Feb 20. ISco.] 



♦ KNOWLEDGE ♦ 



149 



extended to the s>>lar system and to systems of such 

 systems may be not less absurd. To higher orders of 

 intellect than ours, the development of the whole universe, 

 as we know it, mny appear as clear and certain, its progress 

 as beautiful and regular, as the growth of a niighty oak 

 tree from an acorn, or the development of an animal fiom 

 the germ. It is well to remember that the hatred which 

 many entertain against the doctrine of development as 

 applied to solar systems and stellar galaxies is not in 

 reality a sign, as they imagine, of humility, but is an etVort 

 to avoid the recognition of the nothingness of man in the 

 presence of the intinities of space and time and vitality 

 presented within the universe of God. — Xeircastle Weekly 

 Chronicle. 



FUTURE ARCTIC WORK.* 



Bv Lieut. Greely. 



IT has been intimated that ray opinion upon the propriety 

 and advisability of future Aictic exj)loration, as well 

 as regarding the methods to be adopted therein, would be 

 of interest to the general public. At some near day this 

 subject may be treated more fully than space here admit.s. 

 There are five routes by wLi -h attempts have been made 

 to reach the goal of Arctic ambition — the North Pole. 

 The Behring's Straits route has i)robably been closed for 

 many a year by the unfortunate issue of the expedition 

 ■which was commanded by the lamented De Long. The 

 highest latitude ever reached in that direction was by De 

 Long in the Jeannetle. The lack of laLd to the north- 

 west forbids any attempt in that quarter, for all 

 authorities on Arctic exploration are quite agreed that 

 land is essential to success. In addition the south-east 

 current very largely increases the danger, for a vessel once 

 beset by the pack inevitably drifts to destruction. No ship 

 which has been caught in that ice has ever escaped from its 

 grasp, and no hero has ever returned to tell the tale until 

 the indomitable will and tireless energy of De Long, 

 Chipp, and Melville landed the survivors of the Jcannette 

 on the Siberian coast six hundred miles from their lost 

 vessel. To the north-west the terrible character of the 

 paleocrystic pack met by McClure and Collinson on the 

 west coast of Banks Land is equally unfavourable. In- 

 deed, should an attempt be made in that quarter it 

 should rather be from Baffin's Bay through Lancaster 

 Sound and McClure's Strait, in the hope that a safe 

 harbour cou'd be found at Prince Patrick Island. It 

 was by this route that Parry, in 1819, succeeded in 

 reaching Winter Harbour, Melville Island, in a sailing 

 ship, and returned without trouble the following year. In 

 my opinion, however, no profitable or successful Arctic 

 work can be prosecuted in the future in either quadrant to 

 the northward of Behring's Straits. 



Second is the Smith Sound route. By this route the 

 nearest approaches to the pole by land and sea have been 

 made. On June 30, 1872, Sergeant Myer, U.S.A., of the 

 Polaris expedition, reached 82" 07' on the shores of the 

 Polar Ocean near Repulse Harbour. In May, 187G, 

 Lieutenant Aldricb, R.N., reached the northern point of 

 Grinnell Land, Cape Columbia, 83° 07' north, 70"^ 10' west. 

 On May 12, 187G, Commander Markham, R.N, reached 

 83" 20' 26" north on the frozen Polar Ocean, at that time 

 the greatest northing ever made. This latitude was sur- 

 passed by Lieutenant James B. Lock wood, U.S.A., who, 

 carrying land twenty-eight miles further north than ever 



* From the Sew Tori; Trihune. 



before known, reached 83"^ 21' :\lay 18, 1882, on tbe north 

 coast of Greenland. 



This has been called distinctly the American route, but, 

 in my opinion, it is not the true road to tho Pole. It has, 

 however, been practically closed by AKlrich's rennrkable 

 trip on the shores of the Polar Ocean to tho westward from 

 Robeson's Chunnel and by Lockwood's magnificent and un- 

 paralleled journey along the north coast of Greenland. 

 Another projjerly-appointed expedition by this route would 

 require two staunch vessels with thorough outfit, entailing an 

 expense of about 750,000 dols. By skilful management, 

 hard work, and above all, good foi tune, it could hope to beat 

 Lockwood's latitude liut a few miles, certainly not a degree. 

 A single V)ad year for ice to the northward of Smith's Sound 

 would insure failure, if it did not cause dire di.°aster. 

 It is true that much work needs to be done to the west- 

 ward of Hayes Sound in the vicinity of Artliur Land, 

 but in that direction no high latitude could be attained. 

 The Lady Franklin Ray exi)edition, which I had the 

 honour to command, discovered that Cape Sabine is on an 

 island (Bedford Pim Island) and is separated from the 

 main coast by Rice S'rait, which connects Rosse Bay 

 and Buchanan Strait. By thi.^ route a vess(^l can safely 

 reach A!e.\andiia Haven from Cucked Hat Island by watch- 

 ing her opportunity. From that base Hayes Sound and 

 ils connecting waters can be easily explored. Such a 

 voyage would entail less danger than is consequent on an 

 ordinary whaling cruise. 



The third route is up the ea^t coast of Greenland. It 

 was strongly advocated by the eminent geographer, the 

 late Dr. Petermann, who fitted out the German expedition 

 of 18G8, and assisted in the second expedition of 1869. 

 Both expeditions were commanded by Captain Koldewey. 

 The highest reliable latitude ever attained on this coast was 

 leached by Koldewey and Payer, in 1870 — Cape Bismarck, 

 77°. The radical objection to this route is the wide belt 

 of heavy and impenetrable drift ice along the coast, which 

 is continually renewed by the immense quantities of ice 

 drifting southward from the Polar Basin. As far as I 

 know, no one now advocates it. 



Fourth, — the Spitzbergen route ofle-rs a chance, though 

 it be a slight one, of a very high latitude. It was here that 

 Sir Edward Parry in 1827, leaving Hecla Cove, Spitzbergen, 

 79° 55' north, 16° 53' east, reached on July 23, by boat and 

 sledge, 82° 45' north. This latitude remained unsurpassed 

 for fifty years till beaten by Markham in 187G, who, in 

 turn, gave way to Lockwood in 1882. Owing to the 

 southerly drift Parry's extreme point was but 172 miles 

 from his ship, although he had travelled nearly five hundred 

 miles, exclusive of double trips over the same road. I 

 believe that by this route in a very ftivouraVile season, say 

 one year in ten or twelve, a well-manned whaler could reach 

 84° or 85° north without serious difficulty. Such a voyage 

 would entail the chances of an entanglement iu the pack, 

 with the possible destruction of the vessel, as happened to 

 the Ilansa. Under such circumstances, however, as the 

 drift is southerly, ultimate escape by vessel or boats would, 

 in all probaVnlity, be feasible. Involving as it does a viola- 

 tion of the fundamental principles of Arctic navigation, 

 and entailing great and serious risks, such an expedition is 

 not to be recommended. 



Sir Edward Parry, the most successful of all Arctic 

 explorers, after his remarkable voyage in 1819 20 through 

 Lancaster and other sounds to Melville Island, enunciated 

 the law of succe'sful ice navigation in the Polar seas. He 

 said: — "It can never be performed with any degree of 

 certiinty without a continuity of land. It v.'as only by 

 watching the openings between the ice and the shore that 

 our late progre.«s to the westward was effected, and had the 



