TOWARDS THE NORTH POLE. 63 



shore of Lady Franklin Bay, which was the heaquarters of the Greely 

 expedition, being some two hundred miles. Fort Conger lies about 

 81 50' N. Apparently little time was spent at Fort Conger, and a 

 fresh start was made for Cape Hecla, which lies a little to the south 

 of the 83d parallel, to the northwest of the northern end of Eobeson 

 Channel. If, as is probable, the journey continued to be made along 

 the ice foot, the distance to be covered was not far short of one hunderd 

 miles. Evidently the water right across to Greenland in this channel 

 was remarkably open, while open stretches of water were visible as far 

 as could be seen to the north. From Cape Hecla a start was made 

 on April 1 to face the serious task which Commander Peary had set be- 

 fore him an advance northwards, if possible, to the Pole. Commander 

 (now Admiral) Markham's furthest north, 8320'26", was reached 

 on May 12, 1876, at 64 W. longitude. Markham started from Cape 

 Joseph Henry in 82 5 5' 1ST. on April 10, so that he took one month to 

 reach his furthest point about thirty miles to the northwest of his 

 starting point. The difficulties which he met with in trying to sur- 

 mount the hills of palseocrystic ice which had been thrown up along 

 his route seem to have been greater than even those encountered by 

 Peary. And it should be remembered that Markham had no dogs, 

 and only two sledges and 17 men. The same palasocrystie ice, due to 

 pressure and the piling up of floe upon floe, seems to have been met 

 with by Peary, although he encountered open leads of water and floes 

 in motion. Although he only reached 84 17' N., about 75 miles to the 

 northwest of his starting point, in order to accomplish this he seems to 

 have been compelled to make long detours. But, as further progress with 

 the means at his disposal was utterly impossible, he had to give up, and 

 was back at Cape Hecla again on April 29, and at his headquarters 

 at Cape Sabine about a fortnight later. Although Commander Peary 

 seems to have met with more open water than did Commander Markham, 

 still the conditions here seem to have been essentially the same as they 

 were in 1876. The vast masses of ice which come down from the north 

 have no adequate exit south of 83 N., so that they are bound to 

 accumulate under the immense pressure that must take place, and so 

 produce those palaeocrystic ice ranges which seem to render advance 

 impossible in this direction. It is possible that, had Commander Peary 

 had more abundant means at his disposal, and been able to continue 

 still further to the north, he might have found the conditions more 

 favorable; but the record of this, as of previous attempts in the same 

 direction, seems to confirm the opinion of distinguished Arctic authori- 

 ties that the Pole is not to be reached by this route. No doubt Com- 

 mander Peary will have an exciting story to tell, but those interested 

 in the advance of knowledge will anxiously await details of the abund- 

 ant scientific results which he is reported to have accomplished. Mean- 



