Since the numerous expeditions connected with the search for Sir John
Franklin, England had sent forth none towards the North Pole. Other
nations, in the meantime, had been making efforts to reach the
long-desired goal. Influenced by the representations of numerous
officers and other scientific men interested in Arctic discovery, the
British Government at length came to the resolution of despatching some
ships under the command of naval officers, who were to penetrate through
Smith's Sound, to ascertain whether an open Polar sea existed, and to
endeavour to reach the North Pole.
Two screw-steamers, the _Alert_ of 751 tons, and the _Discovery_ of 668
tons,--being strengthened by every means science could devise for
resisting the Polar ice,--were fitted out, and Captain Nares was
selected to command the expedition. Commander Markham, who had
considerable experience, was appointed to act under him on board the
_Alert_. Captain Nares and Commander Markham were the only two officers
in the expedition who had previously crossed the Arctic Circle, but all
the others were selected for their known high character and scientific
attainments.
The other officers of the _Alert_ were Lieutenants Aldrich, Parr,
Giffard, May, and Sub-Lieutenant Egerton. Various important duties
connected with the scientific objects of the expedition were undertaken
by them. Dr Colan, the fleet surgeon, was known as a good ethnologist;
Dr Moss, in addition to other scientific attainments, was an excellent
artist. Captain Fielden went as ornithologist; Mr Wootton, the senior
engineer, was an officer of experience; Mr White was the photographer
of the _Alert_; and Mr Pullen, the chaplain, was a botanist. Besides
the officers, the complement of the _Alert_ was made up of petty
officers, able seamen, marines, and others, forty-eight in all, some of
whom were well able to assist the superior officers in their scientific
duties. Christian Neil Petersen, a Dane, who had served in the
expedition of Dr Hayes, was engaged as interpreter and dog-driver on
board the _Alert_.
The _Discovery_ was commanded by Captain Henry Stephenson. His active
staff consisted of Lieutenants Beaumont, Rawson, Archer, Fulford;
Sub-Lieutenant Conybeare; Doctors Ninnis and Coppinger; engineers
Gartmel and Miller; assistant paymaster Mitchell, a photographer and
good artist. Mr Hodson was the chaplain, and Mr Hart the botanist.
Their scientific duties were divided like those of the officers of the
_Alert_. HM steamship _Valorous_ was at the same time commissioned by
Captain Loftus Jones to accompany the exploring ships up Davis' Straits
as far as Disco, where she was to fill them up with the coals and
provisions which she carried for the purpose. She was an old
paddle-wheel steamer of 1200 tons, and was but ill fitted to withstand
the ice she was likely to encounter in those seas. Loud cheers from
thousands of spectators rose in the air, as, on the 29th of May 1875,
the three ships steamed out of Portsmouth harbour and proceeded towards
Bantry Bay, which they left on the 2nd of June for their voyage across
the Atlantic. Heavy gales were met with, which tried the gear of the
ships, the _Alert_ and the _Discovery_ each losing a valuable
whale-boat, besides receiving other damage. The _Valorous_ reached
Godhaven on the 4th of July, and the _Alert_ and _Discovery_ arrived
there on the 6th. Some days were spent here in transferring the coals
and stores brought out by the _Valorous_ to the two exploring ships--the
_Alert_ receiving also twenty-four dogs, which had been provided by the
Danish Government. The ships then proceeded, accompanied by the
_Valorous_, to Riltenbenk, where the _Discovery_ received her twenty
dogs, and an Eskimo named Frederik, who came on board with his kayak.
On the 17th of July the _Alert_ and _Discovery_ steamed northward on
their adventurous expedition, while the _Valorous_ proceeded towards the
Disco shore, where, from its coal cliffs, she was to supply herself with
fuel.
A fog coming on hid the ships from each other. After running through a
perfectly clear sea for some distance, the weather being fine, Captain
Nares determined to take his ships through the middle ice of Baffin's
Bay, instead of passing round by Melville Bay. On the 24th of July the
pack was entered, but the floes were rotten, and at first not more than
250 yards in diameter. As the ships advanced, the ice became closer,
and the floes of much larger circumference, making it necessary to look
out for channels. The commanders were constantly in the crow's nests,
and succeeded at length in carrying their ships through, in the space of
thirty-four hours, although not without some scratches, and having to
put on full steam.
They found the entrance to Smith's Sound perfectly clear of ice, none
drifting southward, although there was a fresh northerly breeze. The
scene of the wreck of the _Polaris_ was visited, and either the log, or
a copy, of the ill-fated vessel discovered. The next point touched at
was Cape Isabella, on the 29th of July. Here a cairn with a small depot
of provisions was erected, at an elevation of 700 feet from the water,
by the crew of the _Alert_, while the _Discovery_ pushed forward. On
the 30th of July the _Discovery_ was beset off Cape Sabine, by a close
pack five or six miles broad. The _Alert_, having bored through it,
joined her, and both ships spent three days, sometimes getting under
weigh and attempting to escape, until the 4th of August, when the pack
moving forward enabled them to round Cape Sabine. Proceeding twenty
miles farther along the south side of Hayes Sound, they put into a snug
harbour, near which was discovered a valley with abundance of
vegetation, and traces of musk oxen. Finding, however, that there was
no channel in that direction, they bore away to the eastward, towards
Cape Albert. Here a clear space of water appeared along the shore of
the mainland; but the coast affording no protection, they ran into the
pack, with the expectation of forcing their way through. In this they
were disappointed, and, unable to extricate themselves, they were
drifting at a fearful rate towards an iceberg. The _Discovery_ seemed
to be in the greatest danger, but suddenly the floe wheeled round, and
the icy mountain was seen tearing its way through the surface ice
directly down on the _Alert_. Her destruction seemed inevitable, when,
at the distance of scarcely a hundred yards, the iceberg turned over,
the floe splitting up, when the ship, although nipped, made her escape.
They both then got round in the wake of the iceberg. For the next
twenty-four hours they were struggling towards the shore, through ice
four feet thick, amidst bergs of 300 feet in diameter, although only
from twenty to forty high. At length successful, they reached, on the
8th of August, the land of Victoria. Thus they pushed forward,
sometimes struggling with the ice, and boring their way through the
packs, at others making progress by an open space near the shore. So
closely-packed was the ice, that the channel by which the ships advanced
was often immediately closed astern, so that they would have found it as
difficult to return as to proceed northward.
On the 25th August, after many hairbreadth escapes, a sheltered harbour
was reached on the west side of the channel in Hall's Basin, north of
Lady Franklin's Sound, in latitude 81 degrees 44 minutes north. Here
the _Discovery_ was secured for the winter, while the _Alert_, as it had
been arranged, pushed onwards, for the purpose of proceeding as far as
possible through the supposed open Polar Sea, and reaching, some might
have vainly hoped, the Pole itself.
After rounding the north-east point of Grant's Land, instead of
discovering, as had been expected, a continuous coast leading a hundred
miles farther towards the north, the _Alert_ found herself on the
confines of what was evidently a very extensive sea, but covered as far
as the eye could reach by closely-packed ice of prodigious thickness.
Through this ice it was at once seen that it would be impossible to
penetrate. The ship, indeed, herself was placed in the greatest peril,
for the ice was seen bearing down upon her while she lay unable to
escape, with a rock-bound coast to the southward, and no harbour in
which to seek for refuge.
Happily she was saved by the extraordinary depth to which the ice sank;
for the mass grounding on the beach, formed a barrier inside of which
she was tolerably safe. We can well enter into the disappointment of
those who expected to have found the long-talked-of open Polar Sea,
instead of which ice, evidently of great age and thickness, the
accumulation, it might be, of centuries, and resembling rather low
floating icebergs massed together, than the ordinary appearance of
salt-water. When two vast floes meet, the lighter portions floating
between the closing masses are broken up and thrown over their surface,
sometimes to the height of fifty feet above the water, forming a
succession of ice-hills of the most rugged description.
Although Captain Nares saw at once the almost impracticable character of
the ice in the direction of the Pole, and which there was every
probability would prove continuous, he resolved, as soon as the weather
would allow, to despatch a sledge party in the desired direction. The
supposed Polar Sea was appropriately named the "Palaeocrystic Sea," or
"Sea of Ancient Ice."
The ice hitherto met with was seldom more than from two to ten feet in
thickness; that which was now stretched before them was found to measure
from eighty to one hundred and twenty feet in depth, its lowest part
being fifteen feet above the water-line. This enormous thickness was
produced in consequence of its being shut up in the Polar Sea, with few
outlets by which it could escape to the southward, the ice of one season
being added in succession to that of the previous year.
The two ships were now in their winter quarters,--the _Alert_ off the
coast of Grant's Land, with a bleak shore to the southward, and to the
north a vast wilderness of rugged ice, extending in all probability to
the Pole, in latitude 82 degrees 27 minutes, many miles farther than any
ship had ever attained; while the _Discovery_ was seventy miles off, in
a harbour on the coast of Greenland, inside Smith's Sound, in latitude
81 degrees 45 minutes. Lieutenant Rawson, with a party of men, had come
on board the _Alert_ in order to convey notice of her position to the
_Discovery_. He made two determined attempts to perform the journey
between the two ships without success, owing to the ice remaining
unfrozen till late in the autumn in Robson's Channel. He and his men
had therefore to pass the winter on board the _Alert_. As soon as the
safety of the _Alert_ was secured, sledge parties were sent on along the
shore to the southward and westward, with boats and provisions for the
use of the travelling parties in the spring, under the command of
Commander Markham and Lieutenant Aldrich. The latter advanced three
miles beyond Sir Edward Parry's most northward position, and from a
mountain 2000 feet high sighted land towards the west-north-west; but no
land was seen to the northward. On their return journey, which lasted
for twenty days, most of the people were frost-bitten in the feet.
The winter was passed by the officers and crews of the two ships much in
the same way. Banks of snow were heaped round the vessels, and the
decks covered ten feet thick with snow to keep out the cold from below,
the only apertures being those required for ventilation or egress. The
interiors of the ships being warmed by hot-water pipes, a comparatively
comfortable atmosphere below was maintained. The time was passed by
holding schools, with theatricals, penny readings, and games of all
sorts. As soon as travelling was possible, on the 12th of March,
Lieutenant Rawson and Mr Egerton, accompanied by Neil Petersen and his
dog sledge, set off from the _Alert_ to communicate with the
_Discovery_, the temperature being at this time forty degrees below
zero. Two days after leaving the ship Petersen was taken ill. A camp
was pitched, but, as he showed no signs of recovering, the officers
determined to return. At the utmost risk to themselves they succeeded
in retaining heat in the body of the sufferer, and were thus able to
bring him alive to the ship; but his feet, which they were unable to
protect, were so severely frost-bitten that it was found necessary to
amputate both of them, from the effects of which operation he died two
months afterwards. The following week, the two officers with fresh men
set out and succeeded in reaching the _Discovery_, thus relieving those
on board of the anxiety they had felt in regard to her consort's safety.
During the first week in April, the exploring parties, with sledges
from both ships, started off in various directions. The party selected
to make the desperate attempt to reach the North Pole was under the
charge of Commander Markham and Lieutenant Parr. Such was the rough
nature of the ice, that a road had to be formed in many places by
pickaxes before an advance could be made, even with light loads. The
sledges having thus to go backwards and forwards over the same road, the
advance was very slow, averaging not more than a mile and a quarter each
day. Unable to obtain any fresh provisions, their food was of a
character not calculated to maintain their health, and consequently ere
long they were all attacked by scurvy. Notwithstanding this, the
gallant men pushed on, until on 12th May they planted the British flag
in latitude 83 degrees 20 minutes 26 seconds north, leaving only 400
miles between them and the North Pole--many miles farther to the north
than any explorers had hitherto succeeded in gaining. The distance made
good was 73 miles only from the ship, but in order to accomplish it 276
miles had been travelled over. Commander Markham saw clearly that by
proceeding farther he should run the risk of sacrificing the lives of
his people. Thus, with a heavy heart, he determined to go back.
The return journey was attended by even greater difficulties than the
advance. From the time of their start in April to their return in June,
the days had been spent in dragging the sledges over a desert of
ice-hills, which resembled a stormy sea suddenly frozen; half the time
the men facing the sledges, and hauling forward with their backs in the
direction they were going. On getting to within 30 miles of the ship,
so large a number were suffering from scurvy, that Lieutenant Parr
gallantly volunteered to set out alone to obtain relief. Happily he
succeeded, after much difficulty, in arriving, and help was immediately
despatched, the officers and men vieing with each other in dragging
forward the sledges. Unhappily one man had died before assistance had
arrived. Of the rest, only two officers and three men were able to
work; three others painfully struggling on rather than add to the
difficulties of their companions. The remainder, being perfectly
helpless, were carried on the sledges.
Another party sent out by the _Alert_ proceeded to the west under
Lieutenant Aldrich, and, after exploring 220 miles of coast-line, they
also were attacked by scurvy. Not returning at the time appointed,
relief was sent to them. Lieutenant Aldrich and one man alone, out of a
crew of seven, remained at the drag-ropes. Numerous expeditions had
been sent out also by the _Discovery_, one of which proceeded along
Greenland and suffered greatly. When met by a party, under Lieutenant
Rawson, sent out to their assistance, they were found dragging forward
four of their helpless comrades, two at a time, advancing only half a
mile a day. Two of the men died just as Polaris Bay was reached,
opposite Discovery Harbour.
Other exploring expeditions were made in various directions. Captain
Stephenson made two trips across Hall's Basin to Greenland. When at
Polaris Bay he hoisted the American ensign and fired a salute, while a
brass plate, which had been prepared in England, was fixed on Hall's
grave. On the tablet was the following inscription:--"Sacred to the
memory of Captain C.F. Hall, of the U.S. _Polaris_, who sacrificed his
life in the advancement of science, on 8th November 1871. This tablet
has been erected by the British Polar Expedition of 1875, who, following
in his footsteps, have profited by his experience."
No inhabitants were seen in the neighbourhood of the ships' winter
quarters, but ancient Eskimo remains were traced on the west side of
Smith's Sound up to latitude 81 degrees 52 minutes. From thence they
crossed it at the narrowest parts of the channel to Greenland. It seems
surprising that animal life should exist so far north; but that it does
so was proved, six musk oxen having been shot at the _Alert's_ winter
quarters, besides fifty-seven others near Discovery Grave. In the same
neighbourhood, although not, unfortunately, until the summer had
commenced, a seam of good coal, easily worked, was discovered by Mr
Hart, the naturalist. It is remarkable that the aurora was far less
magnificent than in more southern latitudes. Of the numerous
expeditions sent out by the _Discovery_, several were exposed to extreme
danger, while nearly the whole of the men engaged in them suffered from
scurvy. One expedition had been despatched to explore North Greenland
with a lifeboat. In this party Lieutenant Rawson with four men had
become detached, when, with the exception of the lieutenant and a
marine, they were attacked with scurvy. One of the men died on the way.
Happily they were met by Dr Coppinger, by whose assistance they were
greatly restored; an Eskimo, also, being successful in shooting seals,
supplied them with fresh food. Dr Coppinger, feeling anxious about the
North Greenland party, set out with the Eskimo in a dog sledge, and
found them in a most exhausted condition; everything had been left
behind, and four were so crippled with scurvy that they were being
dragged on by two others, who were only slightly attacked. When the
doctor arrived they had not a particle of food, and must inevitably have
succumbed. One of the party died the morning after their arrival at
Hall's Rest, to which they had been dragged. So critical was the
condition of the sufferers, that an officer and two men were despatched
in a dog sledge to communicate with the ships; but, as the ice was
already breaking up, it was with the greatest difficulty that the
channel was crossed in about three days. On their arrival, the captain
immediately set out with a relief party. Great anxiety was felt for
another party under Lieutenant Beaumont, which was absent far longer
than had been expected. He had with him a whale-boat, in which he and
his people were driven far up the Sound, and it was not until the ships
were on the point of returning home that they were picked up.
The above brief account may give some faint idea of the hardships and
sufferings endured by the officers and men of the expedition, as well as
of their courage and perseverance.
At length the icy barrier which had enclosed the _Alert_ for so many
long months began to break up; but there appeared not the slightest
indication of a passage opening up to the northward by which the desired
goal could be reached. Captain Nares felt fully confident that the sea
before him had for centuries remained frozen, and would continue for
ages more in the same condition. His crew were all, more or less,
suffering from scurvy.
As much resolution and moral courage is often exhibited in retreating as
in advancing. Captain Nares saw that to remain longer in the Polar Sea,
in the vain attempt to carry out the object of the expedition, would not
only be useless, but would in all probability prove destructive to the
lives of his gallant followers. Steam was accordingly got up, and the
_Alert_, boring her way through the ice, succeeded in again entering
Smith's Sound. Early in August she got within ten miles of the
_Discovery_; but for some time being prevented moving farther south by
the ice, an officer was despatched overland to direct Captain Stephenson
to get ready for sea. Not, however, until the 28th of August could the
_Discovery_ force her way out of her ice-bound harbour.
It often appeared as if all their efforts to get free would be baffled,
but by dint of constant watchfulness for an open channel, by boring and
blasting the ice before them, and often running full tilt at the mass
which impeded their progress, they forced their onward way, until at
length the open sea was gained. The Arctic Circle was recrossed on the
4th of October, exactly fifteen months after it had been crossed on the
northward voyage.
Happily the _Pandora_, Captain Allan Young, who had gone in search of
the expedition, was met with, and returned with the ships. Heavy gales
were encountered in the Atlantic, when they were all separated. The
_Alert_ reached Valencia harbour, in Ireland, on the 27th of October,
and the _Discovery_, Queenstown, on the 29th, soon after which they both
returned to Portsmouth.
Besides Neil Petersen, three men, George Porter, James Ward, and Charles
Paul, seamen, died of scurvy. The scientific results of the expedition
are considerable; and the gallant men engaged in it have fully
maintained the high reputation of British seamen for courage,
perseverance, high discipline, hardihood, and endurance.