belcher having
given orders to abandon her, as well as the Asszstance, |
Proneer, and Lntrepid, which had now been blocked up
above a year in the ice,and had no chance of escaping,

Thus the summer of 1854 witnessed the return to
England of the Worth Star, with all those brave crews
which had spent so .many unavailing efforts, and in
numerous boat and sledge excursions had explored so
many known and unknown coasts in search of Frank-
lin; and thus also McClure and his comrades, abandon-
ing the J/xvestigator in Mercy Bay, returned home
through Davis’s Straits, after having entered the Polar
Ocean at the Strait of Behring. He had, however, been
preceded by Lieutenant Cresswell and Mr. Wynniat,
who, on an excursion to Beechey Island in the summer
of 1858, had there met with and joined the Phenzx,
Captain Inglefield, who, accompanied by his friend
Bellot, had conveyed provisions to Belcher’s squadron,
and was about to return to England. During this ex-
pedition Bellot, whose many excellent qualities had
made him a universal favorite, was unfortunately
drowned by a fall into an ice-crevice during a sledge
excursion,

Years had thus passed without bringing any tidings
of the Zrebus and Terror since the discovery of their first
Wwinter-quarters, until at last, in the spring of 1854, Dr.
Rae, of the Hudson’s Bay Company, while engaged in
the survey of the Boothian Isthmus, fell in with a party
of Esquimaux, who informed him that in the spring of
1850 some of their countrymen on King William’s
Island had seen a party of white men making their way
to the mainland. None of them could speak the Esqui-






















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































sae

ABN LL



DANGERS OF SLEDGE-TRAVELING. 95
96 IN THE FROZEN SEAS...

maux language intelligibly, but by signs they gave
them to understand that their ships had been crushed
by ice, and that they were now going to where they
expected to find deer to shoot. Ata later date of the
same season, but before the breaking up of the ice, the





BELLOT’S DEATH.

bodies of some thirty men were discovered on the con-
tinent a day’s journey from Back’s Great Fish River,
and five on an island near it. Some of the bodies had
been buried (probably those of the first victims of














































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































E FROZEN SEAS.

ERING IN TH.

WINT
98 IN THE FROZEN SEAS,

famine), some were in a tent, others under the boat
which had been turned over to form a shelter, and
several lay scattered about in different directions. Of
those found on the island, one was supposed to have
been an officer, as he had a telescope strapped over his
shoulder, and’ his double-barreled gun lay underneath
him. The mutilated condition of several of the corpses
and the contents of the kettles left no doubt that the
men had been driven to the last-resource of canni-
balism, as a means of prolonging existence. Some
silver spoons and forks, a round silver plate, engraved
Sir John Franklin, K. C. B., a star or order, with the
motto, ec aspera terrent, which Rea purchased of the
Esquimaux, corroborated the truth of their narrative.

Thus it was now known how part of the unfortunate
mariners had perished, but the fate of the expedition
was still enveloped in mystery. What-had become of
the ships and of the greater part of their crews? And
was Franklin one of the party seen by the Esquimaux,
or had an earlier death shortened his sufferings ?

To solve at least this mournful secret—for every
hope that he might still be alive had long since van-
ished—his widow resolved to spend all her available
means—since the English Government would no longer
prosecute the search—and with the assistance of her
friends, but mostly at her own expense, fitted out a
small screw steamer, the fox, which the gallant McClin-
tock volunteered to command. Another Arctic officer,
Lieutenant Hobson, likewise came forward to serve
without pay.

At first it seemed as if all the elements had con-
spired against the success of this work of piety, for in
the summer of 1857 the floating ice off Melville Bay,









e\
RENN

i a
S/N
S uy















RELICS OF THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION (DISCOVERED BY McCLINTOCK, 1858-59).
100 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

on the coast of Greenland, seized the Fox, and after a
dreary winter, various narrow escapes, and eight months
of imprisonment, carried her back nearly 1200 geo-
graphical miles, even to 631%4° N. lat. in the Atlantic. |

At length, on April 25, 1858, the fox got free, and,
having availed herself of the scanty stores and provi-
sions which the small Danish settlement of Holsten-
burg afforded, sailed into Barrow’s. Strait. Finding
Franklin Channel obstructed with ice, she then turned
back, and steaming up Prince Regent’s Inlet, arrived at
the eastern opening of Bellot’s Strait. Here the pas-
sage to the west was again found blocked with ice, and
after five ineffectual attempts to pass, the Fox at length
took up her winter-quarters in Port Kennedy, on the
northern side of the strait.

On his first sledge excursion in the following spring,
McClintock met, at Cape Victoria, on the south-west
coast of Boothia, with a party of Esquimaux, who
informed him that some years back a large ship had
been crushed by the ice out in the sea to the west of
King William’s Island, but that all the people landed
safely.

Meeting with the same Esquimaux on April 20, he
learned, after much anxious inquiry, that besides the
ship which had been seen to sink in deep water, a
second one had been forced on shore by the ice, where
they supposed it still remained, but much broken.
They added that it was in the fall of the year—that is,
August or September—when the ships were destroyed;
that all the white people went away to the Great Fish
River, taking a boat or boats with them, and that in the
following winter their bones were found there.

These first indications of the fate of Franklin’s
a



























































































































































































































































































































KING WILLIAM’S














































102 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

expedition were soon followed by others. On May 7
McClintock heard that many of the white men dropped
by the way as they went to the Great River; that some
were buried, and some were not. They did. not them-
selves witness this, but discovered their bodies during
the winter following.

Visiting the shore along which the retreating crews _
must have marched, he came, shortly after midnight of
May 25, 1858, when slowly walking along a gravel
ridge near the beach, which the winds kept partially
bare of snow, upon a human skeleton, partly exposed,
with here and there a few fragments of clothing appear-
ing through the snow.

“A most careful examination of the spot,’ says
McClintock, “was of course made, the snow removed,
and every scrap of clothing gathered up. A pocket-
book, which being frozen hard could not be examined
on the spot, afforded strong grounds for hope that some
information might be subsequently obtained respecting
the owner, and the march of the lost crews. The
victim was a young man, slightly built, and perhaps
above the common height; the dress appeared to be
that of a steward. The poor man seems to have
selected the bare ridge top, as affording the least tire-
some walking, and to have fallen upon his face in the
position in which we found him. It wasa melancholy
truth, as reported, that, ‘They fell down and died as
they walked along.’”

Meanwhile Hobson, who was exploring with another
sledge party the north-western coast of King William’s
Land, had made the still more important discovery of a
record giving a laconic account of the Franklin expedi-
tion up to the time when the ships were lost and












































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































“AND AS THEY FELL THEY DIED,” 103
104 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

abandoned. It was found on May 6, in a large cairn at
Point Victory. It stated briefly that in 1845 the Hrebus
and YZerror had ascended Wellington Channel to
lat. 77°, and returned by the west side of Cornwallis
‘Island to Beechey Island, where they spent the first
winter. In 1846 they proceeded to the south-west,
through Peel Sound and Franklin Sound, and reached
within 12 miles of the north extremity of King Wil-
liam’s Land, when their progress was arrested by the
ice. Sir John Franklin died on June 11, 1847, having
completed—two months before his death—the sixty-
first year of an active, eventful, and honorable life. On
April 22, 1848, the ships were deserted, having been
beset since September 12, 1846. The officers and
crew, consisting of 105 souls, under the command of
Captain Crozier, landed with the intention of starting
for Back’s Fish River, which, as we have seen, they
were never destined to reach.

Quantities of clothing and articles of all kinds were
found lying about the cairn, as if these men, aware
that they were retreating for their lives, had then
abandoned everything which they considered super-
fluous.

Thus all doubts about Sir John Franklin’s fate were
at length removed. He at least had died on board his
ship, and been spared the miserable end of his comrades
as they fell one by one in the dreary wilderness.

The two wrecks have disappeared without leaving a
trace behind. A single document, some coins and
pieces of plate—this is all that remains of the gallant
ships which so hopefully sailed forth under one of the
noblest seamen that ever served in the English Navy.

It is a curious circumstance that Franklin’s ships


SIR JAMES McCLINTOCK,


106 IN THE. FROZEN SEAS,

perished within sight of the headlands named Cape
Franklin and Cape Jane Franklin by their discoverer,
. James Ross, 18 years before.
John Franklin was born in 1786. He entered the
Navy in 1800 as a midshipman, and served in the
action off Copenhagen. He took part also in the battle
of Trafalgar in 1805. Towards the close of 1814, he
joined the expedition to New Orleans, where he was
slightly wounded. He assisted in conducting the cut-
‘ting of a canal across the entire neck of land between
the Bayou Catalan and the Mississippi. For his
meritorious service here he was warmly recommended
for promotion. He was knighted in 1829, on his
return from his second Arctic expedition.

CHAPTER V.

ELISHA KENT KANE AND ISAAC I. HAYES.

In point of dramatic interest, none of the Arctic
expeditions can rival the second and last voyage of
Dr. Elisha Kent Kane, which, to avoid interrupting the
narrative of the discovery of Franklin’s fate by Rae and
James McClintock, we have refrained from mentioning
in its chronological order.

Weak in body, but great in mind, this remarkable
man, who had accompanied the first Grinnell expedition
in the capacity of surgeon, sailed from New York,
May 30, 1853, as commander of the Advance, with a
crew of 17 officers and men, to which two Green-
landers were subsequently added. His plan was to
pass up Baffin’s Bay to its most northern attainable
KANE AND HAVES. 107

point, and thence pressing on towards the Pole as far as
boats or sledges could reach, to examine the coast-lines
for vestiges of Franklin.

Battling with the storms and icebergs, he passed, on
August 7, 1853, the rocky portals of Smith’s Sound,*
Cape Isabella and Cape
Alexander, which had
been discovered the
year before by Ingle-
field; left Cape Hather-
ton—the extreme point
attained by that navi-
gator—behind, and af-
ter many narrow es-
capes from shipwreck,
secured the Advance in
Rensselaer Bay, from
which she was destined
never toemerge. Hi
diary gives us a vivid
account of the first win
ter he spent in this ha-
ven, in lat. 78° 38’, al-
most as far to the north
as the most northern
extremity of Spitzber-
gen, and in a far more
rigorous climate.

“Sept. 10, 1853.—The birds have left. The sea-
swallows, which abounded when we first reached here,

































































THE “CROW’S NEST.”

* Baffin had discovered Smith’s Sound in 1616, but no European or
American had explored it till Kane ventured there. His voyage to it was
full of difficulties and perils, which might appall the most stout-hearted,
108 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

and even the young burgomasters that lingered after
them, have all taken their departure for the south. The
long ‘night in which no man can work’ is close at
hand; in another month we shall lose the sun. As-
tronomically, he should disappear on October 24, if our
horizon were free; but it is obstructed by a mountain
ridge; and, making all allowances for refraction, we
cannot count on seeing him after the t1oth.

“Sept. 11.—The long staring day, which has clung
to us for more than two months, to the exclusion of the
stars, has begun to intermit its brightness. Stretching
my neck to look uncomfortably at the indication of our
extreme northernness, it was hard to realize that the
polar star was not directly overhead; and it made me
sigh as I measured the few degrees of distance that
separated our zenith from the Pole over which he
hung.

“Oct, 28.—The moon had reached her greatest north-
ern declination of about 25° 35’. She is a glorious
object; sweeping around the heavens, at the lowest.
part of her curve she is still 14° above the horizon.
For eight days she has been making her circuit with
nearly unvarying brightness,

“Nov. 7.—The darkness is coming on with insidious
steadiness, and its advances can only be perceived by
comparing one day with its fellow of some time back,
We still read the thermometer at noonday without a
light, and the black masses of the hills are plain for
about five hours, with their glaring patches of snow;
but all the rest is darkness. The stars of the sixth
magnitude shine out at noonday. Except upon the
island of Spitzbergen, no Christians have wintered in


ELISHA KENT KANE, 109


IIo IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

so high a latitude as this.*. They were Russian sailors
who had made the encounter there—men inured to
hardships and cold. Our darkness has go days to run
before we shall get back again even to the contested
twilight of to-day... Altogether our winter will have
been sunless for 140 days.

“Nov. 9.—Wishing to get the altitude of the cliffs
on the south-west cape of our bay before the darkness
set in thoroughly, I started in time to reach them with
my Newfoundlanders at noonday, the thermometer in-
dicating 23° below zero, Fireside astronomers can
hardly realize the difficulties in the way of observations
at such low temperatures. The breath, and even the
warmth of the face and body, cloud the sextant-arc and -
glasses with a fine hoar-frost. It is, moreover, an
unusual feat to measure a base-line in the snow at 55°
below freezing.

“Nov. 21.—We have schemes innumerable to cheat
the monotonous solitude of our winter—a fancy ball;
a newspaper, ‘The Ice Blink; a fox-chase round the
decks.

“Dec. 15.—We have lost the last vestige of our mid-
day twilight. We cannot see print, and hardly paper;
the fingers cannot be counted: a foot from the eyes.
Noonday and midnight are alike; and, except a vague
glimmer in the sky that seems to define the hill out-
lines of the south, we have nothing to tell us that this
Arctic world of ours hasa sun. In the darkness, and
consequent inaction, it is almost in vain that we seek
to create topics of thought, and, by a forced excitement,
to ward off the encroachments of disease.

* Rensselaer Harbor is situated 1° 46’ higher than Pelshens winter-
quarters in Northumberland Sound, 76° 52’.
KANE AND HAYES. IIl

“Fan, 21, 1854.—First traces of returning light, the
southern horizon having for a short time a distinct
orange tinge.

“Heb, 21.—We have had the sun for some days sil-
vering the ice between the headlands of the bay, and
to-day, toward noon, I started out to be the first of my





















INTERIOR OF TENT.

party to welcome him back. It was the longest walk
and toughest climb that I have had since our imprison-
ment, and scurvy and general debility have made me
‘short o’ wind.” But I managed to attain my object.
I saw him once more, and upon a projecting crag
nestled in the sunshine. It was like bathing in per-
fumed water.”
112 IN CHE FROZEN SEAS.

Thus this terrible winter night drew to its end, and
the time came for undertaking the sledge journeys, on -
which the success of the expedition mainly depended.
Unfortunately, of the nine magnificent Newfoundlanders
and the 35 Esquimau dogs originally possessed by
Kane, only six had survived an epizootic malady which
‘raged among them during the winter: their number
was, however, increased by some new purchases from
the Esquimaux who visited the ship at the beginning
of April.

Thus scantily provided with the means of transport,
Kane, though in a very weak condition, set out on
April 25, 1854, to force his way to the north. He found
the Greenland coast beyond Rensselaer Bay extremely
picturesque, the cliffs rising boldly from the shore-line
to a height of sometimes more than Ioco0o feet, and
exhibiting every freak and caprice of architectural ruin.
In one spot the sloping rubbish at the foot of the coast-
wall led up like an artificial causeway to a gorge that
was streaming at noonday with the southern sun, while
everywhere else the rock stood out in the blackest
shadow. Just at the edge of this bright opening rose
the dreamy semblance of a castle, flanked with triple
towers, completely isolated and defined. These were
called the “ Three-brother Turrets.”

“Farther on, to the north of latitude 79°, a single
cliff of greenstone rears itself from a crumbled base of
sandstone, like the boldly chiseled rampart of an ancient
city. At its northern extremity, at the brink of a deep
ravine which has worn its way among the ruins, there
stands a solitary column or minaret tower. The length
of the shaft alone is 480 feet, and it rises on a pedestal,
itself 280 feet high. I remember well the emotions of


i













































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































8 KANE AND HIS COMPANIONS IN THEIR VESSEL. TI3
114 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

my party, as it first broke upon our view. Cold and
sick as I was, I brought back a sketch of it which may
have interest for the reader, though it scarcely suggests
the imposing dignity of this magnificent landmark.”

But no rock formation, however striking or impres-
sive, equaled in grandeur the magnificent glacier to
which Kane has given the name of Humboldt. Its
solid glassy wall, diminishing to a well-pointed wedge
in the perspective, rises 300 feet above the water-level,
with an unknown, unfathomable depth below it and its
curved face 60 miles in length—from Cape Agassiz to
Cape Forbes—vanishes into unknown space at not more
than a single day’s railroad travel from the pole.

In spite of the snow, which had so accumulated in
drifts that the travelers were forced to unload their
sledges and carry forward the cargo on their backs,
beating a path for the dogs to follow in, Kane came in
sight of the Great Glacier on May 4; but this progress
was dearly earned, as it cost him the last remnant of
his strength. ,

“T was seized with a sudden pain,” says the intrepid
explorer, “and fainted. My limbs became rigid, and
certain obscure tetanoid symptoms of our winter enemy,
the scurvy, disclosed themselves. 1 was strapped upon
the sledge, and the march continued as usual, but my
powers diminished so rapidly that I could not resist the
otherwise comfortable temperature of 5° below zero.
My left foot becoming frozen caused vexatious delays,
and the same night it became evident that the immov-
ability of my limbs was due to dropsical effusion. On
May 5, becoming delirious and fainting every time that
I was taken from the tent to the sledge, I succumbed
entirely. My comrades would kindly persuade me that,
KANE AND HAYES. 115

even had I continued sound, we could not have pro-
ceeded on our journey. The snows were very heavy,
and increasing as we went; some of the drifts perfectly













































































































































































































GETTING READY TO “BAG.”

impassable, and the level floes often four feet deep in
yielding snow.

“The scurvy had broken out among the men, with
symptoms like my own, and Morton, our strongest
man, was beginning to give way. It is the reverse of
116 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

comfort to me that they shared my weakness, All that
I should remember with pleasurable feeling is that to
my brave companions, themselves scarcely able to travel,
I owe my preservation.

“They carried me back by forced marches. I was
taken into the brig on May 14, where for a week I lay
fluctuating between life and death. Dr. Hayes regards
my attack as one of scurvy, complicated by typhoid
fever.”

Fortunately summer was now approaching, with
cheering sunbeams and genial warmth. The seals
began to appear on the coast in large numbers, and
there was now no want of fresh meat, the chief panacea
against the scurvy. The snow-buntings returned. to
the ice-crested rocks, and the gulls and eider-ducks
came winging their way to their northern breeding-
places,

Vegetation sprang into life with marvelous rapidity,
and the green sloping banks not only refreshed the eye,
but yielded juicy, anti-scorbutic herbs.

Kane’s health slowly but steadily improved. He
was, however, obliged to give up all further sledge ex-
cursions for the season, and to leave the execution of
his plans to his more able-bodied companions.

Thus Dr. Hayes, crossing the sound in a north-east-
erly direction, reached the opposite coast of Grinnell
Land, which he surveyed as far as Cape Frazer in lati-
tude 79° 45’.

This journey was rendered slow and tedious by the
excessively broken and rugged character of the ice.
Deep cavities filled with snow intervened between lines
of hummocks frequently exceeding 30 feet in height.
Over these the sledge had to be lifted by main strength,
B











AN ARDUOUS EMPLOYMENT,


118 ' IN THE FROZEN SEAS,

and it required the most painful efforts of the whole
party to liberate it from the snow between them, Dr.
Hayes returned on June 1, and a few days later. Morton
left the brig, to survey the Greenland coast beyond the
Great Glacier. The difficulties were great, for, beside
the usual impediments of hummocks, the lateness of
the season had in many places rendered the ice ex-
tremely unsafe, or even entirely destroyed the ice-ledge
along the shore. Thus for the last days of his onward
journey he was obliged to toil over the rocks and along
the beach of a sea which, like the familiar waters of
the south, dashed in waves at his feet. Morton and his
Esquimau companion reached, on June 26, 1854, Cape
Constitution, a bold headland, where the surf rolled
furiously against high overhanging cliffs, which it was
found impossible to pass. Climbing from rock to rock,
in hopes of doubling the promontory, Morton stood at
this termination of his journey, and from a height of
300 feet looked out upon a great waste of waters,
stretching to the unknown north. Numerous birds—
sea-swallows, kittiwakes, brent-geese—mixed their dis-
cordant notes with the novel music of dashing waves;
and among the flowering plants growing on the rocks
was found a crucifer (Hesperis pygmaa), the dried pods
of which, still containing seed, had survived the wear
and tear of winter. From Cape Constitution the coast
of Washington Land trended to the east, but far to the
northwest, beyond the open waters of the channel, a
peak, terminating a range of mountains similar in their
features to those of Spitzbergen, was seen towering to
a height of from 2500 to 3000 feet. This peak, the
most remote northern land at that time known upon
our globe, received the name of Mount Parry.


































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































THE OPEN SEA. II9g
ieee 1a IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

Respecting this “great waste of waters,” Kane, who .
regarded it as the open Polar Sea, thus expresses him-
self: “It must have been an imposing sight, as he stood
at this termination of his journey, looking out upon the
great waste of waters before him. Not a ‘speck of ice,’
to use’ his own words, could be seen. There from a
height of 480 feet, which commanded a horizon of
almost 40 miles, his eyes were gladdened with the novel
music of dashing waters, and a_ surf, breaking in
among the rocks at his feet, stayed his further prog-
ress. : .. Morton called the cape which baffled his
labors after his commander, but I have given it the
more enduring name of ‘Cape Constitution.’ There
was not a man among us who did not long for
the means of embarking upon its bright and lovely
waters. :

“ An open sea near the Pole, or even an open polar
basin, has been a topic for theory for a long time, and
has been shadowed forth to some extent by actual or
supposed discoveries. As far back as 1596 (Barentz),
without referring to the earlier and more uncertain
chronicles, water was seen to the eastward of the north-
ernmost cape of Nova Zembla, and until its limited ex-
tent was defined by direct observation, it was assumed
to be the sea itself. The Dutch fishermen above and
around Spitzbergen pushed their adventurous cruisers
through the ice into open spaces, varying in size
and form with the season and the winds; and
Scoresby alludes to such vacancies in the floe as point-
ing in argument toa freedom of movement from the
north, inducing open water in the neighborhood of the
Pole. Baron Wrangell, when 40 miles from the coast
of Arctic Asia, saw, as he thought, a ‘vast illimitable
KANE AND HAVES. I2I

ocean,’ forgetting how narrow are the limits of human
vision ona sphere. Still more recently Captain Penny
proclaimed a sea in Wellington Sound, on the very spot
where Belcher has since left his frozen ships; and
my predecessor, Captain Inglefield, from the masthead
of his little vessel, announced an ‘ open polar basin’ but
15 miles off from the ice which arrested our progress
the next year,

“ All these illusory discoveries were no doubt chroni-



















































KANE’S BRIG,

cled with perfect integrity; and it may seem to others,
as since I have left the field it sometimes does to my-
self, that my own, though on a larger scale, may one
day pass within the same category. Unlike the others,
however, that which I have ventured to call an open
sea has been traveled for many miles along its coast,
and was viewed from an elevation of 480 feet, still with-
out a limit, moved by a heavy swell, free of ice, and dash-
ing in surf against a rock-bound shore.
122 IN THE FROZEN SEAS,

“It is impossible, in reviewing the facts which con-
nect themselves with this discovery—the melted snow
upon the rocks, the crowds of marine birds, the limited but
still advancing vegetable life, the rise of the thermome-
ter in the water—not to be struck with their bearing on
the question of a milder climate near the Pole.”

Meanwhile the short summer was wearing on, and, as
far as the eye could reach, the ice remained inflexibly
solid. It was evident that many days must elapse be-
fore the vessel could be liberated—but then most likely
winter would almost have returned—a dismal prospect
for men who knew by experience the long fearful night
of the 79° of latitude, and who, broken in health and
with very insufficient supplies of provisions and fuel,
were but ill armed for a second encounter. Many of
Kane’s companions thought it better to abandon the
vessel than to tarry longer in those frozen solitudes.

But though it was horrible to look another winter in
the face, the resolution of Kane could not be shaken.
On August 24, when the last hope of seeing the vessel
once more afloat had vanished, he called the officers and
crew together, and explained to them frankly the con-
siderations which determined him to remain. To
abandon the vessel earlier would have been unseemly,
and to reach Upernavik so late in the season was next
to impossible. To such of them, however, as were de-
sirous of making the attempt, he freely gave his per-
mission so to do, assuring them of a brother’s welcome
should they be driven back. He then directed the roll
to be called, and each man to answer for himself. In
result, eight out of the seventeen survivors of the party
resolved to stand by the brig. The others left on the
28th, with every appliance which the narrow circum-


































































































































































































































































































MORTON AT CAPE CONSTITUTION,
124 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

stances of the brig could furnish to speed and guard
them. When they disappeared among the hummocks,
the stern realities of their condition pressed themselves
with double force on those whom they left behind.

The reduced numbers of the party, the helplessness
of many, the waning efficiency of all, the impending
winter, with its cold, dark. nights, the penury of their
resources, the dreary sense of increased isolation—all
combined to depress them. But their energetic leader,
leaving them no time for these gloomy thoughts, set
them actively to work to make the best possible prepa-
rations they could for the long, cold night to come.

He had carefully studied the Esquimaux, and deter-
mined that their form of habitations and their mode of
diet, without their unthrift and filth, were the safest and
best that could be adopted. The deck was well padded
with moss and turf, so as to form a nearly cold-proof
covering, and, down below, a space some 18 feet square
—the apartment of all uses—was inclosed and packed
from floor to ceiling with. inner walls of the same
non-conducting material. The floor itself, after having
been carefully caulked, was covered with Manilla oakum
a couple of inches deep and a canvas carpet. The en-
trance was from the hold, by a low moss-lined tunnel,
with as many doors and curtains to close it up as
ingenuity could devise. Large banks of snow were also
thrown up along the brig’s sides to keep off the cold
wind.

All these labors in the open air wonderfully improved
the health of the exiles, and their strength increased
from day to day. A friendly intercourse was opened
with the Esquimaux of the winter settlements of Etah
and Anoatok, distant some thirty and seventy miles
KANE AND HAVES. 128

from the ship, who, for presents of needles, pins, and
knives, engaged to furnish walrus and fresh seal meat,
and to show the white men where to find the game.
Common hunting-parties were organized, visits of cour-
tesy and necessity paid, and even some personal attach-
ments established deserving of the name. As long as
they remained prisoners of the ice, they were indebted
to their savage friends for invaluable counsel in relation
to their hunting expeditions, and in the joint hunt they
shared alike. i

The Esquimaux gave them supplies of meat at criti-
cal periods, and they were able to do as much for them.
In one word, without the natives, Kane and his com-
panions would most likely have succumbed to the win-
ter, and the Esquimaux on their part learned to look on
the strangers as benefactors, and mourned their depart-
ure bitterly.

On December 12, the party which had abandoned the
ship returned, having been unable to penetrate to the
south, and was received, as had been promised, with a
brotherly welcome. They had suffered bitterly from
the cold, want of food, and the fatigues of their march
among the hummocks.

“The thermometer,” says Kane, “ was at — 50°; they
were covered with rime and snow, and were fainting
with hunger. It was necessary to use caution in taking
them below; for, after an exposure of such fearful in-
tensity and duration as they had gone through, the
warmth of the cabin would have prostrated them com-
pletely. They had journeyed 350 miles; and their last
run from the bay near Etah, some 70 miles in a right
line, was through the hummocks at this appalling tem-
perature. One by one they all came in and were
126 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

housed. Poor fellows! as they threw open their Esqui-
mau garments by the stove, how they relished the
scanty luxuries which we had to offer them! The cof
fee, and the meat-biscuit soup, and the molasses, and
the wheat bread, even the salt pork, which our scurvy
forbade the rest of us’ to touch—how they relished it
all! For more than two months they had lived on
frozen seal and walrus meat.”

Thus Kane, by his determination not to abandon the
ship, proved the saviour of all his comrades; for what
would have become of them had he been less firm in
his resolution, or if his courage had failed him during
the trials of that dreadful winter ?

“February closes,’ says the heroic explorer;
“thank God for the lapse of its 28 days! Should the
31 of the coming March not drag us farther downward,
we may hope for a successful close to this dreary
drama. By April 10, we should have seals; and when
they come, if we remain to welcome them, we can call
ourselves saved. But a fair review of our prospects
tells me that I must look the lion in the face. The
scurvy is steadily gaining on us. I do my best to sus-
tain the more desperate cases, but as fast as I partially
build up one, another is stricken down. Of the six
workers of our party, as I counted them a month ago,
two are unable to do out-door work, and the remaining
four divide the duty of the ship among them. We
chop five large sacks of ice, cut six fathoms of eight-
inch hawser into junks of a foot each, serve out the
meat when we have it, hack at the molasses, and hew
out with crowbar and axe the pork and dried apples;
pass up the foul slop and cleansings of our dermitory,
and, in a word, cook, scudfonize, and attend the sick.
KANE AND HAYES. 127

Added to this, for five nights running I have kept watch
from 8 Pp. M. to 4 A. M., catching such naps as I could in
the day without changing my clothes, but carefully
waking every hour to note thermometers.”

With March came an increase of sufferings. Every
man on board was tainted with scurvy, and there were
seldom more than three who could assist in caring for
the rest. The greater number were in their bunks,
absolutely unable to stir. Had Kane’s health given
way, the whole party, deprived of its leading spirit,
must inevitably have perished.

To abandon the ship was now an absolute necessity,
for a third winter in Rensselaer Bay would have been
certain death to all; but before the boats could be
transported to the open water, many preparations had
to be made, and most of the party were still too weak
to move. The interval was employed by Kane in an
excursion with his faithful Esquimaux to the Great
Glacier.

At length, on May 20, 1855, the entire ship’s com-
pany bade farewell to the Advance, and set out slowly
on their homeward journey. It was in the soft, sub-
dued light of a Sunday evening, June 17, that after
hauling their boats with much hard labor through the
hummocks, they stood beside the open sea-way. But
56 days had still to pass before they could reach the
port of Upernavik. Neither storms nor drift-ice
rendered this long boat-journey dangerous, but they
had to contend with famine, when they at length
reached the open bay, and found themselves in the full
~ line of the great ice-drift to the Atlantic, in boats so
unseaworthy as to require constant bailing to keep
them afloat. Their strength had decreased to an
128 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

alarming degree; they breathed heavily; their feet
were so swollen that they were obliged to cut open
their canvas boots; they were utterly unable to sleep,
and the rowing and bailing became hourly more
difficult. x

It was at this crisis of their fortunes that they saw a
. large seal floating—as is the custom of these animals—
on a small patch of ice, and seemingly asleep.
“Trembling with anxiety,” says Kane, ‘“ we prepared
to crawl down upon him. Petersen, with a large Eng-
lish rifle, was stationed in the bow, and stockings were
drawn over the oars as mufflers. As we neared the
animal, our excitement became so intense that the men
could hardly keep stroke. He was not asleep, for he
reared his head when we were almost within rifle-shot;
and to this day I can remember the hard, careworn,
almost despairing expression of the men’s thin faces as
they saw him move; their lives depended on his cap-
ture. I depressed my hand nervously, as a signal to
fire. McGary hung upon his oar, and the boat slowly,
but noiselessly surging ahead, seemed to me within cer-
tain range. Looking at Petersen, I saw that the poor
fellow was paralyzed by his anxiety, trying vainly to
obtain a rest for his gun against the cut-water of the
boat. The seal rose on his fore flippers, gazed at us for
a moment with frightened curiosity, and coiled himself
fora plunge. At that instant, simultaneously with the
crack of our rifle, he relaxed his long length on the
ice, and, at the very brink of the water, his head fell
helplessly to one side. I would have ordered another
shot, but no discipline could have controlled the men.
With a wild yell, each vociferating according to his
own impulse, they urged their boats upon the floe.

Fe, ;




































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































SSUPONTENIER. SCS

E PETERSEN AND THE SEAL r2y
130 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

A crowd of hands seized the seal and bore him up to
safer ice. The- men seemed half crazy. I had not
realized how much we were reduced by absolute
famine. They ran over the floe, crying and laughing,
and brandishing their knives. It was not five minutes
before every man was sucking his bloody fingers, or
mouthing long strips of raw blubber. Not an ounce of
this seal was lost.”

Within a day or two another seal was shot, and from
that time forward they had a full supply of food.

When Kane, after an absence of 30 months, returned
on October 11, 1855, to New York, he was enthu-
siastically received. Well-deserved honors of all sorts
awaited him on both sides of the Atlantic; but his
health, originally weak, was completely broken by the
trials of his journey, and on February 16, 1857, he
died at the Havana, only 37 yearsold. In him was
lost one of our noblest sons, a true hero whose name
will ever shine among the most famous navigators of
all times and of all nations.

In 1860, Dr. Isaac I. Hayes, who had accompanied
Kane on his journey, once more set out for the purpose
of completing the survey of Kennedy’s Channel, and,
if possible of reaching that open Polar Sea in which
so many believed, and which, in his case, was a posi-
tive faith, strengthened by the discovery which he
knew had been made by Morton, on Kane’s expedition.
After several narrow escapes from ice-fields and ice-
bergs, his schooner, the United States, was at length
compelled to take up her winter-quarters at Port
Foulke, on the Greenland coast, about 20 miles in lati-
tude to the south of Rensselaer Harbor. Thanks to
an abundant supply of fresh meat (the neighborhood
HAVES. 131

abounded with reindeer), and no doubt to the fund of
good-humor which prevailed in the ship’s company,
. they passed the winter without suffering from the
scurvy; but most of the dogs on which Hayes relied
for his sledge
expeditions in
the ensuing
spring were de-
stroyed by the
same epidemic
which had been
sofataltoKane’s
teams. Fortu-
nately some
fresh dogs could
be purchased
and borrowed of
the friendly Es-
quimaux, and
thus, early in
April, 1861,
Isaac I. Hayes
leftthe schooner
to plunge into
the icy wilder-
ness. Having
previously as- ISAAC lL HAYES.
certained that
an advance along the Greenland shore was impossible, he
resolved to cross the sound, and to try his fortunes along
the coast of Grinnell Land. Of the difficulties which he
had to encounter his own words will give the best idea.
“By winding to the right and left, and by occasion-


132 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

ally retracing our steps when we had selected an im-
practicable route, we managed to get over the first few
miles without much embarrassment, but farther on the
tract was rough past description. I can compare it to
nothing but a promiscuous accumulation of rocks
closely packed together and piled up over a vast plain
in great heaps and endless ridges, leaving scarcely a
foot of level surface. The interstices between these
closely accumulated ice-masses are filled up, to some
extent, with «drifted snow. The reader will readily
imagine the rest. He will see the sledges winding
through the tangled wilderness of broken ice-tables, the
men and dogs pulling and pushing up their respective
loads. He will see them clambering over the very
summit of lofty ridges, through which there is no open-
ing, and again descending on the other side, the sledge
often plunging over a precipice, sometimes capsizing
and frequently breaking. Again he will see the party
baffled in their attempt to cross or find a pass, breaking
a track with shovel and hand-spike, or again, unable
even with these appliances to accomplish their end,
they retreat to seek a better track; and they may be
lucky enough to find a sort of gap or gateway, upon
the winding and uneven surface of which they will
make a mile or so with comparative ease. The snow-
drifts are sometimes a help, and sometimes a hindrance.
Their surface is uniformly hard, but not always firm to
the foot. The crust frequently gives way, and in a
most tiresome and provoking manner. It will not
quite bear the weight, and the foot sinks at the very
moment when the other is lifted. But, worse than this,
the chasms between the hummocks are frequently
bridged over with snow in such a manner as to leave a
FAVES. 133

considerable space at the bottom quite unfilled; and at
the very moment when all looks promising, down sinks
one man to his middle, another to the neck, another is
buried out of sight; the sledge gives way, and to ex-
tricate the whole from this unhappy predicament is
probably the labor of hours. It would be difficult to
imagine any kind of labor more disheartening, or which
would sooner sap the energies of both men and animals.
The strength gave way gradually; and when, as often
happened after a long and hard day’s work, we could
look back from our eminence and almost fire a rifle-ball
into our last snow-hut, it was truly discouraging.”

No wonder that after thus toiling on for 25 days they
had not yet reached half-way across the sound, and that
they were all broken down. But their bold leader was
fully determined not to abandon his enterprise while
still the faintest hope of success remained, and, sending
the main party back to the schooner, he continued to
plunge into the hummocks with three picked com-
panions—Jensen, McDonald, Knorr—and 14 dogs.
After fourteen days of almost superhuman exertion the
sound was at length crossed, and now began a scarcely
less harassing journey along the coast. On the fifth
day Jensen, the strongest man of the party, completely
broke down, and leaving him to the charge of McDon-
ald, Dr. Hayes now pushed on with Knorr alone, until,
on May 18, he reached the border of a deep bay, where
farther progress to the north was stopped by rotten ice
and cracks. Right before him, on the opposite side of
the frith, rose Mount Parry, the lofty peak first seen by
Morton in 1854 from the shores of Washington Land;
and farther on a noble headland, Cape Union—the most
northern known land upon the globe—stood in faint out-
134 _IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

line against the dark sky of the open sea. Thus Hayes
divides the honor of extreme northern travel with
Parry.

In his journal he states: “All the evidences show
that I stood upon the shores of the Polar Basin, and
that the broad ocean lay at my feet ; that the land upon
which I stood, culminating in the distant cape before
me, was but a point of land projecting far into it, like
the Ceverro Noss of the opposite side of Siberia, and
that the little margin of ice which lined the shore was
being steadily worn away, and within a month the
whole sea would be as free from ice as I had seen the
north water of Baffin’s Bay, interrupted only by a mov-
ing pack, drifting to and fro, at the will of the winds
and currents.”

On July 12, the United States was released from her
icy trammels, and Hayes once more attempted to reach
the opposite coast and continue his discoveries in Grin-
nell Land, but the schooner was in too crippled a state
to force her way through the pack-ice which lay in her
course, and compelled her commander to return to

‘Boston.

On his return home the Civil War was at its climax.
He immediately wrote a letter to the President, asking
for employment in the public service, affording another
proof that he was made of stern material. He was ap-
pointed a medical officer, and served through the “ un-
pleasantness.” He visited Greenland in 1869; and re-
ceived gold medals from the Geographical Societies of
Paris and London. In 1872 his “Land of Desola-
tion” was published.

Thus ended this remarkable voyage. Fully con-
vinced by his own experience that men may subsist in
HAYES, 135

Smith’s Sound independent of support from home, he
proposed to establish a self-sustaining colony at Port
Foulke, which may be made the basis of an extended
exploration. Without any second party in the field to
co-operate with him, and under the most adverse cir-
cumstances, he, by dint of indomitable perseverance,
pushed his discoveries 100 miles farther to the north
and west than his predecessors; and it is surely not
oversanguine to expect that a party better provided
with the means of travel may be able to traverse the
480 miles at least which intervene between Mount
Parry andthe Pole. ‘The open sea, which both Morton
and himself found beyond Kennedy Channel, gives fair
promise of success to a strong vessel that may reach it
after having forced the ice-blocked passage of Smith’s
Sound, or, should this be impracticable, to a boat trans-
ported across the sound and then launched upon its
waters,

Captain Sherard Osborne, likewise a warm partisan
of this route, endeavored to interest the British Govern-
ment in its favor; but in the opinion of scientific au-
thorities an easier passage seems open to the navigator
who may attempt to reach the Pole by way of Spitz-
bergen. To the east of this archipelago the Gulf
Stream rolls it volume of comparatively warm water far
on to the north-east, and possibly sweeps round the
Pole itself. It was to the north of Spitzbergen that
Parry reached the latitude of 82° 45’; and in 1837 the
Truelove, of Hull (so says the London Atheneum),
sailed through a perfectly open sea in 82° 30’ N., 15°
E., and, had she continued her course, might possibly
have reached the Pole as easily as the high latitude
which she had already attained.
136 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

CHAPTER VI.:
HALL’S VOYAGES: THE POLARIS EXPEDITION.

CuarLes Francis Hat~t was born in 1821, at
Rochester, New Hampshire. In early life he was a
blacksmith, but removed to Cincinnati, where he event-
ually becamea journalist. He became deeply interested
in Arctic travel, and in the fate of Franklin. In 1860,
he made an attempt to find some traces of the Franklin
expedition, but meeting with an accident, he returned,
after voyaging for two years and three months. In
1864 he sailed again, and reached Hecla Strait. He
carried home about 150 Franklin relics, and ascertained
that Franklin had actually discovered the North-west
Passage, and established the melancholy truth that most
of his men died of starvation in King William’s Land,
where their bones lay bleaching in the snowy waste. Hall
spent five years amongst the Esquimaux cultivating their
good will, and by living among them acquired their
confidence. He ascértained that Captain Crozier, of the
Terror (and he believed a companion), were living
amongst the Esquimaux in 1864. Other reasonings
leading him to believe that some of Franklin’s party
still survived were substantially these: That no Arctic
explorer had ever understood better the necessities of a
good supply of fresh provisions for his men than did
Sir John Franklin, and that he made provision for such
necessities. In proof of this, Hall had found in the
official papers that a full complement of fresh provisions,
preserved meats, soups and vegetables, and ten live
oxen were on board the Areéus and the Terror. Further,
that Franklin. had told Captain Martin, of the whaler
HALL, 137

Enterprise, when off the coast of Greenland, July 22,
1845, that he had provisions for five years, and, if neces-
sary, could make them spin out seven; and he would
lose no opportunity of killing game, having already
organized shooting parties. There was every reason to
believe, too, that animal life was found in abundance by

























































































THE POLARIS.

his men on the shores of Wellington Channel, especially
in the neighborhood of Baillie Hamilton Island, and
that Franklin had sent hunting parties to great distances
with sledges; for the tracks of these sledges were seen
six years after by Kane, De Haven, and Ommaney
and Osborne. Hall could say with truth that his ex-
pectations of rendering relief were based on years of
138 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

careful study and examination of what had been written
on this subject; and his appeal was plain and strong,
“Why should not attempts be renewed again and again
until all the facts are known ?”

In September, 1869, Hall returned home, having dis-
covered the site of Frobisher’s settlement, made nearly
300 years before; but it was not until 1872 that he was
able. to start in the Polaris to find the North Pole. On
June 29, he sailed from New York. Doctor Bessel
accompanied the ship as naturalist, and one member of
Kane’s expedition also went. Captain Tyson, who
figures in the narrative, joined the Polaris at Godhaven,
and Hans, the hunter, at Upernavik.

On August 21, the "Polaris continued her voyage, and
followed Kane’s route. Hall reached the spot where
the Advance had been quitted, and pushing on steadily,
reached the channel which had been thought was the
“open Polar Sea.” He proceeded up to latitude 82°
10’ N.; but here the Polaris was beset in the ice at last;
hitherto all had been plain sailing. They reached winter-
quarters: in September, and named the place “ Thank
God” Bay, latitude 81° 31’ N., longitude 61° 44’ W.

The winter was fatal to Hall. After his return from
a few days’ sledging journey, he was suddenly taken
ill. In this exploration, which he undertook with the
Esquimaux and his first mate (Mr. Chester), he reached
a place he named Newman’s Bay, in latitude 82° N.
When the illness first attacked him it was not deemed
serious; but he became partially paralysed, and on
November 8, 1871, he expired, leaving Buddington in
command.

“Last evening,” says Tyson, “the Captain himself
thought he was better, and would soon be around again,
HALL. 139

But it seems he took worse in the night. Captain
Buddington came and told me he thought Captain Hall



CHARLES FRANCIS HALL.

was dying. I got up immediately, and went to the
cabin and looked at him. He was quite unconscious—
140 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

knew nothing. He lay on his face, and was breathing
very heavily; his face was hid in the pillow. It was
about half-past three o’clock in the morning that he
died. Assisted in preparing the grave, which is neariy
half a mile from the ship, inland; but the ground was
so frozen that it was necessarily very shallow—even
with picks it was scarcely possible to break it up.”

In Captain Tyson’s diary we find another entry under
the date of November 11, which closes this strange,
eventful history:

“At half-past eleven this morning we placed all that
was mortal of our late commander in the frozen ground.
Even at that hour of the day it was almost dark, so that
I had to hold a lantern for Mr. Bryan to read the
prayers. I believe all the ship’s company were present,
unless perhaps the steward and cook. It was a gloomy
day, and well-befitting the event. The place also is
rugged and desolate in the extreme. Away off, as far
as the dim light enables us to see, we are bound in by
huge masses of slate rock, which stand like a barricade,
guarding the barren land of the interior; between these
rugged hills lies the snow-covered plain; behind us the
frozen waters of Polaris Bay, the shore strewn with
great ice-blocks. The little hut which they call an ob-
servatory bears aloft, upon a tall flag-staff, the only
cheering object in sight; and that is sad enough to-day,
for the Stars and Stripes droop at half-mast.

“As we went to the grave this morning, the coffin
ree on a sledge, over which was spread, ‘instead of a
pall, the American flag, we walked in procession. I
walked on with my lantern, a little in advance; then
came the captain and officers, the engineer, Dr. Bessel
and Meyers; and then the crew hauling the body by a


















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































THE POLARIS IN THANK-GOD HARBOR, SEPTEMBER, 187 14.
142 od IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

rope attached to the sledge, one of the men on the
right holding another lantern. Nearly all are dressed
in skins; and were their eyes to see us, we should look
like anything but a funeral cortége; the Esquimaux
following the crew. There is a weird sort of light in
the air, partly boreal or electric, through which the stars
shone brightly at 11 a. M., while (we were) on our way
to the grave.”

Thus ended Hall’s ambitious project of conquering
the secret of the North Pole; and thus was quenched
the enthusiasm of a singularly ardent nature.

During the remainder of the winter, surveys were
made; but Buddington did not continue the discipline
of Hall. In May, Tyson, Meyers, and the two Esqui-
maux started on a sledging expedition, and got some
musk oxen. Through these boat-expeditions, during
the summer, discipline was greatly relaxed, and conse-
quently the original plan of the voyage could not be
carried out. The Polaris on the ice drifted, as other
vessels have drifted, and came down Smith’s Sound to
Kane’s former winter-quarters.

A panic occurred in October, which nearly proved
fatal to some of the members of. the expedition. The
ice “nipped” the Po/aris, and it appears, from all ac-
counts, that the ice-master (Buddington) completely lost
his presence of mind, and ordered a general heaving
overboard of stores and everything on deck. The
order was obeyed, with results as might have been antici-
pated. The ice was broken up by the lifting and settling
of the ship. The stores were scattered broadcast on the
floe, and Captain Tyson, with a few of the most sensi-
ble men, left the vessel to arrange the stores, with the


CAPTAIN HALL’S FUNERAL. :
143
144 . IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

Esquimaux and their wives and children as assistants in
the work.

They were all very busy sorting the supplies when a
terrible rending and cracking was heard. Explosion suc-
ceeded explosion—the ice opened in many places—the
Polayis was freed; and in a few moments, before the
people on the ice could return, or indeed realize the sit-
uation, she had plunged into the darkness and dis-
appeared !

‘This was a terrible catastrophy. There were nineteen
men, women, and children actually adrift upon a mass
of ice, with a very limited supply of. provisions, and
the only means of gaining terra firma two small boats,
These were got ready, but the loose ice rendered their
use impossible. The Polaris came in sight, but paid no
attention to signals. So the voyagers remained drifting
on the ice-floe, about four miles in circumference, but by
no means assured from disruption, which might occur
at any moment.

The ice continued to drift, and now and then pieces
broke off. On the 16th the dreaded event occurred—
the floe parted—the castaway party on one side, and
the house, etc.,on the other, But by means of the
boats the stores were recovered, and then a fresh floe
was occupied, whereon snow- huts were erected, Esqui:
mau fashion.

Time passed. October went and November came;
food was scarce, and the exploring party were “ allow-
anced,” But two seals, less cautious than their com-
panions, were at length captured—nearly all the dogs
had already been eaten, and fresh food was absolutely
necessary. The seals caught were scientifically killed,
the blood was drunk, and “the eyes,” says Captain














































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































Ui

























































































































































































































10 THE SEPARATION, OCTOBER 15, 1872, 145
146 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

Tyson, “given to the youngest child.” (The animal,
being cut up, is divided into portions which are dis-.
tributed bs lot to the various candidates for the delicate
morsels, of which the brain is considered the daintiest.)

We need scarcely detail the daily round and common
tasks of the drifting party on the ice. On January 19
Davis’s Strait was reached, and a ray of sunlight cheered
them; so the progress southward had been considerable.
The German seamen did not behave well and caused
considerable anxiety, but there was no long disturbance.

At the beginning of March the ice reached Cumber-
land Gulf, and on the iith it broke up with direful
noises, leaving the whole party on a small piece, which
being fortunately very thick continued its journey south-
ward very gently. Seals were now captured in abun-
dance. One of the Esquimaux also shotabear. Then
the floe was quitted,and the pack-ice reached. After
that things became worse. _ A gale arose and blew away
their tent and bedding, and unless they had all clung to
the boat it would have been lost also. They saved it,
but remained without shelter, half frozen and in danger
of starvation. At the end of April three steamers suc-
cessively appeared, but although the castaways did all
they could to attract attention, they were not perceived
until on the 30th another “steam sealer,” the Tigress,
of Newfoundland, appeared and rescued them from their
perilous position. They were all landed at St. John’s
on May 12.

Meanwhile, as the Polarzs had not appeared, the 77-
gress was commissioned by Captain Greer, U. S. Navy,
to seek her. She steamed up to Littleton Island, where
an encampment of Esquimaux was discovered. The
men were wearing clothing obtained from the Polaris,












































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































WORKING THROUGH THE ICE. 147
148 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

but after search and inquiry no after trace of the crew
could be obtained, so Captain Greer returned to St.
John’s. They reached New York and heard that
Buddington and his crew had been picked up by a
whaler some months before. Thus every member of
the ill-fated Polaris expedition arrived safely at their
homes, except its gallant and enthusiastic leader,
whose ambitious hopes had been so sadly and fatally
extinguished.

The ill-fated Polaris had been abandoned in latitude
78° 23’ N., longitude 73° 21’ W. She had been rendered
almost useless by the ice, and the Esquimaux were pre-
sented with the hull; but.she foundered. The crew
encamped during the winter, and in the summer they
sailed down to Cape York, where they met the ice.
But in Melville Bay a steamer was seen embedded in
the ice. This vessel was the Ravenscraig, of Dundee,
whose Captain, Allen, received them very kindly. He
subsequently put some of them on a vessel bound for
Dundee, whither they then proceeded, and came home
from Liverpool to New York; the others came back a
few weeks later. Thus ended the unfortunate Polaris
expedition, which, but for the untimely death of Cap-
tain Hall, might have accomplished its object—the dis-
covery of the North Pole.

George Nares, commanding the English Arctic Ex-
pedition of 1875, recorded in his official report his testi-
monials to Hall’s fidelity as an Arctic explorer :-—

“ The coast-line was observed to be continuous for
about 30 miles, forming a bay, bounded toward the
west by the U. S. range of mountains, with Mounts
Mary and Julia and Cape Joseph Henry, agreeing so well
with Hall's description that it was impossible to mistake
























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































SIGHTING THE RAVENSCRAIG, 149
150 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

their identity. Their bearings also, although differing
upwards of 30° from those of the published chart,
agreed precisely with his published report.”

On May 13, 1876, in the presence of 24 officers and
men, Captain Stephenson, of the English Expedition,
hoisted the American flag over the grave of Captain
Hall, and at the foot erected a brass tablet, prepared in
England, bearing the following inscription:

SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF
CAPTAIN C. F. HALL,
Of the U.S. S. “ Polaris :”

Who Sacrificed his Life in the advancement of Science, November
8, 1871. This Tablet has been erected by the British Polar
Expedition of 1875, who, following in his fvotsteps,
have profited by his Experience.













































































































TOTHE MEMURY

.CEHALL ;
aren aad.
me


GEORGE S. NARES. I51

He also reported to Captain Nares that the grave was
found in an excellent state of preservation. The willow
planted by Tyson was still alive. The inscription put
upon it in July, 1871, by Hall’s comrades, still read:

TO THE MEMORY OF
CHARLES FRANCIS HALL,
Late Commander U. S. Steamer Polaris, N. Pole Expedition.
Died Noy. 8, 1871.—Aged 50 years.

“Tam the Resurrection and the Life: he that believeth on Me though
he were dead yet shall he live.”

CHAPTER VII.
NARES’S VOYAGE WITH THE “ALERT” AND “ DISCOVERY.”

In 1875 the British Government commissioned the
Alert and the Discovery, under the command respec-
tively of Captains Nares and Stephenson, to explore the
Arctic regions of the Pole. This expedition was fitted
out in the most complete manner, and had the advan-
tage of the advice and assistance of the most expe-
rienced Arctic travelers. Commander Markham, who
was attached to the Alert, had crossed the Arctic Circle
before, as had Captain Nares, and all that could be done
was done to make the voyage a success.

George S. Nares had already seen considerable Arctic
and sea service. His scientific voyage in the Challenger,
too, had given him an unlimited fund of experience, in
addition to his previous geographical attainments.
Stephenson also had proved his mettle in many parts
of the world, and under these commanders were many
trustworthy and experienced officers. The expedition
152 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

quitted Portsmouth on May 29, 1875, and made their
way across the Atlantic. Here they met with most
violent storms, which tried both ships and ships’ com-
panies, as well as the Valorous, store-ship, which parted
company in the ocean. On June 27 the first ice was
seen, and the Valorous was picked up again, all well.

Skirting the Greenland coast amid the ice, the vessels
encountered heavy weather, and at length anchored in
Godhaven Harbor, in the Isle of Disco. Here supplies
and sledge dogs were embarked, and on July 15, the
Alert towed the Discovery out of harbor, and proceeded
northwards. They reached Upernavik and left it.
Soon afterwards the Alert grounded, but cleared at high
water. Cape York was gained in 70 hours, an extremely
rapid passage. The Alert passed on by the Crimson
Cliffs and Cape Digges, and reached the Cary Islands
on July 27. Depots were formed here and records
placed with letters, as also on Sutherland and Littleton
Islands. The advance into Smith’s Sound was by no
means easy, and several times the ships had to return
to the latitude of Kane’s winter-quarters.

About this time the Avert was nearly crushed by an
iceberg, but got clear, and the crew made the mountain
tow the vessel by grappling it. By very slow degrees,
pushing and driving through the “ pack,” the vessels at
last reached Cape Constitution, to which Kane had
penetrated, but which he did not pass. Going still
northward, the ships cleared Kennedy Channel and
reached Hall’s Basin, in the north-east side of which
were the winter-quarters of the unfortunate Polaris.
Robeson Channel had now to be cleared.

All this time the officers and men who could be
spared from duty were not idle, Parties went hunting
GEORGE S. NARES. 153

and sketching. Many scientific observations were
made by dredging. Photographs were taken also.



CAPTAIN GEORGE S. NARES,

At this stage of the journey excellent winter-quarters
were found for the Discovery. The retreat of the ships
154 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

had been secured. Orders were for the Discovery to
remain in or about the 82d parallel. Such a situation
_was now found. On August 26, the Alert proceeded
alone into Robeson Channel, but got into difficulties with
the ice, which bore down on the ship in tremendous
masses. But fortunately she found shelter, and escaped
destruction. Any further progress appeared impos-
sible, so preparations were made for forming the winter-
quarters near at hand. As September had come, the
sledges were got ready, and Markham set out with

oe

fl



SLEDGE.

stores to establish a depot for the spring exploring
parties farther north. The party returned in three
weeks frost-bitten and exhausted, but they had accom-
plished their mission. Lieutenant Aldrich had also
come back, but reported nothing but ice.

Attempts were made to communicate with the Dzs-
covery, but the state of the ice and snow prevented any
such adventure, though Stephenson was only 60 miles
distant. Winter now set in, and the Alert was banked
in snow. The cold was intense—the greatest ever ex-—
perienced (— 73°).






















































































































































Lo
KZ. OR. Phntltove



MARKHAM BATTLING WITH THE ICE. 155
156 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

The Alert had no sun for 142 days, and the darkness
was nearly as deep at noonday as an ordinary moonless
night. On March 2 the sun shone brightly, and the
sledging was arranged for.

A sledge party left to find the Déscovery, but returned
exhausted, and Petersen was nearly lost. He afterwards
died, poor fellow, and was buried by his comrades on
Cairn Hill, on May 14. We have not space to follow
all the sledging expeditions. For two months and a
half this, the most monotonous of all traveling, was
continued. The labor was most severe and incessant,
the distance made only a mile or two a day. Scurvy
began its ravages, and the northern expedition had been
nearly overcome, when Lieutenant Parr returned to the
ship for assistance. Summer had arrived by this time.
Immediate help was despatched, but it was no easy task
to find the men. Four of the party were alive, one had
died. The sick man had been dragged on the sledge
39 days, and they had buried him after all in a solitary
spot in the far north—‘“a paddle and a batten” made a
rude cross. Five only of the seventeen of the party
came back in working condition, and they were nearly
exhausted.

The question now arose whether the Alert should
remain, advanee, or retreat. It was impossible to ad-
vance more than a few miles—the crew was suffering—
and retirement was the most sensible act. So the vessel
rejoined the Discovery, some of whose men had not re-
turned, and great anxiety was manifested concerning
them. At length the party appeared, after an absence
of 130 days.

From Discovery Bay they struggled south in com-
pany, racing against winter. On September 9, Cape












MARKHAM REACHES THE HIGHEST LATITUDE.


158 IN THE FROZEN SEAS,

Isabella (Smith’s Sound) came in sight. Here letters
were found which had been left by the Pandora. These
were a cause of great joy, and when Disco was reached,
and some coal procured, the explorers felt almost at.
home. On October 2, the ships sailed for England.
The Aéert anchored at Valencia on October 27, and the
Discovery in Bantry Bay on the 2gth.

A great deal had been accomplished by this expedi-
tion. The Alert had explored the west coast for 220
miles, the Discovery had surveyed the Greenland coast,
and Stephenson placed a tablet over the grave of the
brave Captain Hall of the Polaris, with a suitable in-
scription, The A/er¢ men had attained the highest lati-
tude ever reached, viz., 82° 27’ N. The idea of the
open Polar Sea then received its “ quietus,” for nothing
but ice was there.

The Queen commanded the Admiralty to thank
Captain Nares and the officers and men under his com-
mand, and Captain Nares was knighted. Some little
dissatisfaction was expressed, but the effects of the work
so ably done quickly extinguished any hostile feeling.



CHAPTER VIII.
THE GERMAN AND AUSTRIAN EXPEDITIONS.

Dr. PETERMANN, the distinguished German geogra-
pher, warmly advocated the route between Spitzbergen
and Greenland. At his instance, and with funds sup-
plied by the leading scientific societies of Germany,
a simall vessel, the Germania, was fitted out, and left
May 24, 1868. She was to start from Shannon Island,
and explore the unknown Arctic seas beyond; but
GERMAN AND AUSTRIAN EXPEDITIONS. 159

meeting with enormous masses of drift-ice, she was
obliged to return after reaching the high latitude of
81° 51’, and accurately surveying a small part of the
Greenland coast hitherto but imperfectly explored.

The Germania and Hansa formed the second expedi-
tion. They left Bremen on June 15, 1869, in the pres-
ence of the King of Prussia, Bismarck, Von Moltke,
and a thousand others. On July 5, they crossed the
Arctic Circle; and on the roth they parted company in
the fog, and met again no more. An error in signaling
occasioned the separation.

The Hansa continued along shore and got in amid
the ice. The winter set in, and the crew managed
to exist. They built a hut and killed bears, living with
no very great discomfort till the middle of October,
when the ice pressed on the ship and stove it in.. The
water gained when the ice retreated; the Hansa was
doomed to destruction, and she sank on October 21.
The masts were chopped down, and hauled, with the
whole of the tackle, on the ice. Many of the scientific
collections and apparatus were lost. They were only
six miles from Holloway Bay, on the Liverpool coast,
Greenland.

The crew escaped to the ice. The field of ice on
ywhich they had encamped drifted away to the south.
The floe was examined. It was about seven miles
in circumference, about two miles in diameter, and about
45 feet thick, five feet being above water. Christ-.
mas came, still they drifted. By the new year the ice
gave symptoms of breaking up, the wind blew, and the
danger was imminent. Though the floe had been con-
siderable, no mishap occurred to them. The boats were
fortunately in good condition, but day after day the ice
160 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

kept threatening, until at last the floe became so small
- that living on it any longer was out of the question.
February, March and April had passed thus, and on
May 6 the latitude of Bergen had been reached. The
ice raft was soon abandoned, the boats launched, but the
ice again stopped them. On June 6, after various ad-
ventures, the voyage was resumed, and the boats’ heads
put for Freiderichsthal, on the south-west coast of
Greenland, near Cape Farewell, which was gained in
June, 1870. Schleswig was reached in safety, where
they were landed on September 1. Here finished a
voyage with which there is none in the annals of Arctic
enterprise to compare—Ross’s escape from Barrow’s
Strait, Kane’s from Smith Sound, or even the heroic tale
of Barentz, pale before it. The story of the ice-bound
Hansa and her crew will live in the annals of heroism
as an everlasting honor to the German name, and
accords them a place among the most daring of Arctic
navigators.

The Germania meantime had continued her voyage,
and endeavored, though without success, to reach the
east coast of Greenland.. She wintered in Sabine Bay.
The explorers quite disagreed with Kane’s “ open sea”
theory after making some sledge expeditions to verify
the suggestion. Ice was everywhere, as far as the eye
could see. Many surveys were undertaken, and much
useful scientific information was obtained, but no new
discoveries of any importance were made by either the
Hlansa or the more fortunate Germania. The home-
ward voyage passed without incidents, and the surviv-
ing ship reached Bremen on September 11, 1870, con-
vinced that it was impossible to reach the Pole from the
basis of East Greenland.
me 9

- IE ft

F WRECK OF THE “ HANSA,” 161


162 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

Several other expeditions were despatched in - 1869,
but they did but little. In 1870 there was no great
voyage accomplished, but in 1871 the Arctic regions
were again looked at as the Wma Thule of voyagers,
and in June of that year Lieutenants Payer and Wey- .
_ precht sailed away to Nova Zembla, where they found
an open sea with little ice. In October they returned
to Tromsoe, after sighting the island they sought.

The North-east Passage now became the idea.
That it could be accomplished by the way of Siberia,
Payer believed, and the Austro-Hungarian Arctic Ex-
pedition was soon an accomplished fact. Petermann
said the work accomplished by the little expedition was
very valuable, and it was decided to supplement it.
The steamship Tegethoff was fitted out: the equipment
was:most complete, many well-known Arctic voyagers
lending their assistance. Captain Carlsen was pilot,
Weyprecht commanded, and Payer was the land .
explorer.

The Zegethoff left Bremen on June 13, 1872, and
came in sight of Nova Zembla on July 29. In August
the Fabjorn yacht joined company; but little in the
way of exploration was undertaken until August, when
the yacht left the Zegethoff to her own devices. The
gallant vessel pushed on, and was beset by the ice very
soon .on the north coast of Nova Zembla, where in
many and great dangers the winter passed. On Oc-
tober 29 the sun disappearéd for 109 days.

The winter over, the months of May, June and July
were spent in trying to saw the Zegethoff out of the ice;
but all the efforts made were futile; and as Payer: re-
marks, “we never again were destined to see our vessel
in water.” The north wind in July sent the ice south-




























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































THE ABANDONMENT OF THE “ TEGETHOFF.”


164 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

ward, but in a month the return drift set in with
southerly winds, and no hope of the breaking up of
the ice was entertained. In August, 1873, the crew ~
sighted land; it was approached, and named after Count
Wilczek, the originator of the expedition.

The gloom of Arctic night prevented any more ex-
ploration. The vessel drifted northward, and at length
the floe was driven on -.an island, where it remained,
with the vessel three miles from the shore. The second
winter now began. In January the cold was very se-
vere: the oil froze, the lamps went out, and the brandy
even was congealed into a solid mass. Bears paid the
voyagers frequent visits, and many were shot.

In March, Payer and his party went ona sledge jour-
ney in a north-west direction to Hall Island, This re-
~ gion seemed “devoid of life”—ice and great glaciers
everywhere. The cold was intense. This party returned,
and undertook another journey to the north with the
sleighs, equipped as directed by McClintock. This ex-
pedition discovered Franz Josef Land, as it was named,
after the Emperor. It is like Eastern Greenland—a
“land of desolation,” with high mountains and vast
glaciers, of a greenish-blue color. The vegetation is
poor, and the country is uninhabited.

Farther on they reached another territory, which they
named Prince Rudolf Land, the habitation of millions
of sea-birds, and thousands of bears, seals, and foxes. A
great glacier was crossed, but as it was quitted an im-
mense fissure engulfed the sleigh with the stores, while
the others only narrowly escaped by cutting the traces.
Payer hurried back for assistance, and at length dogs,
men, and sleigh were pulled up, safe and nearly sound.
Rounding Auk Cape, the explorers reached open water.
















































































































































































































































































































































































































LIEUTENANT PAYER AT PAYER’S PEAK, 165
166 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

Préssing on to latitude 81° 57’ north, the party
reached their farthest point. From an elevated posi-
tion the explorer made his observations, which led him
to the conclusion that there is no open Polar sea, yet
that the ocean is not always covered with ice. There
is a medium which a favorable year would improve,
and render navigation near the shore possible. Hav-
ing deposited a record of the visit, the party returned
over the 160 miles they had come.

One more little journey was made, and then the
thoughts of the officers and menturned to home. The
Tegethoff had to be abandoned, and a most adventurous
boat and sledge journey undertaken. On May 20, the
ship’s colors were nailed to the mast, and the retreat
was commenced. Provisions were packed in boats, the
boats placed on sleighs, but little progress was made at
first as all hands were required for each sleigh in turn.
Two months were occupied in making a distance of eight
miles—and a third winter in the ice seemed probable.

At last, in July, they made a mile aday. In August
they reached the edge of the pack, when the sleighs
were abandoned, and the dogs killed, as no room could
be spared. The boats then crossed open water to
Nova Zembla, and at the end of 96 days after leaving
the ship sighted a Russian vessel, which brought them
to Vardoe in Norway, where the voyagers landed in
September, 1874, 812 days after they had left Bremer-
haven,

The success of the expedition was unquestionable,
for land was discovered 200 miles north of Nova Zem-
bla. The success of the sleighing was due to McClin.
tock’s advice. :

The Zegethoff, we see, drifted xorth—other vessels we
NORDENSKIOLD. 167

have read of drifted south. Does not that indicate a
simultaneous movement of ice around the Pole on both
sides? The American side going south as the ice-floe
on the Asiatic side ascends—as glaciers in Switzerland,
which are connected, advance and recede in turn. This
idea would go to prove that no open sea exists there;
the ice covers the whole of the Polar Ocean, and moves
north and south correspondingly. This is, however,
only speculation, but as the Zegethoff is said to have
been drifted by the wind, which must have been
southerly, and therefore northerly on the other side, the
fact will not militate against the idea suggested.

Thus, after an interval of nearly 200 years without
any endeavor to make the North-east Passage, the
Austro-Hungarian Expedition ended in failure. They
did not succeed, but we will now turn to the great
Nordenskiold, who did succeed.

’ CHAPTER IX.

NORDENSKIOLD, AND THE NORTH-EAST PASSAGE.

ApoLF Ertk NorRDENSKIOLD was born in Finland,
in November, 1832. His father was a distinguished
naturalist; Erik often accompanied him in his expedi-
tions, and thus early acquired a taste for natural history
and research. He entered the University at Helsing-
fors in 1849. The stern rule of Russia subsequently
compelled young Nordenskiold to go to Sweden. The
governor of Finland, fancying he detected treason in
some after-supper speech, Nordenskiold was obliged to
depart ; but this was the turning-point in his career.
168 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

Nordenskiold studied hard, and in 1858 made his
first acquaintance with Arctic seas in Torrell’s Spitz-
bergen expedition. In 1861 he made a second voyage
to Spitzbergen. He led himself similar expeditions in
1864, 1868, and 1872, when he reached the highest
latitude ever attained in the eastern hemisphere; and
made a scientific journey to Greenland in 1870. .

In 1875 and 1876 Nordenskiold made two voyages to
the Yenisei River and up it. By this course he opened
up Siberia to trade, and received the thanks of the Rus-
sian Government for inaugurating a sea-route to Siberia.
But these voyages were completely eclipsed by the ex-
pedition undertaken in the Vega, in which he accom-
plished the long-desired North-east Passage from the
North Atlantic to the North Pacific Ocean eastward.
The ease with which he had accomplished the two
voyages to the Yenisei River urged him to proceed .
with the expedition which he had been studying for
years, the discovery of the North-east Passage,

Sebastian Cabot was the first adventurer in the work
destined to be accomplished by the Swedish explorer.
More than 300 years ago Cabot equipped three ships
for the “ Merchant Adventurers,” and put them under
the command of Willoughby and Chancellor in 1553.
This ended in disaster. In 1580 the Muscovy Company,
as the “ Adventurers” called themselves, sent out Ar-
thur Pitt, who could not open the “pack” ice. Barentz,
who tried three times, in 1593, 1595, and 1596, was
closed up in the ice of Nova Zembla, and perished.
Hendrick Hudson tried in 1607-8. The Danes made the
attempt in 1653.

Thus the North-east Passage became a dreaded and
a sealed course to the mariners of all nations. It was
NORDENSKIOLD. 169

deemed impossible to break through the icy barrier;
and the Russians made the attempt only to prove the
assertion by failure. But when Nordenskiold had
reached the Kara Sea, and the Yenisei River, he began
to think he could also solve the long-tried problem of
the North-east Passage eastward to the Pacific.

Nordenskiold ei
purchased the :
steam-whaler Vega
—a name now cele-
brated throughout
the civilized world.
She was equipped
and manned under
Government aus-
pices, and provis-
ioned for two years.
She sailed from Go-
thenburg on July 21,
accompanied by the
steamer Lena, com-
manded by Johan-
nesen from Trom-
soe. There were
supply vessels in
company, but our
narrative (which is
compiled from “ Nordenskiold’s Voyages,” and other
sources) will deal with the Vega, and incidentally with
the Lena, till she parted company at the mouth of the
river whose name she bears, In the expedition were
included many scientific men, and the crews were com-
posed of picked men,



ADOLF E. NORDENSKIOLD.
170 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

The vessels rounded the North Cape, and on July 29
sighted Nova Zembla. Then they passed the Yergar
Strait and entered the Kara Sea, the immense gulf lying
between Nova Zembla and the north point of the Asiatic
continent, Cape Chalyaskin. On July 31 the little fleet
was united at Chabarook (Charbarova). The vessels
which had accompanied the Lexa and Vega went up the
Yenisei River with cargoes, and returned safely to
Norway. The Vega and Lena proceeded, and after
some delays the North-east Cape (Cape Chalyaskin)
was reached for the first time. Flags were hoisted and
salutes fired to emphasize the fact, and they were
acknowledged by an immense bear that came out upen
the ice to welcome the ships. Hence fogs and occa-
sional ice-floes hindered the navigation. Many very
interesting scientific searches were made, and after
August 23 the sea was smooth and free from ice up to
the delta of the Lena River. Here the vessels parted
company on August 28, the Lexa to go up the river,
while the Vega proceeded. alone to the Siberian
Islands.

Many interesting remains of the mammoth animals
were discovered in these islands, and the supply of ivory
must be very valuable to the seekers. The ice was too
rotten to permit of landing, and the boats could not
pass in, so Nordenskiold reluctantly relinquished his
intention to explore those almost unknown islands, and
the animal remains which abound there.

The Vega continued her uninterrupted course east-
ward till September. Then snow fell, and the Bear
Islands were covered. The navigation became difficult ;
the coast. was cautiously skirted till, as September wore
on, the nights became too dark for sailing, and the




























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































SSS SSS

ICE-BARRIER OF THE ANTARCTIC CONTINENT. I7r


172 IN THE FROZEN SEAS,

Vega was obliged to come to an anchor every evening,
On these occasions the natives came and made friends
with the voyagers, and subsequently these Tchuktches
welcomed the foreigners. The description given of the
natives and their dwellings is curious, They live in
large tents, which inclose sleeping-places or a kind of
inner chambers, heated and lighted by an oil lamp. In
these inner rooms the native women sit, with very little
clothing on. In summer a fire is kept burning in the
center of the hut, and the smoke goes up through a
hole in the roof. In winter there is no fire, and pre-
sumably the hut is closed against the outer air. The
The Greenlanders and Tchuktches use similar house-
hold articles: they trade for needles, knives and tools,
linen shirts, etc., and especially brandy. Everyone
smokes tobacco when he or she can obtain it. When
it cannot be had, some herbs are chewed and smoked,
after being dried behind the ears’ Men and women
seldom wear head coverings; they have tunics and
trousers of reindeer skin, mocassins or shoes of bear-
skin or walrus-hide; the women plait their hair and
wear it long. The men cut theirs, except the outer
margin, which is combed down in a “ fringe.” The
faces are painted or “ tattooed” by both sexes.

_ The Vega continued her eastward course, meeting
with little incident, but continually adding to the infor-
mation already acquired. So on till September 27,
when, in the strait that separates Asia from America—
near the entrance of Behring’s Strait, the vessel got im-
prisoned in the early-forming ice. The rising north
wind rapidly piled up the hummocks, and in a short
time all hope of quitting the place until the summer
had to be abandoned, but very reluctantly, by Norden-
NORDENSKIOLD. 173

skiold. “ One single hour’s steaming would have prob-
ably been sufficient to traverse the distance” between
their position and the open strait, and one day earlier
no difficulty would have presented itself!

This was extremely disappointing, and Nordenskiold
writes pathetically about been frozen in so near the goal

























































































































































THE ‘*VEGA.”

“

‘he had been so long aiming at. It was “the one mis-

hap” which had attended his Arctic exploration. In
this condition the vessel remained for 264 days, the
time passed nearly in darkness, but not unpleasantly,
for the scientist has resources which set time at defiance.
Good health and spirits were present, and the natives
were friendly.
174 IN 7HE FROZEN SEAS,

“On July 18, during a stiff breeze from the south, I
noticed that the line to our tidometer showed astern;
and I saw the ice to the landward of us separating from
the outer ground-ice belt. The engine fires were lit and
the vessel set in motion. Half an hour later, we were
out in a channel which continually increased in breadth
the farther we proceeded, and before evening we were
in a comparatively navigable sea. After a detention of
nearly 300 days, we had at last got away as quietly and
with as little risk or trouble as if we had gone out to
sea from a common harbor.

“On July 20 we passed East Cape, and had then
quite completed the North-east Passage. In celebration
of this event, the national flag was hoisted and a salute
given. The same evening we anchored at the mouth
of St. Lawrence Bay.

“The North-east Passage has unquestionably been
accomplished for the first time by the Swedish steam-
ship Vega. I attribute the circumstance that this has
occupied a year, when it ought to have taken only two
months, had there been no special difficulties, to the un-
usually unfavorable condition of the ice during Septem-
ber, 1878. To answer the question if the North-east
Passage can annually be made in one, season? I am
not able, because the ice conditions are so different in
different years. The part of the sea nearest the coast
is certainly free from ice, during the summer and
autumn months, opposite to and east from the efflux of
a river; but against this must be placed the difficulties
to be met with at and around Cape Tchelyuskin and
Taimyr Island. That a passage is to be found there
also once or several times in the summer is equally cer-
tain, but that may occur so late that before one can
NORDENSKEIOLD. 175

reach Behring’s Straits the winter has again set in. At
the same time I will not by any means say that there
may not be found there during the whole summer and
autumn a channel free from ice; but as there is no river
effluent in the vicinity of Cape Tchelyuskin and Taimyr













































































































































THE “VEGA”? IN THE HUMMOCKS.

Island, which, with sufficient strength, can force the ice
northward, as is the case with the great rivers Obi,
Yenisei, Lena, and Kolyma, it may be inferred that the
ice there is principally influenced by the winds—namely,
that the north wind forces the ice toward land, the
176



















































































































































































































WINTER DRESS OF THE “VEGA” MEN,

IN THE FROZEN SEAS.





































































south having a con-
trary effect, and
that, consequently,
the doubling of
these points cannot
be calculated upon
with certainty at
any time, even dur-
ing the navigable
season. The North-
east Passage can-
not, therefore, in.
its entirety be made
available for the
purposes of com-
merce, but still an
annual traffic might
easily be carried
on from the west-

fl ward to the Obi and
i| Yenisei, and from

the eastward to the

| Lena. Unquestion-
) ably, the way now

lies open to Si-
beria’s three great-

| est rivers; and that

land, so rich in
minerals, timber,
and grain, whose
export and import
trade has hitherto
been conducted by


AURORA AT THE “ VEGA’S”? WINTER-QUARTERS, MARCH, 1879.

i2 177
178 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.. :
‘ means of caravans, ought now to obtain a practicable
route as a connecting link between the New and the
Old Worlds.

“At St. Lawrence Bay we remained only till midday
on the 2Ist, when we weighed anchor and steered over
to the American side, where we anchored at Port
‘Clarence. We remained there until the 26th, when we
again crossed over to the Asiatic side, and anchored in
‘Konyam Bay. From thence we went, on the 28th, to
the St. Lawrence Island, remaining there from July 31.
till August 2. We then steered for Behring Island,
where we anchored at its south-west point, on August
14. We found here a small village, with a church and
’ 25 wooden houses built and owned by an American
firm, Hutchinson & Co., who here and on the neighbor-
ing islands carry on seal-fishing. The inhabitants of
the island, consisting of a few Russian officials, some
employees of the company and natives of the Aleutian
Islands, make in all about 300 who reside in the.village.
There we received our first news from Europe through
_ American newspapers, the latest of which were printed
in San Francisco, in April, 1879, and brought from
thence by one of the company’s steamers. On August
19, we left Behring Island, and set our course for Yoko-
hama, where we arrived on September 2.”

The homeward journey was made by the Suez Canal
to Europe, where the welcome awarded to the brave
explorer was a veritable triumph.

In his “Voyage of the Vega,” Nordenskiold says:
“Was the Vega actually the first, and is she, at the
moment when this is being written, the only vessel that
has sailed from the Atlantic by the north to the Pacific ?
This question may be answered with considerable cer-
NORDENSKIOLD. 179

tainty in the affirmative, as it may also with truth be
maintained that no vessel has gone the opposite way
from the Pacific to the Atlantic.

“Tt ought to be remembered that the voyage of the
distinguished Arctic explorer, McClure, carried out with
so much gallantry and admirable perseverance, from the
Pacific to the Atlantic, along the north coast of America,
took place to no inconsiderable extent dy sledge journeys
over the ice, and that no English vessel has ever sailed
by this route from the one sea to the other. The North-
west Passage has thus never been accomplished by a
vessel.

“The Vega is thus the first vessel that has thus pene-
trated by the north from one of the great world-oceans
to the other.”

Thus finally was reached the goal towards which so
many nations had struggled all along from the time
when Willoughby ushered in the long series of north-
east voyages. Willoughby and all his men perished as
pioneers of England’s navigation and of voyages to the
ice-encumbered sea which bounds Europe and Asia on
the north. Innumerable other marine expeditions have
since then trodden the same path, always without suc-
cess, and generally with the sacrifice of the vessel, and
of the life and health of many of the brave seamen.
Now for the first time, after the lapse of 336 years, and
when most men experienced in sea matters had de-
clared the undertaking impossible, was the North-east
Passage at last achieved.
180 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

CHAPTER X.
THE VOYAGE OF THE JEANNETTE: DE LONG. (1879-1881.)

GrorGE WasHineton DE Lone was born in New
York City, on August 22, 1844. When a boy he read
the tales of the naval exploits of the war of 1812, and
was much taken with the stories of the heroism of the
young midshipmen, Farragut and Porter. In 1857 he
was selected as a candidate from the public schools for
appointment at the U. S. Naval Academy, but to his
great disappointment his parents refused their consent.
They wished him to become a lawyer, priest, or doctor;
but he had no predisposition for either of these pro-
fessions. Gaining a reluctant consent from his parents
he subsequently made another effort for the appoint-
ment, and. eventually secured the place.

In 1893 Lieutenant De Long was ordered to the
Funtata, which was attached to the North Atlantic
Squadron. The Government was induced to send a
man-of-war to the relief of the Polaris, and the Funiata
was selected for the duty with De Long as commandant.
He was ordered to “ carry out the search as far as it is
positively prudent to advance to the northward.” The
Tigress was to proceed to Baffin’s Bay into Smith’s
Straits to search for the Polaris up to the point where
she was last seen in November, 1872, and “ the little
Funtata is not to be jeopardized, or pushed into the ice-
packs, if you meet them; nor is she, or the lives of those
on board, to be involved in any way it is possible to
avoid.”

On August 2, the Funata set out, but struck bad
weather, which lasted to August 8, when, according to
DE LONG. 181

De Long’s report, “our situation became one of great
danger. Icebergs near us, 100 feet high, had the spray
from the sea thrown over their tops. We were half-



GEORGE W. DE LONG,

buried in the seas at times, shipping quantities of water,
deluging everything in the boat. Providentially every-
thing held, and we were able to keep the boat under
182 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

control. On the gth came a lull. Under our orders to
return when our fuel was half-expended, and on no
account to run the boat into the ice-pack, there was noth-
ing to be done but to give up the search, which was
reluctantly done, and te vessel returned to Newfound-
land.” Here they learned that the crew of the Polaris
had been picked up, as we have seen.

This apprenticeship to Arctic difficulties started De
Long. In 1873 he had an interview with Henry Grin-
nell, and urged him to fit out another expedition to the
Pole. Grinnell replied that he was too old a man, and
had already done his share; and suggested the trying
of some younger men, like Bennett, or others. DeLong
acted on the hint and communicated with James Gordon
Bennett, of the Mew York Herald, but it was not until
1876 that Bennett determined to despatch a vessel.
The Pandora was purchased and renamed the ¥ean-
nette, and on July 8, 1879, she started out from San
Francisco. Balloon ascensions were discussed, but
Markham and Hull, experienced Arctic travelers, con-
sidered such explorations as “ simple madness,” and the
idea was dropped. George W. Melville was the chief
engineer of the expedition.

The Yeannette was to penetrate the Arctic waters by
the way of Behring Strait,and on August 28 she passed
through it, a heavy fog blowing over the bluff headland
on the Asiatic side. On the 30th a party landed at
Cape Serdze Ramer, and ascertained that Nordenskiold
had arrived there safely a month before. The course
of the S%eannette was now directed toward Wrangel
Land, and on September 4 she sighted Herald Island, so
called by the explorer of the English ship, Zhe Herald.
They drifted slowly along, and on September 16 they






































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































THE RETURN OF THE SUN, 183
184 ~ IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

estimated that Herald Island, which ten days earlier
they thought to be but five miles away, was nearer 30
miles off. Around this island the expedition drifted for
some time, but by October 11 she was fast ix the ice,
and the usual precautions for wintering were made.
“Wintering in the pack,’ De Long writes, “may be
a thrilling thing to read about by a comfortable fire, but
the actual thing is enough to make any man prema-
turely old; sleeping with all clothes on, and starting up
anxiously at every snap and crack in the ice outside, or
the ship’s frame within.” On November 24 the Sean-
nette broke adrift from the floe, and “the following day
was a most anxious and exciting one. If the ship was
free when the ice moved she would go along with it; if
she were tied up she might have to stand the brunt in
an unfavorable position. The advancing ice soon was
upon her, and she was pushed, forced, squeezed, driven
through the mile of a canal amid a grinding and groan- -
ing of timbers, and a crashing and tumbling of ice that
was fearful to behold.”

The winter passed in its usual monotous routine of
duties, and De Long writes in a depressed state of
mind: “When we add to wintering in the pack, with all
its uncertainties and terrors, the knowledge that we at-
tained no high latitude our first season, made no discov-
eries as far as we know, have made no useful additions
to scientific knowledge, we cannot help feeling that we
are doing nothing toward the object of the expedition.”

On December 6 the cold spell arrived. ‘“ We begin.
to feel the darkness. Four hours daylight is not much.
We haven’t even the moon now to keep us company.

. Xmas day, the dreariest I ever experienced, and passed
in the dreariest part of the world.”
‘DE LONG. 185

In January, 1880, the ship sprung a leak, and it was
difficult to start the steam-pump, but Melville succeeded
in-getting it into working order. They pumped away
for three months, barely keeping the water in check.
The weather was good and the crew were all in perfect
health. On April 17, 1880, they decided to “reduce
the rations.” June brought gloomy weather—the
height of summer and the depth of discouragement—
“over nine months have we been held fast and drifted
here and there at the will of the winds.” There was
little change in this depressing state of affairs till July,
when at length the leak was stopped. On examining
the stock of coal, De Long found he had only 56 tons
left, of which 30 must be kept for cooking and warm-
ing, leaving 26 for steaming. “ With this,” he exclaims,
“T have to make the Pole, accomplish the North-west
Passage, or go back empty-handed.” On July 4 he
writes: “We certainly have not realized our anticipa-
tions by long odds, and I see in the faces around me no
hope of so doing.”

They dressed the ship in honor of the day.

De Long's first entry on New Year’s Day (1881) is,
“T hope to God we are turning over a new leaf in our
book of luck.” In February the sun reappeared. In
May he records, “I do not care to commit to paper
even my own ideas,” till, on the 16th, land was seen, the
first land that had greeted their eyes since March 24,
1880. “Fourteen months without anything to look at
but ice and sky, and 20 months drifting in the pack,
will make a little mass of volcanic rock as pleasing as
an oasis in the desert.” The island was located in
jatitude N. 76° 47’ 28”, longitude E. 159° 20,’ 45”, and
called Jeannette Island. On May 24 more land was in
186 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

sight, and named Henriette Island. Melville was
despatched May 31 to take possession; and landed
June 2, hoisted our flag, erected a cairn, and placed in
it a record. On June 8 the ship was drifting rapidly to
the westward of the island, and on the 1oth the ice sud-
denly opened, and next day the first crash came. The
ice commenced to move toward the port side, but after
advancing a foot or two came to rest. It had advanced
again toward the port side until these floe pieces had
received the thrust, and everything quieted down again.
Later the ice came down in great force all along the
port side, jamming the ship hard against the ice on the
starboard side of her, and causing her to heel 16° to
starboard. Orders were now given to get out provis-
ions, clothing, bedding, ships books, and papers, and
to remove all sick to a place of safety. While engaged
in this work another tremendous pressure was received,
and at nightfall the ship was beginning to fill.

From that time forward every effort was devoted to
getting provisions, etc., on the ice, and it was not de-
sisted from until the water had risen to the spar deck,
the ship being heeled to starboard about 30°. The
starboard side was evidently broken in abreast of the
mainmast, and the ship was settling fast. On the 12th,
the mizzenmast of the ship went by the board, and her
lower yard-arms rested on the ice. Then she sank till
her smokepipe had nearly disappeared, and righted to
an even keel and slowly sank. So ended the Feannette.

For the next six days all hands were busy preparing
for the march; sledges were loaded and men assigned,
clothing served out, and an order of march and daily
routine issued; and on June 18 the ship-wrecked ex~
plorers started on their journey. All except five were in




































37

I

FISSUR

iE

FALLING INTO AN IC
188 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

good health. At no time of the year was traveling
worse than at this; the ice was in bad condition and
progress almost impossible.

From June 26 till July 14, they marched over the
frozen ocean. The terrible difficulties they had to con-
tend with can be surmised when we know they had to
build five ice-bridges in one day.

Toward the end of July evidences accumulated that
land was not far off, and it was hoped that it was the
Liakoff Islands. On the 28th the fog cleared up a
little, and the situation improved somewhat, as a few
pieces of ice offered a convenient bridge. A large floe
cake was ahead. Everything was embarked on an ice-
cake for a ferry-boat, and a hauling line run through
the floe. “By great effort we got our piece clear and
commenced to haul over. Suddenly everybody gave a
shout, ‘Look!’ Away up over our heads 2500 (?)
feet towered the land, and we were sweeping past it like
a millstream. Soon our floe was reached. Away we
jumped our sleds and boats and, seeing two or three
large cakes nearly together, ran everything rapidly over
until we at last stood at the base of the ice-cap. It
was a narrow squeeze, for the men with the tents and
the remaining loose provisions on their shoulders had
hard work to run fast enough to get on the last cake
before the other cakes were swept away. Now that we
were on the last cake our situation became critical.
We could not get up on the ice-foot, for ten feet of
water and small lumps intervened, and we were sweep-
ing along by it ata rate of three miles an hour. Our
cake was none of the strongest, and in the swirling and
running masses and small bergs I feared we should be
broken and separated. It was an anxious moment.
DE LONG. — 189

The south-west cape of the island was not half a mile
away, and this was our last chance. Over two weeks
of dragging and working to reach this island seemed
about to be thrown away.

‘‘Qne corner of our cake fortunately drifted near a
fast berg, and by making a flying leap through the air
we escaped in safety. At last! But though standing
still, we were not ashore. Glad enough I was to get a
solid foothold, anywhere, and I gave the order to camp.
After supper, we waded, or jumped, or ferried over to the
land, where we held on as well as we could to the steep
slopes of debris, while our colors were displayed.
When all had gathered round me, I said, ‘I have to
announce to you that this island, towards which we
have been struggling for more than two weeks, is
newly-discovered land. I therefore take possession in
the name of the President of the United States, and
name it Bennett Island.’”

On August 6, they left Bennett Island in three boats.
Winter had set in, but as long as there was open water,
their progress to the south was rapid. The sleds could
not be carried across the open water, between the
islands, for which they were making, and the coast of
Siberia. The sleds were cut up for firewood, but next
day they found themselves shut solidly in the ice, and
it became evident their existence now depended on their
provisions, On August 18, the /as¢ ration of bread was
. served, and the Liebig was reduced to one-half ounce
rations; coffee was served for breakfast only, and tea at
other meals. The absence of tobacco was seriously felt.
Those who had any used it sparingly—the others smoked
coffee-grounds and tea leaves mixed. The last ration
of lime juice was issued on the 30th.
190 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

September Io saw them at Semenovski Island, and
De Long had great hopes of being able to go on to the
Lena without difficulty. Cape Barkin, the point of des-
tination, was only go miles distant, when, on the night
of the 12th, the wind freshened toa gale. At 9PM,
De Long lost sight of the whale-boat, and at 10 P.M,
of the second cutter. Melville describes the scene in
these graphic words:

“ When De Long waved me permission to leave him,
I hoisted sail, shook out one reef, and as we gathered
way the boat shot forward like an arrow, and the spray
flew about us like feathers. Heretofore we had been
running dead before the wind on our south-west course
for the land, but the heavy sea and lively motion of the
boat caused the sail to jibe and fill on the other tack,
whereupon we would broach to and ship water. For
this reason I hauled up the boat several points, or closer
to the wind, and our condition at once improved. Now
that we were separated, I resolved to concern myself
directly with the safety of my own boat; so that when
one of the men said that De Long was signaling us, I
told him he must be wrong, and further directed that
no one should see any signals, now that we were cast
upon our own resources,

‘When last seen the second cutter was about 1000
yards away, and the first cutter (De Long’s) probably
midway between them. After a miserable day and
night De Long and 13 others landed at the Lena Delta,
and resolved to walk to a settlement about 95 miles
away; for this journey they had four days’ provisions and
were all well.

“ Progress was terribly slow. To reach anywhere in
four days with men disabled is out of the question.”
DE LONG. Igl

Nindemann and Alexey were sent out to shoot deer if
possible, but, although they saw a herd, they could not
get near it. On September 21 they were 87 miles from
a probable settlement, with two days’ rations and three
lame men who could not make more than five miles a
day, and De Long concluded to halt his main body at
a spot where some huts were discovered standing, and
to send on two good walkers to get relief. But the
capture of two deer changed this plan, and they
struggled forward, now and then shooting a deer, now
and then catching a sea-gull, and at times trying to fish.
Ericksen was dying and “had to be carried. On Octo-
ber 1, De Long writes: “My chart is useless, I must
go on trusting in God to guide me to a settlement, for I
have long since realized ‘that we aie powerless to help
ourselves.” On October 3, their last dog was killed for
food; on the 6th Ericksen died, and “everybody is very
weak,” and on the 7th, the record says, “ No provisions
left; and on the gth, Nindemann and Noros were sent
ahead to attempt to reacha settlement. Then De Long’s
diary has shorter entries: “ Nothing for supper but a
spoonful of glycerine. October 12, unable to move.
October 14, everybody getting weaker. 17th, Alexey
died.” Then comes the last page of the diary:

“Friday, October 21, 131st day—Kaack was found
dead about midnight between the doctor and myself.
Lee died about noon.

“ Saturday, October 22, 132d day—Too weak to carry
the bodies of Lee and Kaack out on the ice. The
doctor, Collins, and I carried them around the corner
out of sight. Then my eye closed up.

“Sunday, October 23, 133d day—Everybody pretty
weak, Slept or rested all day, and then managed to get
192 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

enough wood in before dark. Suffering in our feet.
No foot-gear.

“Monday, October 24, 134th day—A hard night.

“Thursday, October 27, 137th day—Iveson broken
down.

“ Friday, October 28, 138th day—Iveson died during
early morning.

“Saturday, October 29, 139th day—Dressler died dur-
ing night.

* Sunday, October 30, 140th day—Boyd and Géortz
died during night. Collins dying.”

It is beyond the power of words to add to the pathos
of these simple’ lines.

Nindemann and Noros, starting on October 9, were
instructed to make a forced march to Ku-Mark-Surta
for relief. They occasionally took refuge in huts, where
they found scraps of decaying offal, but before the 15th
they were reduced to eating their seal-skin trousers,
and drinking willow tea. On the toth they were so
exhausted that they could scarcely move for five min-
utes at a time and dysentery attacked them; but, on
the 19th, a native arrived at their camp, and soon others
came in. Nindemann endeavored to explain to them
that De Long’s party were perishing 20 miles to the
north, but the natives shook their heads and conveyed
the two sailors to Surta. On the 27th a Russian ap-
peared, who placed them in charge of a man who was
to take them to Belun. They gave him a note stating
their condition, and on the 29th they arrived at Belun,
and there, on November 2, to their intense joy, Melville
arrived, having received their note of the 29th. Mel-
ville could make himself understood in Russian, and
the two sailors now had the best the place could afford.
























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































G FINDING THE BODIES OF DE LONG AND DR. AMBLER. 193
194 ; IN THE FROZEN SEAS,

The weather was remorseless, dogs and men all suf-
fered, provisions were scarce and bad, and reindeer
teams could not be procured, so nothing was left but to
return to Belun, which was reached November 27. On
December 1, Melville set off and came to Yakutsk on
the 30th. Here the Russian governor lent every
assistance; and three interpreters were engaged. On
January 27, Melville reached Belun, and arranged for
a systematic search. The weather was terrible, too
severe even for the natives, and progress was almost
impossible; indeed, the party was storm-bound till
March 14.

Nindemann recognized some of the features of the
country, and under his directions careful search began.
On March 23, 1882, a fire-bed with many footprints
was discovered, and the trail was found. As they pro-
ceeded to explore the banks of the river, they found
some sticks protruding from the snow and in them a
Remington rifle, and near the fire-bed the hand and
arm of a body rose up out of the.snow. Melville at
once recognized De Long. . He lay on his right side,
with his hand under his cheek, his head to the north,
and his face to the west. Four feet from him lay his
note-book, where he had tossed it with his left hand,
which looked as if it had been frozen stiff in the act.
Near their chief lay Ambler and the Chinese cook.
The bodies were piously removed, and Melville as-
certained that the report of Dr. Ambler having com-
mitted suicide was false. Next day further exhuma-
tions were made, and the bodies of Boyd, Gortz,
Ivesen, Collins and Dressler recovered, and last of
all Lee and Kaack, whom De Long had carried “ round
the corner” when he was too weak to bury them,
DE LONG. 195

The burial-ground chosen for the resting-place of
these Arctic martyrs was a bold promontory overlook-
ing the Polar Sea. A pit three feet deep was excavated,
and in it the cairn coffin was placed, covered by a heavy
lid, on which stood accross. _

Melville then began a search for the second cutter’s
party, but no traces of the lost explorers were ever dis-
covered.



LIEUTENANT MELVILLE.



The United States Government subsequently de-
spatched a vessel to bring back the remains of this
hapless crew and its gallant commander for interment
in our own country. Of all records of Arctic travel,
this one is the most distressing. The expedition ended
without any addition to useful knowledge. It was
196 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

organized but to advertise a newspaper; the ship was
not adapted for its undertaking, and the crew had no
experience of Arctic work. That all the crew, from its
commander downwards, displayed the utmost gallantry,
the most remarkable fertility of resource, and the high-
est and calmest endurance, is to their credit, and reflects
honor on every American seaman.

CHAPTER XI.

THE LADY FRANKLIN BAY EXPEDITION TO GRINNELL
LAND, AND THE ATTAINMENT OF THE FARTHEST NORTH.

Tus expedition was established for work of scientific
observations and exploration by Congress, in 1881.
The steam-whaler Proteus took the party from New-
foundland to Lady Franklin Bay. The command was
entrusted to Lieutenant Adolphus W. Greely, of the
U.S. Navy. Beside the doctor and two assistants, there
were 21 enlisted men in the party.

The expedition was to remain for three years with-
out direct communication from the outside world. The
survivors were rescued on June 22, 1884, having been
gone nearly three years. Only five of the party re-
turned alive.

Godhaven was reached July 16, 1881. Along the
Greenland coast an occasional iceberg was seen, but in
Disco Bay over 100 were in sight at one time. Uper-
navik was reached July 24. :

The Proteus had a remarkably favorable passage
across Melville Bay; but 36 hours from Upernavik to
Cape York. The Avert ran across in 72 hours, and the




LIEUTENANT ADOLPHUS W. GREELY. 197
198 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

Polaris in 40 hours. The terrors of the dreaded bay
have been much diminished since the use of steam. -

On August 4, the vessel was stopped by the ice in
the extreme south-western part of Lady Franklin Bay,
only eight miles from its destination. The pack was
anexceedingly heavy one. The Proteus was made fast to
its southern edge to await further movements of the ice.

On the 8th a nip appeared probable, and preparations
were made for it, and the screw and rudder were made
ready to be unshipped instantly. The condition of the
ice improved, however, at the turn of the tide.

A south-westerly gale with snow set in on the roth,
and continued during the 11th, starting the whole pack
to the northward. When the snow cleared, open water
was visible aiong the west coast as far northward as the
eye could reach. Lady Franklin Bay was easily
crossed. Water-course Bay was entirely filled with
pack-ice, jammed against the shore, which extended to
the southward, but a narrow lane of water between
Distant Cape and Bellot Island permitted the vessel to
enter Discovery Harbor, where she was moored to the
ice inside Dutch Island. Fast harbor-ice about 18
inches thick covered Discovery Harbor, as well as the
western haif of Lady Franklin Bay.

On August 12 Proteus broke her way through nearly
two miles of heavy ice and anchored on the holding-
ground of the Dzscovery, The general cargo was dis-
charged, and the station named Conger. The entire
harbor was frozen over by September 1. A boat and
sledge evidently abandoned by the Discovery were
picked up. Sledge parties were formed for hunting and
exploration.

The sun left on October 14, not to appear again till
GREELY. 199

February (137 days). The party were in excellent
spirits, and full of hope and confidence for the spring
work. On November 3, they settled down to winter
quiet.

February, 1882, opened up with very cold weather.
With the sun’s reappearance on the 28th all thoughts
were directed toward spring traveling. Lieutenant
Lockwood left, March 1, for Thank God Harbor, to
ascertain what serviceable provisions could be drawn
from that point for the North Greenland sledge party.
The Observatory building was found yet standing, and
the stores fairly protected from weather and animals.
The grave of Captain Hall was visited, and found in
good condition. The records of the English expedition
of 1895 were found. Lockwood pushed on to New-
man’s Bay, and near Cape Sumner found the whale-
boat that had been left by the Polaris. He was ten
days on this trip; the temperature averaged 40°, and
the weather was favorable.

Greely was satisfied that the interior of Grinnell
Land could be explored successfully, and on April 26
he set out to make the attempt. He was gone 12 days,
traversing over 240 miles. His route was over the
south-west part of Discovery Harbor, Sun and Conny-
beare Bays. In his field-journal he writes:

“Conybeare Bay does not terminate ten miles inward,
as was supposed, but proves to bea fiord. Extending
from Stony Cape to the south-west, Chandler Fiord, as
I called it, terminates in that direction, about thirty
miles inland, by a bay (Ida Bay), about four by six
miles in extent. Near Ida Bay, the fiord proper turns
sharply to the north-north-west and continues about 12
miles farther.”
200 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

At the end of Chandler Fiord was found what at
first sight appeared to be a glacier—an almost vertical
wall of ice, 15 feet high and about a mile wide. It
proved to be an ice-dam of a river, from which fresh
water oozed in small quantities. The river's tortuous
course was in general first north and then west-north-
west. Its source is ina lake (Lake Hazen) of remark-
able extent. The junction of Lake Hazen and the
river was in latitude 81° 46.5’ N., longitude 70° 30’ W.
Five miles before reaching Lake Hazen, we found the
river open. The appearance in April at this latitude
of a clear-running stream made a marked impression on
us, which was not diminished by a bird of an unknown
kind suddenly flying by. The open river was about
40 yards wide and two feet deep, with ice-walls about ten
feet thick, which, gradually decreasing in thickness,
totally disappeared at the edge of the lake, into which
open water extended about a quarter of a mile. It was
evident that the stream flows the entire year, and that
at its source it rarely, if ever, freezes. Thin ice, along
the borders of the junction, shows that in extremely
cold weather a thin coating of ice forms, which much
very soon be destroyed by the current.

Lake Hazen was estimated to be nearly 60 miles
long and six miles wide. Its southern shores are
bounded by ranges of low hills, not entirely snow-clad,
which extend far to the southward, with no prominent
peak visible. Parallel with the northern shore extends
a range of mountains, partly snow-clad, which were
called the Garfield Range. Through the valleys of
this range could be seen occasional peaks of those
mountains—covered with eternal snow—which I have
called the United States Mountains, retaining the
























































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































GREELY’S HOUSE AT CONGER, 1882, 201
202 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

nomenclature, although their location has been radi-
cally changed from that originally given them. The
surface of the lake was covered with snow about two
feet deep.

Following the shore-line about 18 miles to the south-
west, we visited a large glacier (Henrietta Nesmith
Glacier), which was found to discharge into a small
bay, some four miles deep, and to have a convex-shaped
front of three miles’ extent. The upright front, which
had appeared to be of insignificant size, towered up and
proved to be nearly 175 feet in height. It was lowest
where one of fivé surface-discharge “brooks had worn it
down, in the very center. Its extent inward could not
then be determined, as no view reaching more that
three or four miles’ distance could be obtained.

Knowing that our rations could not carry us farther,
and fearing the entire breaking up of the river, we re-
turned to Fort Conger, caching our surplus stores at
the river, for the use of a future party.

The ice traveled over was in many places remarkable.
For some eight miles in Chandler’s Fiord, and for 20
miles on the river, it was so free from snow and so
smooth that the sledge and load could have been drawn
by a child.

This sledge journey was an exceedingly fruitful one
in its results. It disclosed physical conditions in the
interior of Grinnell Land hitherto unsuspected. The
absence of discharging glaciers which had excited re-
' mark on account of the extreme latitude, was now ex-
plained by the discovery of a broken, rugged country,
intersected by a system of fiords and lakes which
readily drains, during the short Arctic summer, the in-
considerable snow-fall, The valleys, bare of snow, give
GREELY. 203

birth to vegetation, luxuriant for the latitude, which
serves as pasturage for considerable game. The pres-
ence of the glaciers, bursting through the Garfield
Range, proved the existence of an ice-cap on the north-
ern part of Grinnell Land, and inferentially a radically
different topography from the country in the vicinity of
Discovery Harbor and Lake Hazen.

While these journeys were being made, Lockwood
was exploring the North Greenland coast. The party
proceeded to Cape Sumner, and the Discovery Boat
Camp, encountering violent storms, and on April 16
started from the latter place for the north with 300
rations. The journey was painfully laborious; the men
complained of sleeping cold, the sleeping bags being
frozen stiff At Heaton Gorge, on April 26, they found
the depot left by the English explorer Beaumont, and
next day reached Cape Bryant. Here Cape Britannia
was clearly visible, and here the supporting party
terminated their journey. On the agth, Lockwood, ac-
companied by Brainard and Christiansen, turned his face
northward over the frozen sea. He traveled direct for
Cape Britannia, which he reached on May 3, while on
May 7 they were at Lew Point, in latitude equal to that
of the most northerly land ever before reached ; and on
the 11th they encamped on Mary Murray Island, where
a gale delayed them for 63 hours.

- On May 14, Lockwood ascended the cliffs over-
shadowing his camp. There the national ensign was
given to the breeze in the highest latitude ever reached
4y man, and on land farther north than any which
had ever before met his vision. For the first time
in 275 years another nation than England claimed the
204 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

honors of the farthest north, and the Union Jack gave
way to the Stars and Stripes.

For three centuries England had held the honors of
the farthest north. The latitude of Hudson, 80° 23’, in
1607, gave way to Phipps, who reached 80° 48’ N, in
1773. Scoresby, the elder, in 1806, reached 81° 12’ 42"
N.; and 21 years later came Parry’s memorable jour-
ney, when he reached 82° 45’. These latitudes were all
attained in the Greenland Sea. Inglefield opened to the
world the Smith Sound route, and in 1871, Meyer

_reached 82° 09’, the highest on land, and Payer, a year
later, almost equaled Meyer by his sledge journey to
Cape Fligely (82° 07’), Franz Josef Land. In 1876
Aldrich surpassed Parry’s famous latitude, and reached
Cape Columbia, 83° 07’ N., only to be surpassed on sea
a few weeks later, by Markham, 83° 20’ 26” N., during
that journey over the Great Frozen Sea in which such
energy, persistency and courage were exhibited by the
officers and men of the English Navy.

Now Lockwood, profiting by these labors and ex-
periences, surpassed the efforts of three centuries by
land and ocean. And with Lockwood’s name should be
associated that of his inseparable sledge-companion,
Brainard, without whose efficient aid and restless energy,
as Lockwood said, the work could not have been ac-
complished.

So, with proper pride, they looked that day from
their vantage ground of the farthest north (Lockwood
Island) to the desolate cape which, until surpassed in
coming ages, may well bear the grand name of ‘‘ Wash-
ington.”

Greely left Fort Conger on June 24 with four com-
panions, and set out for Grinnell Land. On July 4, they
































































































FASTENING TO A BERG. 205
306 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

ascended a high mountain a few miles to the south-east.

This is 50 feet above the highest peak of the Victoria

Range ascended by Lockwood, and was named Mount

Arthur. He was now inthe west of Grinnell Land, and
“thus writes in his journal:

“The whole country seems spread out before me.
A second chain of mountains (Conger) extend to the
Jwestward as the prolongation of the Garfield Range.
They are separated by a break of eight or ten miles
from Mount Whisler, which is the most westerly of the
Garfield chain. Northward of the Conger and Garfield
ranges are a mass of hog-back mountains, all entirely
snow-clad, which we include in the United States
Mountains. The valley northward of Mount Whisler
extends to the eastward about half-way to the Nesmith
Glacier, and from that point to the eastward the rest of
the Garfield Range is crowded closely against the United
States Mountains, evidently being the only obstacle
which prevents the glacial ice-cap from overflowing the
country to the southward. The overlapping, rounded
tops of ice-clad mountains can be distinguished for
at least 20 miles to the north-eastward beyond Nesmith
Glaciet, which must be nearly 40 miles distant itself.”

To the westward, the valley between the Conger and
United States Mountains opens out or widens in that di-
rection. The mountains themselves, after extending a
great distance, trend gradually to the north-westward,
probably terminating in the Challenger Range of Aldrich.

The north and south ends of the range were cut off
from view by the hills; but it cannot in any way be
joined to the Conger Range. Again, due southward
was seen, about 40 miles distant, a prominent mountain
rising sharply on its eastern point and showing a flat
GREELY. 207

top, which extended westward and gradually (perhaps
from perspective) merged into the low hill.

In the south-east there was a prominent peak, with a
few illy-defined snow-clad mountains, evidently the
western slope of the Victoria and Albert Range.

The important results of the journey was the dis-
covery of the existence of an interior lake of such
dimensions as Lake Hazen (which covers probably 300
square miles), which shows with what rapidity the
numerous ravines must drain the country, and explains
why the entire country is notice-capped. Glaciers were
seen only where the Garfield Range pressed closely against
the United States Mountains, evidently offshoots of the
enormous ice-cap which covers the northern mountains.

The party returned to Fort Conger with nothing
more than the usual difficulties. The ice had now
broken up and boats were launched, and one of them
went off to Cape Lieber in the hope of seeing the
reliefsteamer. No trace of her could be seen, and on
August 28, all hopes were given up. Lockwood pro-
ceeded with the launch to the head of Archer Fiord for
exploration, leaving the whale-boat at Lieber. The
party was very successful in obtaining game during
August.

On September 1, 1882, they arranged for a second
winter. Lockwood was sent, on the 24th, up Black
Rock Vale with a dog sledge, to ascertain whether
travel was possible inland. The trip showed the im-
practicability of sledging to Lake Hazen overland.

On September 16 the sun left. Auroras were fre-
quent. Frozen mercury was noted on November 9g, as
against the 14th in 1881. The Aurora was noted daily
in December till the 17th.
208 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

March, 1883, brought a sense of relief that the second
winter had ended, and the entire party was in strength
‘and health.

Lockwood desired to further explore the north coast,
but Greely sent him southward into Archer Fiord, to
attempt the crossing of Grinnell Land to the western
ocean. He started April 24, with two teams and ten
dogs. He returned on May 26, being 31 days absent. -
His journey had been remarkably successful. Greely
says of it: “He explored the valley at the head of
Ella Bay, and finding no practical route in that direc-
tion, proceeded to Beatrix Bay, and from that point
succeeded in crossing Grinnell Land, reaching the salt
water from the Polar Ocean at the head of a fiord
named by him Greely Fiord. He traveled down the
flord some 25 miles and reached a point in 80° 48’ N.,
77° W. After waiting three days on less than half
rations for fair weather, he noted on a clear day the
apparent termination of Grinnell Land, on the north
side of Greely Fiord, in Cape Brainard. To the south-
west, at a distance of some 70 miles, a projecting point
of high land could be seen, which apparently was sep-
arated by a wide fiord from the southern point of Grin-
nell Land. It seemed proper to me to name this point
Cape Lockwood, in honor of its discoverer, and to
designate the new land as Arthur Land, in honor of
the President. Lockwood discovered that the southern
half of Grinnell Land is covered by an immense ice-
cap, which extends from the head of Ella Bay to the
southern shores of Greely Fiord. A marked peculiarity
of this ice-cap was its unbroken and perpendicular front,
which ranged from 125 to 200 feet in height. Such
was its abrupt character that but two places, in a fifty-
GREELY. 209

mile journey along its front, were observed where it
would have been possible to scale it.
“ During this journey Lockwood and Brainard dis-



GLACIER ‘ FLOEBERG,” HEAD OF GREELY FIORD, ANTOINETTE BAY.
?

played great energy, endurance, loyalty, and pluck.
For nearly a week the entire party lived on less than
half-rations in order to complete their work of explora-
tion and discoyery.”

14
210 IN THE FROZEN SEAS,

May 30 was considered a holiday, and in honor of
our Decoration Day the head-boards of the Arctic dead
of the British Expedition of 1875 were decorated.

July ended in southerly gales that did much to break
up the harbor ice in Hall Basin and Robeson Channel ;
but the ice in Archer Fiord remained fast, and no
possible chance of crossing it appeared. Preparations
had been made to abandon the station at the earliest
moment. ,

The condition of the party for the coming retreat was
one of general health and strength, despite their arduous
labors for two years amid unequaled cold and darkness.
Of the 721 days spent at Fort Conger, 268 had been
sunless. On 262 days, one or more sledge parties had
been absent in the field, on journeys entailing from two
to sixty.days’ absence, and some 3000 miles had been
traveled by such parties; an unequaled latitude to the
north had been attained; to Greenland over 100 miles
of new coast had been added; and to the westward
Grinnell Land had been crossed, its exterior surveyed,
its physical geography determined, and the contours of
its northern half fixed with considerable certainty. ;

They left Cape Hawks on August 27, finding the old
ice increasing in amount and in places cemented thickly
together with young ice. Greely’s judgment of the
situation is thus expressed in his journal:

«%& * 7 We are now in a critical situation, not
knowing what can be depended on. Since no vessel
reached this point in 1882-83 (to this time), we must all
feel an-uncertainty as to the party for our relief being at
Life Boat Cove. The ice to the southward is now in
such a state that any well-provided vessel could easily
run through it. If no party is at Life Boat Cove, our
































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































pare a eee EE ARRINGTON



SLEDGE EXCURSIONS OVER THE ICE, 2I1r
2T2 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

situation is exceedingly dangerous. We have, perhaps,
sixty days’ provisions, and beyond that we must depend
on the resources of the country, which are of the most
precarious character. However, we shall do our utmost,
and by some possible chance we may reach Cary
Islands.”

It was decided that September 10 was the latest limit
to await the action of the spring tides and heavy winds
to break up the floes. They were then to start, by
sledge, for Cocked Hat Island, and thence press on to
Cape Sabine. All the boats but one were to be aban-
doned, it being the general belief that a second boat
could not be hauled. September 10 broke with a severe
snow storm that delayed the moving till the afternoon.
The party started with three sledges, the first, the twelve-
man sledge, dragged by Greely and thirteen others ;
Lieutenant Kislingbury with five men dragged the six:
man sledge; Sergeant Jewell and three others the four-
man sledge. Both of the small sledges broke down the
first day, and the four-man sledge was abandoned. The
other was repaired and used.

At starting, the estimated distance of Cocked Hat
Island was eleven miles. On the first day they made
one mile of that distance, which involved nine hours’
traveling, or almost 14 hours from breaking to com-
pleting camp. Onthe I 1th they were forced to abandon
the whale-boat.

September Ig was a critical day for the party. A
south-west gale commenced shortly after midnight, and
was so violent during the day that pemmican and water:
was served to the men in their bags for breakfast and
supper, no cooking being possible. Bearings indicated
that they were again in the middle of Kane Sea in 78°
GREELY. 213

52’, about 14 miles east of Cape Sabine. The land,
which the night before had been in easy reach, was now
20 miles distant. All believed there was a chance of
reaching the west coast, if they drifted by Cape Sabine.
Lockwood decided they had only three chances for
their lives: I. Of finding an American cache at Cape
Sabine; IJ. Of crossing the straits, here 35 miles wide,
when their provisions
were gone; III. Of
being able to kill
enough game for
their support during
the winter. Another
effort was made by a
party to reach Cape
Sabine, which suc-
ceeded. They
brought news of the
loss of the Proteus, and
that Garlington had
gonesouthin hopes of
meeting the Yate or
some steamer. The re-
cord left by this relief LIEUTENANT LOCKWOOD.
party decided Greely
to proceed to Cape Sabine and await the promised help.
On October 26 the sun once more sank below the hori-
zon, and the long Arctic night began. Rations were re-
duced to one-third of what was necessary, the blubber
would supply but one poor light ; cold, dampness, dark-
ness, and hunger were the portion of all, every day and all
day. Hunger affected all of them most severely. Lock-
wood writes: “ Occupied, like a dog, in scraping the place


214 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

where the mouldy biscuits were emptied. Found a
few crumbs, ate mould and all.” An expedition went to
Cape Isabella to bring in 140 pounds of meat left by
English explorers, but nearly ended in the death of the
party, who were rescued by Lockwood, after what
Greely calls “the most remarkable journey in the
annals of Arctic sledging.” From now on the record is
one of horror and misery. Half of the party were
unfit for duty; thefts were detected; accusations of
unfairness in dividing the rations were made, yet when
Christmas Day came round they celebrated with songs
and good wishes. Lockwood seemed out of his head,
Cross showed scurvy symptoms, and died January 18;
_ this was the first death from starvation. Some of
the party were insubordinate. During all this time of
agony, Greely and others endeavored to beguile the
dreary time by talks on the history of their country,
and their adventures abroad. On February 1, Rice
was sent to cross Smith Sound to Littleton Island,
where they hoped the rescuing party was, but they
returned unsuccessful on the 6th. Demoralization now
set in. In March, Greely writes: “The fates seem
against us—an open channel, no game, no food, no
hopes from Littleton Island. To die is easy; it is only
hard to strive, to endure, to live.’ On March 21 he
exhorts his comrades to die like men. Onthe 26th a
ray of sunlight disclosed such a scene of utter squalor
and misery that Greely exclaimed, “ How have we ever
passed through this hell on earth and kept our
reason?” In April the end was evidently approaching.
On the 5th one of the Esquimaux died; on the 6th
Linn died; on the 7th Rice died; and on the oth
Lieutenant Lockwood passed away ; on the 12th another
GREELY. 218

death ; and the second Esquimau died on the 2gth. On
the 14th Kislingbury exhibited signs of mental derange-
ment; Greely himself was ill, In May a mutiny
seemed imminent, and on May 22, it is recorded, “It
is now eight days since the last regular food was
issued.” All discipline was now at anend. Kisling-
bury died June 1 and on the 6th Private Henry was
executed for continued thefts. On the same day Ben-
der and Dr. Pavy died, then Gardiner died; and the
last entry in Greely’s diary is: “ 21st—It commenced
snowing. Connell’s legs paralyzed from knee down.
Brederdick suffering terribly from rheumatism.
Buchanan Strait open this noon a long way up the
coast.”

On the 22d they were all exhausted, but about mid-
night the sound of a steam-whistle was heard. The
whistle was blown by the Theis, a vessel sent out to
search for the long-lost party.

According to the original plan drawn up when the
Greely expedition set out on the Proteus in 1881, a
ship, the Veptune, was despatched in the following
year, but was unable to reach Fort Conger, and re-
turned without leaving any stores for the Greely party.
In 1883 the Proteus and the Yantic both failed to leave
provisions, although they reached a point beyond that
where Greely’s men were left to perish. The terrible
position in which this failure left the isolated band
appalled all thinking men, and in the spring of 1884 a
safe fleet of vessels was sent out. The Government
bought two Scotch whalers, the Bear and the Thetis,
and the Queen refitted, and tendered as a gift to the
United States, the Avert, the old flag-ship of Captain
Nares in 1874, and the strongest wooden ship afloat.
216 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

The command of this rescuing fleet was given to Com.
mander Schley, and Melville, of the Feannette’s crew,
under the hapless De Long, accompanied the expedi-
tion as engineer of the Zhetis. This ship sailed from
New York on May tI, and proceeded with all speed to
the Northern seas. It was a race between the Govern-
ment ships and the whalers, for Congress had offered a
prize of $25,000 to any vessel that succeeded in rescu-
ing the explorers. The 7hets beat the others in the
race and arrived at Cape York on June 18. At
Brevoort Island a landing party discovered some rec-
ords left by the Greely party dated September 22,
1883, stating that they had gone into camp near Camp
Sabine, “25 men, all well.” A party was despatched
thence and by this time the screeching of the steam-
whistles had roused the unfortunates, and Brainard,
Frederick, and Long, the strongest among them,
tottered down to the rocky promontory to look for
relief, But they saw nothing and returned filled with
despair, but Long returned to the rock to take another
look and his eyes were gladdened by the sight of the
steam-cutter. He tried to raise a signal of distress, but
was too weak, but the men on the cutter had seen him,
and ran inshore, while Long rolled and scrambled
towards them, clamoring for food. He told them his
comrades were over the hill, and that only seven sur-
vived, among them Greely. The ice-pilot, Norman,
leaped ashore and rushed up the hill to the tent.

“Greely, are you there? How do you get in?”

“Ts that you, Mr. Norman?” replied Greely.

“Yes, it is, you are all right now; succor has come.”

Forty-eight hours more would have sealed the fate
of all. Greely could not stand, and could scarcely
GREELY. 217

speak. “Here we are,” he said faintly, “ dying—like
men. Did what I came to do—beat the best record.”

The scene that presented itself was indescribable.
A cold, barren plateau, a black rock where even mosses
could not grow, drifts of snow in the ravines, and a
raging wind and pitiless sea, not a living thing in sight
except the skeleton-like survivors. We quote Mel-
ville’s description :

“Struggling up the valley of death against the
frantic wind, from the low point to the westward of the
camp, where we managed with difficulty to effect a
landing in our whale-boats, we first came upon the re-
mains of the winter habitation.

“The hut had been roofed over with the whale-boats
turned upsidedown and covered with the sails and tent-
cloths; the smoke-flue, made of old tin kettles bound
with bits of canvas, was thrown to one side; and water
had risen in and about the wretched dwelling-place toa
height of eight inches, concealing much of the foul evi-
dences of squalid misery in which its poor occupants
had lived. Cast-off fur and cloth clothing, empty tin
cans, and the sickening filth of twenty-five men for nine
. months, lay heaped and scattered about—a veritable

* Augean scene. Continuing up the valley toward a
little rise of ground, we passed the dead body of a man
laid out on a projecting plane of rock. A woolen
cap was pulled down over his face, his hands were
crossed on his breast, and his clothing and blankets
were fastened around him with old straps and shreds of
rope or yarns. Farther up the hill lay the summer
camp or tent, black with smoke and partly blown down,
the flaps flying in the wind, which was blowing loose
papers, leaves of books, and old clothing hither and
218 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

thither; and on their backs within this half-open inclos-
ure lay the poor creatures whom we had come to rescue,
now more dead than alive.

“ Greely, in his sleeping-bag, and resting on his hands
and knees, was peering out through the open doorway ;
his hair and beard black, long and matted, his hands
and face begrimed with the soot of months, and his
eyes glittering with an intense excitement. For what
terrible days of agony had been swept into oblivion by .
this supreme moment of joy. Succor had come at last!
And yet he scarcely seemed to realize it. Mr. Norman
told him who I was and he said he was glad to see one
of the people of the Feannette, for he had learned a
great deal of the history of our expedition from scraps
of newspapers that had been wrapped around some
lemons left by the Garlington party. Alongside of him
lay aman on his back, Sergeant Ellison, to whom he
introduced me, and who said he would like to shake
hands with me, but his hands and feet were both frozen
off. I looked down and saw that his nose was likewise
gone. Yet he seemed cheerful and bright, and coolly
discussed his sorrowful plight, thrusting one of his arm
stumps, which I shook in lieu of a hand. Higher up
and beyond the tent was the burial-ground, where ten
bodies lay in a row, some barely covered with loose
earth and stones. The first grave had been very care-°
fully made, for it was that of Sergeant Cross, the first
man to die, and the survivors were then still strong
enough to endure exertion. The subsequent graves
became more and more shallow, just as the strength of
the party was waning. All the faces were covered with
woolen hoods and cloths or handkerchiefs; and each
body was stretched out on its back with the hands
GREELY. ; 219

crossed on the breast and the clothing bound round.
Only one corpse was found unburied, that of Private
Henry; but the six that had been interred in the ice-
foot, were, of course, beyond recovery.

“In the camp all was bustle and confusion. One
man, Connell, was to all appearance lifeless; his face was
fixed in death; he was cold from the hips down; and
he scarcely breathed. Three days before he had eaten
his last ration of seal-skin, and, abandoning all hope,
had calmly determined to die. Doctors Green and
Ames had their hands full of work. Water-kettles were
heated, and the clothes being stripped from the half-
dead Connell, he was wrapped in a blanket dipped in
hot water. A little brandy was then poured down his
throat, but it ran out at the side of his mouth until,
catching his breath, he drew in sufficient to choke him
and blew out the rest. Yet the few drops he retained
sufficed to revive him, and rolling his head to one side
he said wearily, ‘Let me die in peace.’ Not realizing
that succor had arrived, he thought his comrades were
still laboring with him. However, he survived and still
lives. He was a vivacious sort of man, and when on
board the Zhets a few days remarked, ‘ Well, boys, it
was a pretty close squeeze for me. Death had me by
the heels, and you pulled me out by the back of the
neck,’

“Stretchers were brought from the ship, and the sur-
vivors carried to the steam-cutter and then transferred
to the 7hetis, all save Frederick and Long, who, as hun-
ters for the party, had been allowed additional rations
from the game procured, to maintain their strength for
the extra exertion demanded of them. The camp was
devoid of all food except a few pounds of boiled seal-
220 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

skin strips, contained in tin cans. The final division of
this food had been made some days before, and each
man had charge of his own meagre supply.

“The faces of two of the men were so swollen that
they could scarcely see, and the rheum and slime had
gathered in their eyes and_half-blinded them. They
were too weak to help themselves, and dipping an old
woolen sack in warm water, I cleansed the eyes of one
who lay upon his back gazing dimly in the direction
where our mastheads could be seen across the rocks.

“Commander Schley stood by and said:

“*My man, don’t you see the ship’s masts? Don’t
you see the flags?’ for we had mastheaded our colors.

“* Please lift me up a little,’ he urged, huskily, ‘that
I may see.” Then, catching sight of the colors, he
cried, ‘Hooray! There is the old flag again; now,
boys, we'll get some mush,’ And he did his best to
raise a feeble cheer, while the tears of joy ran down his
cheeks as we supported him in his sleeping-bag.

“When I shook poor Ellison by the stump he said:

‘““*So you are one of the officers from the Feannette,
and poor De Long is dead. You must have had a ter-
rible time,’ ,

“Here was sympathy sure enough. A man with nose,
feet, and hands frozen off, who for months had been
helplessly stretched upon his back, enduring every
agony and horror but death itself, could nevertheless
find room in his bleeding heart to pity-the past suffer:
ings of others. A noble nature, indeed. He it was who
sacrificed himself on the expedition to Cape Isabella for
the English beef, when Sergeant Rice perished.

“Tt was after midnight of June 22 before we finished
our sad duty of removing all the dead and living, to-
GREELY. Bai

gether with the books and papers and certain relics,
from Camp Clay to our two vessels ; and we then sought
shelter from the gale under the lee of Brevoort Island.
The next morning saw both ships moored together at
Payer Harbor; but when the fury of the wind had
abated, Captain Schley sent back in the Bear a party
of officers and men selected from both companies to go
over the ground more carefully at Camp Clay, and
gather up all overlooked articles that might be of value
either as mementoes or a part of the history of the ex-
pedition.”

The bodies of the dead were transferred to the Thetis,
and a piece of numbered canvas sewn on each. She
then proceeded on her voyage homeward, and reached
Portsmouth, N. H., July 26, where the cruise of the
rescue ships virtually ended.

Commander Greely, in his report to the Government,
thus expresses himself: ‘I should be unjust to the
dead did I not call attention to their arduous labors,
heroic endurance, and unflinching determination, which
advanced the national ensign to an unparelled latitude,
carried out the programme of international scientific ob-
servations, increased perhaps in an unequaled degree in
this century our knowledge of the physical characteris-
tics and configurations of Polar lands; and who, more
than all, in perhaps the most successful Arctic boat
journey of the age, brought safely, at the price of great
bodily suffering and diminished chances of life, through
a dense Polar pack, their records toa point whence they
would eventually reach the world. They died for that
end, and should not be forgotten.”
222 ; IN THE FROZEN SEAS,

CHAPTER XII.
PEARY’S JOURNEY ACROSS GREENLAND.

So many expeditions having failed in their efforts
to effect a North-west or North-east Passage from
ocean to ocean within the Arctic Circle, more appar-
ently practical methods have recently been adopted.
The attention of the latest explorers has been turned
to Greenland with the resolve to explore it thoroughly
with the view of making it the base of operations
for the Pole.

On June 6, 1891, the steam-whaler Avie, which was
engaged to lead the the expedition of the Philadelphia
Academy of Science northward, sailed from New York,
her destination being Whale Sound, on the north-west
coast of Greenland, where it was the intention to pass
the winter ate to the long traverse of the inland
ice, which was to solve the extension of Greenland in
the direction of the Pole.

The expedition numbered five only beside Com-
mander Robert E. Peary, of the U.S. Navy, and his
wife, who wished to share the fatigue and hardships
of the work, Sixteen months after their departure they
returned home.

Peary says, “Within 60 miles of where Kane and his
little party endured such untold sufferings, within 80
miles of where Greely’s men one by one starved to
death, and within less than 50 miles of where Hayes
and his party, and one portion of the Polaris party, under-
went their trials and tribulations, Mrs. Peary lived for
. ayear in safety and comparative comfort.” She returned
with a child born close to the Pole,

224. IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

Peary traversed Greenland from coast to coast, and
added a remarkable chapter to the history of Arctic ex-
ploration.

Upernavik, the most northerly of the Danish getiles
ments, and the outpost of civilization, was reached on































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































UPERNAVIK.

July 2. They headed for Melville Bay, where for three
weeks they were ice-bound in the much-dreaded Mel-
ville Bay Pack. On the 15th, Peary had his leg broken
by the wheel, which was wrenched from the helmsman’s
grasp. A light nip was experienced on the 1th, ‘but
they blasted their way out with gunpowder. On the
agra
Ss



WRECK OF THE AMERICAN WHALER “McLELLAN,”” ON THE BOWS OF THE ENGLISH “NORTH STAR,"
H IN MELVILLE RAY 225
226 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

24th, McCormick Bay was reached, and winter-quarters
established, On the 30th the Xzze turned homewards,

By October 6, the winter began and McCormick Bay
was frozen over so as to support the dogs and sleds.
On the 26th the sun disappeared to return the following
February. The winter was passed in the usual Arctic
fashion. April 18, 1892, sledge journeys were started for
exploration into Inglefield Gulf.

Mrs, Peary, in her “ My Arctic foul” writes : “ The
glacier, which forms much of the eastern wall of Ingle-
field Gulf, has a frontage of 10 miles, and is the largest
of the series of giant glaciers ia which aré here concen-
trated the energies of the ice-cap. _ North of it lie the
Smithson Mountains, and farther beyond a vast con-
geries of ice-streams which circle westward and define
the northern head of the gulf. To the eastern sheet,
upon whose bosom no human being had ever stepped
and on whose grandeur no white person had ever gazed,
we gave the name of Heilprin Glacier.”

The real start of the overland ice-journey was made
on April 30. The last of May found: them looking
down into the basin of the Petermann Glacier, “the
grandest amphitheatre of snow and rugged ice that
human eye has ever seen.” Keeping northward, they
were befogged, and approaching too near the mountains
of the coast, got entangled in the rough ice and crev-
asses of the Sherard Osborne Glacier system. They
lost 14 days in getting back to the smooth, unbroken
snow-cap of the interior, Turning eastward they
traveled for 57 days over a barren waste of snow till
they stepped upon the rocks of a strange,.new land.
Four days of the hardest traveling over sharp stones of
all sizes, through drifts of snow and across rushing
PEARY’S JOURNEY. 227

torrents, brought them to a summit of a towering cliff,
about 3500 feet high, now known as Navy Cliff, from
which was overlooked the great and hitherto undis-
covered Independence Bay (which was so named in





































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































WALRUS.

honor of the day, July 4), and were standing on the
northern shore of Greenland.

They remained here several days, more than 600 miles
of pathless ice separating them from the nearest human
being, and then began their return march. The snow
was soft and light, and without their “ski,” or Nor-
228 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

wegian snow-skates, they would have been helpless in
it, but after passing the Humboldt Glacier the traveling
became better. The down-grade assisted them and they
averaged 30 miles daily. On August 6, they met
Professor Heilprin of the Peary Relief Expedition, and
in the ship lying at anchor at the head of the bay Peary
found his wife, who had been waiting 63 days for his
return. On the 14th they rounded Cape Cleveland,
the wind blowing a gale, and on the 24th, were back
again in Philadelphia.

The main results of the journey were: The determina-
tion of the rapid convergance of the shores of Greenland
above the 78th parallel of latitude, and consequently
the practical demonstration of the insularity of the
great land-masses (setting at rest the question that had
disturbed the minds of geographers for over three cen-
turies); the discovery of the existence of ice-free land-
masses to the northward of Greenland; and the delinea-
tion of the northward extension of the great Greenland
ice-cap.

On July 8, 1893, Peary made a second journey from
Portland to St. John’s, and following the coast of Labra-
dor for ten days he headed across Davis’s Strait for
Holsteinborg and thence to Upernavik, wheré some
dogs were picked up, and so on to Tassinsak, the most
northerly inhabited spot in the world belonging to any
Government. From here they headed for Melville Bay,
which was crossed in 25 hours (the previous best
record being 36 hours). They were three weeks in
crossing on the earlier visit. They pushed along the
coast till Cape Parry was rounded, and steamed into
Bowdoin Bay.

He started for Smith’s Sound on August 12, where
PEARY’S JOURNEY. 229

24 walrus were captured. Rounding Cape Alexander
they steamed half-way across the sound toward Cape
Sabine, where they were stopped by the ice-pack, which
stretched in an unbroken plain as far as could be seen.
Turning back, Polaris House was visited, and some
souvenirs found,

Henry G. Bryant, and a party called the Peary Aux-
iliary Expedition, sailed from St. John’s in the steamer
Falcon, On account of the heavy ice, Bowdoin Bay
was reached only after great difficulty, where the mem-
bers of Peary’s party were all found alive and well.
Peary’s attempt to reach Independence Bay, on March
6, 1894, by way of the inland ice-cap, failed owing to
furious storms which prevailed. The party suffered
great hardships. Some were frost-bitten severely, and
were laid up for several months in consequence.
When the Falcon was ready to sail homeward, Peary
decided to remain and make an attempt to reach In-
dependence Bay in 1895. Matthew Henson, his col-
ored servant, and Hugh Lee elected to remain with
him. Mrs. Peary, with her baby, and the remainder of
Peary’s companions, came home in the ship.

In September, 1895, Peary and his two companions
came home. This energetic and tenacious explorer
failed to accomplish the chief object of his journey, the
exploration of lands to the north of Independence Bay,
but he succeeded in making an accurate survey of
Inglefield Gulf, besides numerous other valuable ad-
ditions to the world’s geographical knowledge.
230 IN THE FROZEN SEAS,

CHAPTER XIII.
NANSEN’S VOYAGES.

NoRDENSKIOLD’s success made it evident that Green-
land could be crossed; and was the forerunner of Nan-
sen’s crossing to the South, and Peary’s crossing to the
North, The first crossing ‘of Greenland was made over
the inland ice by Fridtjof Nansen, who started from
Christiana in May, 1888, on his celebrated journey to
Greenland, in which he crossed the continent, returning
to Norway in May, 1889.

Nansen, after his return from his explorations in
Greenland, suggested his scheme for reaching the Pole,
which met favor with his countrymen, and resulted in
his receiving more than $85,000 for the purpose, some
of which was given him by public grant, and some by
King Oscar of Sweden and Norway, and other private
subscribers. In 1891 he published an article in the
Forum in regard to his plan for reaching the Pole,
which was the first authoritative account of his daring
adventure. In this article, Nansen said: .

“It will be no holiday trip, the drift through regions
where the days last six months, and the nights are no
shorter; but it is not to seek pleasure that we go out.
People, perhaps, still exist who believe that it is of no
importance to explore the unknown Polar regions. This,
of course, shows ignorance. It is hardly necessary
to mention here of what scientific importance it is
that these regions should be thoroughly explored.
The history of the human race is a continual strug-
gle from darkness towards light. It is, therefore, to
no purpose to discuss the use of knowledge; man
NANSEN’S VOYAGES. 231

wants to know, and when he ceases to do so, he is no
longer man.”

In the autumn of 1892, Nansen: undertook a lecture
tour in England in order to raise money for his coming
expedition to the Polar regions. Ata meeting of the
Geographical Society in London, he gave a full account
of his hopes and prospects.

He said on this occasion Se

that he believed that if we =F si
took careful notice of the ZG AWN
f

forces which Nature herself By,
placed at our disposal and LAA

ff

endeavor to work with them, Yj A Cx
and not against them, we “es bie
would find, if not the short- LY, Yr s/f}
est, at all events the most * P
certain route to the North Cag
Pole in the ocean current 7 SG.
running north from Siberia Z
and south by Greenland.
Among many other evi-
dences of a current running
across the Pole, Nansen said
there was the drift of the
wrecked Feannette,and there
was the fact that a number
of objects belonging to her crew were found on an ice-
floe near Julianshaab, on the south-west coast of Green-
land, just three years-after she sank. These objects
must have been left on the floe either near the place
where the ship sank or somewhere on the route of her
crew towards the Lena delta.

From all the facts we are fully justified in drawing the







FRIDTJOF NANSEN.
232 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

conclusion, said he, that a current is constantly running
across the Polar region to the north of Franz Josef
Land from the sea north of Siberia and Behring Strait,
and into the sea between Spitzbergen and Greenland.
The floe ice was constantly traveling with this current
in a fixed route between these seas. As this was the
case, the most natural way of crossing the unknown
region must be to take a ticket with this ice and enter
the current on the side where it ran northward—that
was somewhere near the New Siberian Islands, and let
it carry one straight across those latitudes which it had
prevented so many from reaching.

Nansen said there were two methods of trying to
obtain the result he longed for—first, to build a ship so
constructed that it could withstand the pressure of the
ice, and, living in this ship, to float across with the ice;
or, second, to take only boats along, encamp on the ice-
floe, and live there while floating across. His plan was
based on the use of both these methods. He had now
built a wooden ship as small and strong as possible; it
was just big enough to carry provisions for twelve men
for five or six years, beside the necessary fuel; her size
was about 600 tons displacement with light cargo. She
would have an engine of 160 indicated horse-power,
giving her a speed of six knots with a consumption of
two and three-quarter tons of coal in 24 hours. With
sails alone she would probably attain a speed of eight
or nine knots under favorable circumstances. She
would consequently be no fast vessel nor a good sailer;
but this was of relatively little importance on an expedi-
tion like the present, where they would have to depend
principally on the speed of the current and the ice move-
ment, and not that of the ship.
NANSEN’S VOYAGES. 233

A ship’s ability to break her way through the pack-
ice did not at all depend on her speed, but on her steam
power and her shape. For it was naturally the thing
of importance to get a strong ship, and the most im-
portant feature in her construction was that she should
be built on such lines as would give her the greatest
power of resistance to the pressure of the ice. Her
sides must not be perpendicular, as those of ships gen-
erally were, but must slope from the bulwarks to the
keel, so that the floes should get no hold of her when
they were pressed together, but should glide downwards
along her sides and under her, thus tending to lift her
out of the water. The vessel ought to be as small as
possible, as the lighter she was the more easily she
would be lifted by the ice, and the less pressure there
would be on her sides. It was also easier to make a
small ship strong than a big one. A small ship had
other advantages, as it was more convenient to navigate
and to handle in the ice, and it was easier to find good
and safe places for it between the floes. As great length
was a weakness during the pressure and twisting of the
pack-ice, the ship ought also to be as short as her nec-
essary bearing capacity would allow.

The result of this in connection with the very sloping
sides was that the new ship was disproportionately
broad compared with her length. Her breadth was
about one-third of the latter. Flat sides were avoided
as much.as possible near the places that would be most
exposed to the attack of the ice, and the hull had a
plump and rounded form. There were no sharp, pro-
jecting corners; every edge was broken and rounded.
Even the keel did not project very much; it was almost
covered by the plankings, and only three inches were
234 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

visible outside the ice skin, and the sharp edges were
quite rounded. On the whole, the ship would, he
hoped, leave no place for the ice to catch hold of.
Round and slippery like an eel, she would escape its
cold and strong grasp. The ship would be pointed at
both ends, and, on the whole, resemble very much a
Norwegian pilot-boat, or, as he was told, a Scotch
buckie-boat, only that she, of course, was carvel-built
and that the keel and the sharp bottom were cut off.
The bottom was, near the keel, comparatively flat, in
order that the ship should have something to rest on
without being capsized in case she should be completely
lifted onto the ice. Both stem and stern were consid-
erably curved, in order that the ice should get no hold
there. The stem was also much sloped, because it
would then more easily force the ice-floes under her
when she was breaking her way through the ice. The
thickness of the sides of the ship was 28 in. to 32 in.—a
solid mass of pitch-pine, oak, and greenheart, with a
little pitch between. The whole was like one coherent
mass, and the ship might almost be considered as if
built of solid wood.

She would be rigged as a three-masted fore-and-aft
schooner, the sails of which were very easy to handle
from the deck. Everything had been done to provide
a snug and comfortable saloon and cabins. The princi-
pal dimensions of the vessel were as follows: Length
of keel, 101 ft.; length at water-line, 113 ft.; length over
all, 128 ft; beam at water-line amidship, excluding the
“ice-sheathing,” 33 ft; greatest beam, excluding the
“jice-sheathing,” 36 ft.; depth moulded, 17 ft; draught
with light cargo, 12ft. The hull, with boilers filled,
weighed about 420 tons. With a displacement of 800
NANSEN’S VOYAGES. 235

tons, the vessel had consequently a bearing capacity for
380 tons of coal and cargo. Equipment and provisions
were not likely to weigh much more than 60 or 70 tons;
thus 300 or 320 tons bearing capacity would be left
for coal and fuel, and this was enough for about four
months’ steaming with full speed. Probably, however,
they would not be able to make use of the engines
more than two months after they had been loaded with
coal for the last time. A great quantity would thus be
left for heating and cooking during the winters.

For heating purposes they would also carry petro-
leum, which had the great advantage of giving light
besides. There would also be as much electric lighting
as possible by means of a dynamo or a walk-mill on
deck. Forthe cooking they would carry alcohol. The
vessel was launched at Laurvik on October 26, 1892, and
was named the fram, which meant “ Forward.” She
would certainly be the strongest vessel ever used in the
Arctic regions, She had been built with great care,
and he felt certain that she could be crushed only in
a quite extraordinary combination of circumstances.
With this vessel and a crew of twelve strong and well-
picked men, besides an equipment for five or six years,
as good in all respects as modern appliances could
afford, he thought the enterprise had a good prospect
of success.

It was his intention to start in the spring of 1893.
The first goal would be the New Siberian Isiands, or
the mouth of the Lena River. After some uncertainty,
he now thought of going through to the Kara Sea.
On reaching the sea north of the Lena delta he should
have to wait for the right moment to go northward
along the western coasts of the New Siberian Islands,
236 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

and try to reach the farthest possible point north in
open water. This would probably be in August or
early in September. The current caused by the warm
water from the Lena River would be a great help to
them, as it seemed to be of great influence during the
summer, producing an extensive open sea, in which one
of the boats from the %cannette was even wrecked.
When they could get no farther, they would have
nothing left but to run into the ice at the most favorable
spot, and from there trust entirely to the current run-
ning across the Polar region. The ice would perhaps
soon begin to press, but it would only lift their strong
ship. There was a possibility that the ship, in spite of
all precautions, might be crushed in the ice; but if this
happened, the expedition would have another resource.
It would now be time to use the ice as quarters instead
of the ship, and they would have to move all their pro-
visions, coal, boats, etc., to an ice-floe, and camp there.
For this purpose he had built two big boats, 29 feet
long, g feet broad, with flat bottoms. They hada deck,
and were so big that the whole crew could live in even
one of them. Thus the journey could be continued.
The only difference would be that they would have two
small ships standing on the ice instead of the big one
lying between the floes. When they emerged into open
water on this side of the Pole there would not be any
great difficulty in returning home in the boats; such a
thing had been done many times before. It was his
conviction that the only difficulty would be to get duly
into the current north of Siberia; when this was done
they must be carried somewhere northward. Whether
they succeeded or not, he felt convinced that this was
the way—not a new one—in which the unknown regions
NANSEN’S VOYAGES. 237

would some day be crossed. It might be possible that
the current would not carry them exactly across the
Pole, but it could not easily be very far off, and the
principal thing was to explore the unknown Polar
regions, not to reach exactly that mathematical point in
which the axis of our globe has its northern termination.

He sailed, on June 24, 1893, from Christiana for the
Kara Sea, after which he hoped to get his vessel packed
in the ice and thus drifted across the Polar region by a
northwest current, which he believes to exist. Advices
show that the first part of his journey was safely ac-
complished. He expected to be gone three years, and
was looked for in the autumn of 1806.

In February, 1896, the following despatch was re-
ceived from St. Petersburg :

“Dr. Fridtjof Nansen has reached the North Pole!
He has found land there and has planted the Nor-
wegian flag at the very axis of the earth! He is now
returning to Christiana in his brave ship, the fram,
which sailed from that port on June 24, 1893!”

This despatch was discredited by Arctic authorities.
Authentic information of the voyage was not received
till August 14, 1896, when Nansen and his companion
reached Franz Josef Land.

This is Dr. Nansen’s story of the voyage of the
fram, up to the time he left her:

“The Fram left Jugor Strait August 4, 1893. We
had to force our way through much ice along the
Siberian coast. We discovered an island in the Kara
Sea and a great number of islands along the coast to
Cape Chelyuskin. In several places we found evidences
of a glacial epoch, during which Northern Siberia must
have been covered by an inland ice toa great extent.
238 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

“On September 15, we were off the mouth of the
Olenek river, but we thought it was too late to go in
there to fetch our dogs, as we would not risk losing a
year. We passed the New Siberian Islands September
22. We made fast to a floe in latitude 78 degrees 50
minutes north and in longitude 133 degrees 37 minutes
east. We then allowed the ship to be closed in by
the ice.

“ As anticipated, we were gradually drifted north and
and northwest during the autumn and winter from the
constantly exposed and violentice pressures, but she (the
Fram) surpassed our expectations, being superior to
any strain.

“The temperature fell rapidly, and was constantly
low, with little variation, for the whole winter. During
weeks the mercury was frozen. The lowest tempera-
ture was 62 degrees below zero. Every man on board
was in perfect health during the whole voyage.

“The electric light generated by a windmill fulfilled
our expectations. The most friendly feeling existed,
and time passed pleasantly. Every one made pleasure
his duty, and a better lot of men could hardly be found.

“The 'sea was’ up to go fathoms deep, south of 79
degrees north, where the depth suddenly increased and
was from 1600 to 1900 fathoms north of that latitude.
This will necessarily upset all previous theories, based
on a shallow Polar basin.

“The sea bottom was remarkably devoid of organic
matter. During the whole drift I. had good opportuni-
ties to take a series of scientific observations, meteorol-
ogical, magnetic, astronomical, and biological, sound-
ings, deep-sea temperatures, examinations. for the
salinity of the sea water, etc.
NANSEN’S VOYAGES. 239

“Under the stratum of cold ice water covering the
surface of the Polar basin, I soon discovered warmer
and more saline water, due to the Gulf Stream, with
temperatures from 31 degrees to 33 degrees.

“We saw no land and no open water, except narrow
cracks,in any direction. As anticipated, our drift north-
westward was most rapid during the winter and spring,
while the northerly winds stopped or drifted us back-
ward during the summer.

“On June 18, 1894, we were on 81 degrees 52
minutes north, but we drifted then southward only. On
October 21, we passed 82 degrees north. On Christmas
eve, 1894, latitude 83 degrees north was reached.

“A few days later 83 degrees 24 minutes, the
furthest north latitude previously reached by man.

“On January 4.and5 the Hram was exposed to the
most violent ice pressures we experienced. She was
then firmly frozen in ice of more than thirty feet of
measured thickness. This floe was over-ridden by
great ice masses, which were pressed against the port
side with irresistible force and threatened to bury, if.
not to crush her.

“The necessary provisions, with the canvas kayaks
and other equipments, had been placed in safety upon
the ice. Every man was ready to leave the ship, if
necessary, and was prepared to continue with the drift,
living on the floe. But the /vam proved even stronger
than our trust in her.

“When the pressure rose to the highest and the ice
was piled up high above the bulwarks, she was broken
loose and slowly lifted out of her bedin which she had
been frozen, but not the slightest sign of a split was to
be discovered anywhere in her.
240 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

“ After that experience, I consider the fram almost
equal to anything in the way of ice pressure. After-
wards we experienced nothing more of the kind, but
our drift was rapidly continued north and northwestward.

“ AsI now with certainty anticipated that the /ram
would soon reach her highest latitude north of Franz
Josef Land and that she would not easily fail to carry
out the programme of the expedition, viz.: To cross the
unknown Polar basin, I decided to leave the ship in
order to explore the sea north of her route.

“Tieutenant Hansen volunteered to join me and I
could not easily have found a better companion in every
respect. The leadership of the expedition on board the
Fram 1 \eft to Captain Sverdrup.

“With my trust in his qualifications as a leader, and
his ability to overcome difficulties, I have no fear but
that he will bring all the men safely back, even if the
worst should happen and the Fram be lost, which I
consider improbable. On March 3 we reached 84
degrees 4 minutes north. Hansen and I left the Fram
on March 14, 1895, at 83 degrees 59 minutes north and
102 degrees 27 minutes east.”

The fram proved that Nansen’s confidence in her
was well-grounded.

The map shows approximately Nansen’s ship and
sledge tracks in the Arctic Ocean, and tells the story of
the voyage.

In the southwest corner, at the point marked 1, the
Fram passed through Yugor Strait, and on August 4,
1893, was in that part of the Arctic Ocean known as
the Kara Sea.

It is always possible for vessels to pass through
Yugor Strait in summer, but the Kara Sea is sometimes
WANSEN'S VOVAGES, 241

blocked with ice, and it was here that the Dutch circum-
polar expedition lost their ship by crushing in the ice in
. 1881 and never reached their proposed station in
Siberia. The fact that the last news heard from Nansen
after his departure was that he was still in the Kara Sea
led some persons to wonder if he ever got out of those
dangerous waters at all.

But he did get out, and made as rapid progress to
the east as Nordenskjold did on the Vega in 1878.
Both reached Cape Chelyuskin, the most northern
point of Asia, in the month of August. Then Nansen
turned southward to the point marked 2.

He was making for the mouth of the Olenek river
where, by his directions, alot of dogs had been collected
for him. A storm prevented him from reaching the
coast and taking the dogs aboard. Why he did not
call at the mouth of the Olenek was a mystery that
gave much anxiety to his friends.

It was thought by many improbable that he had
reached the New Siberian Islands, where he expected to
find his north flowing current, and therefore that his
plans had been thwarted at the very outset, and that
he had probably pushed into the ice west of Cape
Chelyuskin, ;

He, however, carried out his preliminary plans to the
letter except that he did not get all the dogs he wanted.
From near the mouth of the Olenek river he pro-
ceeded towards the New Siberian Islands, and just a
little west of the point marked 3 he entered the ice and
his ship was soon frozen in. His drift to the northwest)
then began.

At the point of his journey marked 4 he discovered
that the depth of the sea had suddenly increased from
242 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

go fathoms to 1600 fathoms, and he found other depths
of 1900 fathoms, a remarkable discovery in view of the
tong prevailing belief that the Arctic Ocean was a very
shallow sea. ; :

Point 5 shows the place where Nansen and his com-
rade left the Fram. Thus far the Pram had drifted in
the ice, from very near the place indicated by point 3, to
point 5. But this drift was by no means in a straight
line as it is represented on the map.

Sometimes the fram drifted south, if the wind per-
sisted from the north. All that can be shown here is
the mean direction of the drift. We get a vivid idea of
the slow progress made when we consider that it took
the Fram one year five months and twenty-two days to
advance from points 3 to 5, a distance in a straight line
of about 470 miles. The prevailing winds were taking
the Fram, not the Pole, but in the direction of northern
Franz Josef Land and Spitzbergen.

The broken line is meant to show Nansen’s sledge
journey over the hummocky sea ice, first directly north
toward the Pole and the more circuitously to the south-
west, where he reached land and safety.

It took him twenty-five days to travel from the Fram
to his highest north, and the distance was about 145
miles. Two men in woolen clothing, with two dog
teams, have therefore approached within about 250
statute miles of the North Pole.

It is impossible to show even with approximate cor-
rectness Nansen’s sledge route from point 6 to Franz
Josef Land, partly because he was not able to take any
longitudes for much of the way, and partly because
Payer’s map of that country, the only one we yet pos-
sess, has been found both by Jackson and Nansen to be

244 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

inaccurate both in its delineation of the archipelago and
also in the geographical position assigned to the islands.

But on this sketch map Nansen’s highest north is
joined to the point marked 7, which is about where he
landed in Franz Josef Land, and near where he spent
the winter.

From point 6 the broken line merely indicates the
general direction of Nansen’s route from his highest
north to land.

Last spring he started southward, intending from the
southern coast of Franz Josef Land to set out for
Spitzbergen, which he felt sure would be visited by one
or more vessels during the season.

' Onthe way he happily met Jackson, who had wintered
at the point marked 8, and the intrepid explorer re-
turned to Europe on the vessel that had just renewed
Jackson’s supplies.

The Fram, when Nansen left her, seemed to be
making slow but certain progress toward Spitzbergen.
She arrived safely at Skjervoe, a fishing port on the
bay near the North Cape on August 20, 1896.

From July 1olast the vessel worked her way through
the ice in the southerly direction and reached open
water on August 13. When in the highest latitude
reached some birds, guillemots and fulmars, and nar-
whals were seen, but no other organic life was visible.

The deepest sounding taken by the Fram was 2185
fathoms (13,110 feet). The lowest temperature recorded
during the voyage was 52° below zero.

She drifted to the north after Nansen left her nearly
two degrees, and her highest north was less than
twenty miles south of the most northern point he
attained.
NANSEN’S VOYAGES. 245

Nansen’s voyage has demolished the theory that took
‘him north. He admits now, what Greely, Nares, and
others told him before he started, that the ice drift is
largely dominated by the wind. De Long found that
the ice mass was driven about by the prevailing winds,
with a predominating tendency to the northwest be-
cause the prevailing winds are from the southeast. This
accords exactly with Nansen’s experience. After he
pushed the “vam into the ice, directly west of the New
Siberian Islands, one year five months and twenty-two
days elapsed before he left his vessel. In that time her
net advance from the point where the ice drift began
was 470 miles to the northwest, the distance to the
north gained being about 340 miles. She had traveled
much further than this, for northern winds, persisting
for weeks at a time, had driven the ice southward. In
the long letter received from Nansen he says nothing
of his theory of the north flowing current which he so
laboriously fortified with arguments; but he does say
repeatedly that he found the ice moving with the pre-
-vailing winds.

Not the least of the important results he attained is
the fact that his theory did not stand the test of exam-
ination; and in its scientific and geographic aspects
there can be no doubt that Nansen’s journey will rank
among the most successful of Arctic enterprises. He
has done for the western part of the Asian Arctic
Ocean what De Long did for the eastern part with an
augmentation of the scientific features of the work that -
belongs to this later era of Polar research.

Nansen has made one discovery that will greatly sur-
prise oceanographers. Nowhere within the Polar area
had soundings yet been made indicating that the Arctic
246 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

Ocean is anything but a comparatively shallow sea.
The deepest soundings in the Spitzbergen or Barents
Sea are only from 100 to 200 fathoms. Some depths
of over a mile have been found in the East Greenlard
Sea, though most of the- soundings there point to a
high submarine plateau, with some abrupt depressions.
The comparatively few soundings north of our con-
tinent show shallow water at a considerable distance
from land. But Nansen appears to have discovered
persistent depths of 1600 to 1900 fathoms north of
79°- north latitude, which will tend to upset some
theories of oceanic physics based upon the notion of a
shallow Arctic Sea. He andsome of his comrades are
sound scientific observers, and the results of their
studies in the various lines of research which, Nansen
says, he was able to carry on with success, will be
received with much interest.

The fact that the party were well and strong after
many months of the tedium and hardships of life on
the ice-pack speaks well for Nansen’s régime, and he
doubtless attributes this result in part to the success of
the electric light plant with which he illumined the
Arctic night. He carried a windmill to run his
dynamo, and if the wind failed him, he proposed to use
hand power. He regarded heat and light as among
the best preventives of disease, and he reports that his
. electric light fulfilled all his expectations.
TO THE POLE BY BALLOON. 247

CHAPTER XIV.
TO THE POLE BY BALLOON.

AFTER nearly two years spent in preparation, M.
Andree, the famous Swedish explorer, is about ready to
start on his balloon journey to the North Pole, and if
all goes well he, with two companions, will probably
commence their long flight some time this year. Of all
the expeditions that have ever started to find the Pole,
Andree’s seems the most practicable, and the enterprise
is vouched for by the gentlemen who back it, and who
claim that they have solved the Polar problem. Chief
among these is King Oscar of Sweden, who has con-
tributed $30,000 toward the expenses of the expedition.
He heads a list of over one hundred patrons, and many
of the names are well known.

The journey will be made under the auspices of the
Royal Swedish Academy of Science, and will start from
the northern coast of Sweden, as the facilities for the
ascent are best there.

Andree is well known in scientific circles as an ex-
perienced civil engineer and distinguished aeronaut.
For many years he has made ascensions, and on several
occasions taken long flights, always with safety. In
November, 1895, in his balloon Svea, he traveled from —
Gothenburg on the west coast of Sweden to the island
of Gotland in the Baltic, over 250 miles, in less’ than
five hours. Although he has a great European reputa-
tion as a.scientific aerial traveler, he is not at allan
enthusiast, but a practical, cool-headed man of science,
who has made many experimental tests, besides his
famous journeys.
248 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

He is also a practical boatman, and it is owing largely
to his skill in this direction that he has been enabled to
add many new devices to his balloon and the methods
of its management. His scheme is said by scientists to
be much superior to the Peary method, inasmuch as
it is decidedly quicker and Andree will be out of the
reach of the dangers and
obstacles that overland ex-
peditions encounter.

The object of the trip is

to locate the Pole, ascer-
tain the temperature and
conditions surrounding it,
and photograph the new
country. To accomplish
this Andree will take with
him an intricate photo-
graphing outfit of twenty
cameras and instruments,
which will be operated all
the time or in constant suc-
cession during the entire
trip, an average of one pic- M. ANDREE.
ture a minute being taken.
The photographs will be taken in double sets. One set
will be developed aboard the balloon, so that in case of
accident the negative can be rolled into a small package
and saved, while the other set will be kept in plates and
developed at the end of the journey. These pictures
are for the new school geographies and must be as com-
plete as possible.

The balloon itself is a wonderful affair, and embraces
all the contrivances that modern aerial science has


TO THE POLE BY BALLOON. 249

devised. It is of enormous size, being 72.6 feet in
diameter, and was built by L. Gabriel Yon of Paris,
the greatest expert balloon constructor in the world.
Before commencing the work, he carefully studied An-
dree’s scheme and pronounced it entirely practicable.
He advised the use of a balloon of this size and con-
struction, and claims that it will float for 30 days with-
out refilling. He was endorsed in his calculation by the
well-known aeronauts, Graham, Gaffard and also Pois-
erilles, who computed that it will lose comparatively
a small amount of gas during that time.

It is made of the finest silk balloon material that can
be manufactured, and is strongly woven together. There
is almost absolutely no waste of air, and the hydrogen
with which it is inflated has been made in the Arctic
regions, so that the balloon will be in its own element
during the trip. It requires 1700 cylinders of the gas
to fill the balloon, so huge are its proportions.

The great feature of the airship is that it has a
rudder, or sail, to guide it through space. Heretofore
balloon steerers have been useless, and so impracticable
as to bring disaster to the occupants, but Andree has
invented this feature himself, and on his working model
it operates perfectly. It comprises a large sail, shaped
after the fashion of a boat sail. It inflates readily and
is controlled by a guide rope, which can be fastened
to a number of straps and hooks on the top of the
car. When he raises the sail and fastens the guide °
rope to the northern strap, the balloon immediately
turns toward the North. When he unfurls the sail
and hooks the guide rope to the middle strap it
goes straight ahead without deviation, and when he
heads it to the Southern strap it goes South. In
250 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

other words, the ropes guide the sail and the sail

guides the balloon.

Beside this, Andree has a number of drag ropes that

may. touch the
earth or sea, and
besides aiding in
the guiding of the
craft, the object of
these is also to
keep it at the same
distance from the
earth in passing
over land and wa-
ter. They will also
keep the speed
down to about 20
miles an hour,
which Andree says
is as fast as any bal-
loon can sail with
safety. At the
end of these ropes
are baskets con-
structed of cocoa-
nut fibre, which
are tremendously
hard to tug along,
‘and will keep the
balloon down to
its right speed, and





ANDREE’S BALLOON.

also at a regular altitude of 850 feet, which is as high as
they dare go to get good photographs.
There are other new devices, from the escape valve
TO THE POLE BY BALLOON. 251

to the car of the balloon, which can be instantaneously
operated in case of emergency, and also a number of
instruments indicating their speed and recording the
distance.

The car, the important feature in this expedition, is a
two-storied structure with balconies around each story.
It is splendidly built and divided into four rooms, two
downstairs and two up. The lower ones are fitted up
as a kitchen and bedroom, while upstairs is a combina-
tion store room and dark room for photographs, and
a general camera, work and observation room.

In the kitchen are three alcohol stoves, closely
guarded from draught, and capable of furnishing all the
heat required for both warmth and cooking purposes.
One side of the room is equipped with shelves and
lockers, and in these are to be stored away layer after
layer of meat pies and canned goods all ready for
heating. The meat pies are made of the most nourish-
ing part of the meat, carefully extracted for the expedi-
tion, and there are stores enough to last for four
months, so that in the event of disaster and their having
to effect a landing in the North, they will be well pro-
visioned. The stoves have a patent attachment on
which the food can be left to warm without danger of
burning, for time cannot be spared to watch it. The
larder is well supplied with stimulants, and, in fact, all
things necessary for wintering in the North, although
no such apprehension is felt. In stocking the larder,
provision was also made for relief to any suffering ex-
plorers whom the balloonists might chance to come
across.

There are to be three in the party. One will patrol
the deck constantly, direct the balloon and look after
oo5 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

the meals. Another will keep the photographic instru-
ments going, while the third will rest. They will re-
lieve each other every four hours, as physical strength
gives out very quickly in the Pole latitudes and the
body rebels and demands nourishment constantly.

A spiral stairway leads to the floor above into the
dark room, where are to be stored the hundreds of
photographic plates as soon as they are taken. The
room has also all the appliances of a developing room
and along the walls are racks holding the bottles
of acids and chemicals.

A small door leads: into the camera room, and in
here are the scientific instruments, cameras, etc. An
immense camera is fitted on the front wall, with its
lens pointing through a port hole, so arranged that the
instrument may be quickly focussed in any direction.
Numerous other holes are arranged around the ‘wall
for quick views, and on each of the three sides is a
telescope fitted ready for use.

As fast as the photographs are taken they will be
placed in a chute running along the wall and slid into
the dark room, where the frames will be opened.

One peculiar thing about the car is that it contains
no lamps or other means of illumination, and Andree
explains this by saying: “We do not need any, for up
there we shall be in perpetual daylight. It is the land
of the midnight sun, you know, and there will not be a
second’s darkness during the entire trip.

“ Another big advantage in our trip is that we shall be
where the air is almost perfectly even, no colder one
time than another, and where there is no rain.

“Tn ballooning in the Arctic regions we will also have
the advantage of the absence of vegetation, and thus
TO THE POLE BY BALLOON. 253

the drag lines will pass along evenly and without
obstruction. Still another advantage, and an exceed-
ingly important one, is the absence of electrical storms.
No record has ever been made of lightning or thunder
in that part of the globe. It has been suggested that
a heavy snowfall would destroy the balloon, but we
have no apprehension on this point, as we can easily
draw in our drag lines'and sail above it.

“Dr. Nils Exholm, one of the foremost meteorologists
in Europe, and one of the members of the Swedish
North Pole Expedition in 1882, says the only danger
he fears in our undertaking is that, on reaching the
Pole, we may experience a perfect calm; but it is the
consensus of scientific opinion that the center of the
Polar regions is usually surrounded by outward-blow-
ing wind currents.

“As to how long it will take us to reach the Pole, we
figure that we should be immediately over it after two
days’ and two nights’ steady sailing. Our course will
be in a direct line from Spitzbergen over the Pole to
Behring Sound, a total distance of 2295 miles, and
will not, we calculate, take us more than six days,
which is but one-fifth of the time the balloon can float
without refilling. The distance from Spitzbergen to the
Pole is estimated at 700 miles, and, with a good south
wind, we should reach it on time. Our compass will
te!l us when we are there.

“After hovering around the Pole and taking all the
photographs possible, we will immediately direct our
course westward to America, as up there we shall be
much nearer America than Sweden.

“We will effect a landing on American shores, but
just where, it is, of course, impossible to tell. It all
254 , IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

depends upon the wind currents. I do not apprehend
any trouble whatever, for trouble in our case would
mean death.

“Tf all goes well, we shall be able to see more of the
North Pole and the Arctic regions in a few hours than
a land expedition would in months, and, besides this,
we can bring back photographs of the new country,
which alone will more than defray the expenses of the
trip, to say nothing of enlightening the scientific world
on many points that have always been in doubt.”

The immense balloon was exhibited at the Champs
de Mars, in Paris, on May 16, 1896. It measures 220
feet in circumference at its equator, and 80 feet in
height, but from its top to the bottom of the suspended
car it will measure more than 120 feet. It will be pro-
visioned to last the three explorers three years. One
thousand gallons of water are included in the provisions.
The start will take place some time between the roth
and 20th of July.

An oiled silk covering, called the “ chemise,” will be
used during the trip to protect the top of the balloon
from rain and accumulations of snow and ice. Ropes
attached to the skirt of the “chemise” will permit of
its being shaken violently whenever necessary.

Nine out of every ten persons in all Scandinavia
share Andree’s faith that he will come safely home after
a long and successful air voyage over the Arctic area.
His air ship is freighted with the high,.hopes of his
countrymen. Every dollar of the very large sum he
needed was raised more than a year before he sailed for
Spitzbergen. Dr. Nansen, one of Andree’s best friends,
said that he thought it very probable the North Pole
some day would be reached by balloon.






















ANDREE’S BALLOON; ‘THE WORKING CABINET,
286 IN THE FROZEN SEAS.

All the world wishes Andree well, but nobody knows,
unless Andree, himself, has already learned, what the
outcome will be. We have scarcely more knowledge
of the wind currents of those vast regions than Nansen
had of the sea current he hoped would waft his ship
northward. A single moment of misfortune may blast
the undertaking. There are critical factors in the
problem that Andree can test only in the air above the
frozen zone. May he not cross the Pole and never
catch a glimpse of land or ice-covered sea in those
regions of fog and mist? When Peary was traveling
on the icecap 8000 feet above the sea, a stick stuck in the
snow was often thickly covered with frost crystals in a
few minutes. If they also coat Andree’s immense spread
of cloth how will it affect the buoyancy of his balloon ?
These areexamples of scores of questions that actual
experience alone can answer. :

Whether the object of the hardy explorers and the
promoters of the expedition be attained or not, they
surely deserve the unstinted encouragement ands sym-
pathy of all the world and due credit for the thorough
manner in which the preliminary details have thus far
been carried out.

It can only be hoped that the daring explorer will
achieve the great success that is fully merited by his
courage, long study, enthusiasm and faith.
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THE STORY OF ADVENTURE IN THE
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We here have brought together the records of the attempts to reach the
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