340 Spencer — Improbability of Land at the North Pole. 



conditions would permit. Two expeditions have reached 

 Prince Patrick's Land. Another might enter by Bering 

 Straits, skirt the ice and make close soundings in Beaumont Sea, 

 discover the deeper canyon of Mackenzie River, explore to the 

 bottom Richardson Sound and the channels to Prince Patrick's 

 Land. If the ship could not be drifted past this place, a land 

 and over-ice party with portable sounding apparatus, for depths 

 of 500 fathoms, or if possible a little more, should make the 

 utmost effort to reach a point where the water had either such 

 a depth, or land were found, if the sea continued shallow 

 beyond expectations. A hundred miles have been crossed by 

 Peary ; probably so long a journey would not be needed. If 

 the ship could be drifted in the ice north of Prince Patrick's, 

 the sound between this land and Sverdrup's New Land should 

 be explored, for islands or open sea. Else the ship might have 

 to follow the old route through Melville Sound, with an effort to 

 revisit Isachsen Land (one of Sverdrup's New Lands), carrying 

 the ship, or repeating the over-ice sounding expeditions to 

 determine the border of the continental shelf. Such a program 

 should be continued to north of Grant Land, various points 

 of which have been visited, even if the ship could not be 

 worked or drifted in the ice. North of Grant Land, and 

 also Greenland, should be revisited as by Commander Peary, 

 but carrying the sounding apparatus, so that when the edge of 

 the continental shelf shall be reached, the explorer would know 

 when his work was finished and avoid useless adventure. 

 Such an expedition, perhaps requiring several years, should 

 be made to round off Polar explorations. It seems to me to 

 be the only one promising great results, at least of a finishing 

 character. Explorations north of Bering Sea would be farther 

 away, and I have no suggestions to make except to sound well 

 the region traversed, by the ship or sledge party attempting 

 a further voyage. 



This little paper is only an application of the study of the 

 deep channels trenching the eastern coastal plains of the con- 

 tinent ; which study throws much light upon the subject of 

 the physiography of even the Polar regions. There is also an 

 economic aspect of the question of such submarine physiography, 

 as in the laying of cables, so that they will not swing over the 

 precipices of drowned canyons and consequently collapse. 

 Prof. Davidson has reported ships lost by not being able to 

 drop anchor during storms through being unaware of the adja- 

 cent shoal waters, outside of the limits of the drowned channels. 



