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Show THE QUEST OF THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE wwwKmwwm &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& KssjsRAUGIIT with the romance Bfcfj&jj nnd tragedy of the ice-F ice-F hound desolation of the MiU North, nssoclated for near-Wr"5" near-Wr"5" ly four centuries with the most persistent endeavors of voyagers of nearly nil nations, and remaining impenetrated and chimerical almost to the dnwn or the present day, the quest or the Northwest Passage rlvnls the senrch for the Pols In the nnnnls of Arctic exploration. The earlier ear-lier attempts to locate this waterway to the fabled riches and splendor of tho Orient were prompted solely by reasons of commercial expediency, for the purpose pur-pose of finding the shortest route between be-tween Kuropo nnd Cnthny; but the utter Impracticability ot this became evident to Kuropcaii minds when it was understood that America was not merely Tartnry or some other geographical geo-graphical dependency of Asia. Curious, ly enough this belief obtained In the Old World for nearly a century nnd n half, and during this period those memorable expeditions to locate n Northwest Passage were undertaken nnd executed with consummate daring and skill by Kngllsh seamen. Upon the realization or the commercial futility futil-ity of these desperato voyages, the attempt at-tempt to circumnavigate the northern littoral of the American continent ceased ror n period, and until tho beginning be-ginning or those explorations led by the worthier motive ot adding to the store ot human knowledge nud scientific scien-tific attainment, the conquest or the bleak polar regions halted. With the exception or tho attempts to reach the Pole Itself, no Arctic goal has been so eagerly sought ns the Northwest Passage; Pass-age; nnd while, it Is true, many, of the later voyagers attempted this feat merely as nn Incidental part of the general plan of geographic research, wo undoubtedly can say tho snmo of the many dashes for tho Pole -which have been made. There Is to-day no question that the earliest discovery, exploration, and oven settlement ot America were due to the Norsemen, those unequnlcd seamen sea-men and rovers or the ninth and tenth centuries. Their nourishing maritime settlements on the co.istt ot Greenland existed over 500 yenrs bcrorc the flrst voyage or Columbus, and ns they pur sued their flailing expeditions ns fnr ns Lancaster Sound nnd Marrow Strait, we can fairly conclude that the initial step toward the location or the Northwest North-west Passage was due to these voyagers, voy-agers, though it is Inconceivable thnt the purpose was other than the pursuit or their llsherlcs. The nctunl beginning begin-ning or the series or senrches with the Northwest Tassage ns objective, which began almost coiucldcntally -with the expeditious or Columbus, must bo ascribed as-cribed to the flrst voyage In 1407 ot the Cabots, who penetrated nearly hair way up Davis Strait In an attempt to sail around the continent, and thus attain the land of Cathay. Little rurther progress was made until the expedition under the leadership or Martin Mar-tin Froblsher, who In 1570 to 1578 discovered dis-covered the entrances to Froblsher and Hudson Straits, nnd mnde n few scientific scien-tific investigations, tho flrst, by tho way, which we hear of In nny of these voyages. A later voyage, by Sir Humphrey Gilbert, was without important im-portant results. The flrst grent advance, not only in the search for n northern waterway to India, but In general polar exploration ns well, wns mnde In tho threo voyages voy-ages of John Davis, who In 1585 flrst fairly discovered tho strait that today to-day bears his name, reaching what Is now Godthaab, Greenland. After nn unsuccessful voyngo In the following year, Davis in 1587 with reckless daring dar-ing pushed on to latitude seventy-two degrees twelve minutes In tho neighborhood neigh-borhood of Sanderson's Hope, ou the west const of Greenland. His remarkable re-markable Journeys covered the west coast of Greenland from Capo Farewell Fare-well to Sanderson's Hope, nnd tho American coast from Labrador to Cum-berltyul Cum-berltyul Inland. Wllllnm Mnllln, another an-other of thnt deathless race or medl-ovnl medl-ovnl navigators, In tho Discovery, n tiny vessel or only llfty-flvo tons burden, bur-den, reached the IslandH known under his nanio to-dny, crossed Maflln May via tho Middle Passage, nud In 101(1 wns In Smith's Sound In sight of Cnpo Alexander. Alex-ander. Mnflln's fnrthest north or sov-enty-soven degrees forty-flro minutes remained unequnlcd In this region ror 2JI0 yenrs, nnd his voyage added materially mate-rially to tho geographical knowledge or Kllcsmero nud Prudhoo Lands, nnd Smith, Jones nud Lancaster Sounds. The two latter ho cautiously entered, nnd round them completely obstructed by Ice, so that on his return to Kugland ho declared his belief In tho non-existence of n Northwest Passage. The explorers or this time, Kngllsh, Danish, French nnd Dutch, wcro stimulated in their efforts to discover tho Northwest North-west nnd Northeast Passages, by tho power of Spain, who in her nrrognnco nud pride ns tho mightiest nation of tho nge, mnlutalncd her grasp upon tho tralllc of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans to tho exclusion or all others. Perhaps tho most Illustrious or all tho seekers for this llluslvo waterway wns Henry Hudson, whose explorations wero pursued between those of Davis and llnllln. After vain attempts under tho nusplces of tho famous Muscovy Company to And n Northeast Pnssage between Greenland nnd Spltzborgon, and Spitsbergen nnd Novn Zembln, in 1007, 1008 nnd 1000, lie turned westwnrd west-wnrd in tho last year, nud sailing along tho American const discovered Now York Hay nnd tho Hudson itlver. Tho following year ho ngalu sailed far north along tho const, through tho Hud-sou Hud-sou Strait nnd Into tho great bay that bears his name, penetrating westward several hundred miles farther than had hitherto been accomplished. After wintering In Hudson May and suffering severely from tempestuous weather and tailing provisions, part or his expedition ex-pedition returned to Kngland. Hudson Hud-son himself, one of the most tragic figures In the history of tho Arctic, had miserably perished, nftcr being set adrift In n small boat by his mutinous crow. It was now believed that the way to the Pacific had been discovered, ami that It undoubtedly lay through Hudson May. Within five yenrs n number of expeditions wero made Into this vast sheet ot wnter, nnd in these Fox Channel and Howe's Welcome were explored. In 1770 Captain Cook snllcd on his Inst voyage In nn nttempt to penetrate the Polar Sea to the eastward through the Merlug Strait, but was separated by a solid harrier of Ice from n ship sent tn nwnlt him In Maflln May. My the end or the eighteenth century cen-tury Arctic exploration had ceased to be undertaken merely in tho Interests or furthering commerce, and it hnd begun be-gun to nssunie importance from n purely pure-ly sclentlllc standpoint. The flrst of these expeditions, scientific in chnrnc-tcr, chnrnc-tcr, sailed In 1818 to discover tho Northwest Passage by means of the great openings reported by Maflln to exist nt the westwnrd end ot Maflln May. Under the command of John Moss tho expedition penetrated Lancaster Lan-caster Strait for nbout sixty miles, nnd on meeting with henvy Ice Ross enme to the conclusion thnt the strait wns merely n bay, nnd returned to England. Eng-land. Tnrry, n llcutennnt under Ross, disagreed with this view, and In 1810 led an expedition to again attempt tho Passage. Parry wns undoubtedly ono of the ablest explorers of his time, and Ills achievements were splendid. The problem of tho Northwest Passage Pass-age wns really solved by the ill-fated expedition under Sir John Franklin, partly by Its own efforts, but largely through the relief expeditions sent out later. The Franklin party, consisting of 120 men In two vessels, wintered at Mcccby Island near the beginning ot Harrow Strait in 1815, nnd in 1840 reached King Wllllnm Lnnd, where the ships were beset tn the Ice. From the only record found It wns shown thnt a lnnd expedition under Lieutenant Gore had demonstrated unqiicsi innbly the existence of tho Northwest Passage, but on the return of this party to the ships they found that Franklin himself with twenty-three men had died. Tho vessels were abandoned in 18-18, nnd the remainder of tho party perished in nn nttempt to rench the Fish River. Tho numerous senrch expeditions were very successful In exploring tho Amcr-Icnn Amcr-Icnn Arcllc region from Grcenlnnd westwnrd. Colllnson, particularly, succeeded suc-ceeded In navigating his ship, the Enterprise, En-terprise, from Mcrlng Strait to Cambridge Cam-bridge May, VIctorIn Land, whero ho wintered safely, accomplishing his return re-turn tho following year. During this time he had seen, though unknown to him, tho sea whero Franklin's ships hnd been destroyed, nnd hnd even picked up relics of that unfortunate expedition. ex-pedition. This brings us to the flrst nctunlly accomplished Northwest, or rather Northeast Pnssnge, mnde by McCIuro In 1850-54. In his vessel, the Investigator, Investi-gator, ho reached Hanks Land, which ho explored as well ns Prince Albert Land. Atter wintering there ror three years ho was finally forced to abandon his ship lu Mercy May. Learning of n Franklin senrch expedition nt Meechy Island, he mnnnged to reach one of its ships, tho Resolute, by nn extremely arduous sledge Journey to the eastward, east-ward, nnd wns Inter taken to Kngland through Lancaster Sound by the Phoenix, of the samo expedition. Ho thus completed the flrst passago from tho Pnclllc to tho Atlantic northward of America known to the history of mankind. McCIuro was undoubtedly tho flrst of the grent multitude of explorers ex-plorers to nccoinpUsh this fent, nnd while ho had encountered continuous waterways for the entire distance, the Journey was performed under such dlfllculty and hardship that until today to-day no other navigator has attempted to equal it. Hut tho past year has scon Inscribed on the pages of the Arctic's history the record of a Journey which not only equals but far surpasses tho remark-ablo remark-ablo trip or McOlure. To Captain Roand Amundsen, or Norway, belongs the honor or being tho first actually to forco his vessel through the historic Northwest Passage, traversing the northern shores of the continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and incidentally inci-dentally pursuing highly Important scientific sci-entific Investigations which Included tho definite location or the north magnetic mag-netic pole upon King William Laud. To us the story or the Northwest Pass-ago Pass-ago Is more or less historical merely, for slnco the Franklin search expeditions, expedi-tions, half n century ngo, It has fallen rather into tho bnckground. The voyage voy-age or tho Norwegian captain with n crow or seven men in his forty-six ton sloop, tho GJon, Is the final culmination of four centuries of toll, hardship and suffering, nnd It gives to our matter-of. fnct ngo nn adventurous deed thnt forms ii link between theso prosaic times of steam nnd Iron nnd that splendid splen-did period, crudo In the seaman's nrt, but unequnlcd In enterprise and courage, cour-age, which began with the discovery or America, and lasted Tor nearly three centuries. Scientific American. |