HOW THE EARTH WAS EXPLORED IN 1876. 561 



Peterson, the Danish interpreter from Upernavik, who had been Dr. 

 Hayes's sledge-driver, became so exhausted that nothing would keep 

 him warm. They were consequently compelled to go back with him ; 

 and the poor fellow died shortly after his return to the vessel. 



"In an expedition in the following April across the Polar Sea, 

 north in the direction of the pole, the men had not only to draw their 

 sledges, but two heavy boats fifteen and twenty feet long, over rugged 

 floes of ice, separated by ridges sometimes thirty feet high to make 

 their way over the debris of the pack-ice broken up by the previous 

 summer, and refrozen during the winter into chaotic, rugged masses 

 of angular blocks, of every possible shape. They had frequently to 

 cut their way with picks through the hummocks ; and such were the 

 contortions and checks, that they had frequently to go five times over 

 the same ground ; so that in making a distance of 76 miles toward the 

 pole they actually traveled over 276. miles. Each man had to drag 236 

 pounds, and to work from ten to twelve hours a day. They could pull 

 but a few feet at a time, and make but from one mile and a quarter to 

 two miles and three-quarters a day. They were absent on this sledge- 

 expedition, engaged in this incessant labor, for two months and a half; 

 and, to add to their trials, the scurvy broke out among them, so that, 

 when relief reached them, out of the seventeen of the party only five 

 were able to drag the sledges. The sledge-party along the north coast 

 of Greenland were beset with like difficulties. Enormous blocks of polar 

 ice had been pressed against the shore, making the traveling one of in- 

 cessant labor, so that seven days were occupied in moving only twenty 

 miles. The scurvy also broke out with them ; and, when they came 

 in, two only were able to draw the sledges. The western sledge- 

 party found the same heavy ice extending along the whole coast. 

 They were also attacked by the scurvy, Lieutenant Aldrich being the 

 only one who escaped ; and relief fortunately reached them the last 

 day that most of them were able to travel. . . . 



"The return of the expedition, and its results, have given rise to a 

 great deal of discussion, both in this country and in England. Sir 

 George Nares is of opinion, and Dr. Petermann in a recent letter con- 

 curs with him, that any further attempt to reach a higher latitude by 

 the way of Smith's Sound is hopeless, and that any future effort must 

 be by the route between Spitzbergen and Nova Zembla. I fully agree 

 in the correctness of this judgment, so far as respects any attempt to 

 get farther north by the way of Smith's Sound in a vessel. I have 

 never found sufficient facts to lead me to believe that there is an open 

 polar sea that can be reached by a vessel, nor any physical reasons 

 why there should be a great space of open water at the pole, or in its 

 vicinity. This belief is a very old one. The supposed sea is to be 

 found represented upon a map published 268 years ago. There may 

 be such a sea. The knowledge we possess will not warrant the as- 

 sumption that it does not exist ; but it will warrant this statement 

 vol. x. 36 



