5 ( .K) THE WORLD'S WONDERS. 



chaos. No words can describe the confusion of this sea of ice 

 the hopeles asperity of it, the weariness of its torn and tortured 

 surface. Only at the remote horizon did distance and the fallen 

 snow mitigate its roughness and soften its outlines ; and beyond 

 it in the yet unattainable recesses of the great circle they looked 

 toward the Pole itself. 



It was a wonderful sight, one never to be forgotten, and in 

 some degree a realization of the picture that astronomers conjure 

 to themselves when the moon is nearly full and they look down 

 into the great plain which is called the Ocean of Storms, and 

 watch the shadows of sterile and airless peaks follow a slow pro- 

 cession across its silver surface. 



When further progress northward was barred by open water, 

 and the party almost miraculously escaped drifting into the Polar 

 Sea, Lieut. Lockwood erected, at the highest point of latitude 

 reached by civilized man, a pyramidal-shaped cache of stone, six 

 feet square at the base, and eight or nine feet high. In a little 

 chamber about a foot square, half-way to the apex, and extend- 

 ing to the centre of the pile, he placed a self-recording spirit 

 thermometer, a small tin cylinder containing records of the ex- 

 pedition, etc., and then sealed up the aperture with a closely 

 fitting stone. The cache was surmounted with a small American 

 flag made by Mrs. Greely. There were but thirteen stars in the 

 field, as Mrs. Greely, finding the work lather wearing, had con- 

 cluded to limit the stars to the number of the old Revolutionary 

 flag. 



REMARKABLE DISCOVERIES. 



THIS lofty reach of the world was attained on the 13th of May, 

 which hereafter will remain a memorable date, and the event will 

 find record in all future works on Arctic geography. Parry, in 

 1827, reached lat. 79; Kane, 80 30' in 1854 ; Hayes, 81 30' in 

 1861 ; Hall, 82 16' in 1871 ; and Nares, 83 20' in'l876. These 

 latitudes are given approximately. Lieut. Lockwood stopped at 

 lat. 83 24', but saw and computed 83 35', which most northern 

 land now known he-called Cape Robert Lincoln. The journey to 

 ai.d from this point occupied fifty-nine days. It would seem 



