586 



the Neptune in 1882 and the Proteus in 1883 were driven back 

 by immeasurable and impenetrable fields of ice. The Nares 

 expedition in 1875 made the passage with great difficulty, 

 battling with the ice continually and nearly losing their ships. 

 They were twenty-one days in reaching Cape Frazer from Little- 

 ton Island, but the Proteus made the same distance in sixteen 

 hours. The explorers passed Cape Constitution, Kane's highest 

 point, and there they met with the first obstruction. On the 4th 

 they steamed up to the solid main pack, extending right across 

 the channel and appearing to be at least twenty feet thick. The 

 Proteus had then reached the southwest part of Lady Franklin 

 Bay, and was within ten miles of her destination. For seven 

 days the vessel was moored to the ice rnd Lieut. Greely almost 

 despaired of attaining his object. But tne ice moved to the east- 

 ward, and the ship was forced at full speed until Discovery 

 Harbor was reached, and there Lieut. Greely established his 

 settlement, calling it Fort Conger, in honor of Senator Conger, 

 of Michigan, who had been instrumental in passing the bill 

 through Congress which authorized the expedition. The Proteus 

 left the party well provided for at Fort Conger on August 18th, 

 and arrived safely at St. John's. 



The company at Fort Conger was well equipped for its exile. 

 Stores of provisions sufficient to last two years were at hand. 

 The house erected had double frames and measured 61 by 21 

 feet. In addition to stores and supplies about 140 tons of coal 

 were landed. It was not doubted that the members of the expe- 

 dition could be made as comfortable and as safe from atmos- 

 pheric dangers as are the men of the Signal Service stationed 

 on the summits of Pike's Peak and Mt. Washington, or the 

 employes of the Hudson Bay Compay stationed at Fort York, 

 where a temperature of 60 is not uncommon. 



Scientific work began at once. The formal observations of 

 the international series, however, did not commence until August 

 1, 1882. They then continued for one year. The obligatory 

 work was to include researches into meteorology, magnetism, 

 the aurora, and astronomy. The voluntary or optional observa- 



