In 1880 it was proposed by an International Polar Commission, for the purpose of elucidating9 in behalf of science the phenomena10 of the weather and of the magnetic needle, that meteorological stations should be established by various countries in different parts of the polar regions. The Congress of the United States made an appropriation11 for establishing a scientific colony at the two places designated for the occupation of the Americans—viz., Point Barrow, in Alaska, and Lady Franklin Bay, in Grinnell Land. These stations were to be occupied for from one to 59 three years. At the time the expedition was being organized in Washington for the latter place, Lieutenant Lockwood was on a visit to his parents in that city. Taking a special interest in the operations of the Signal-Service Bureau, which had the business in charge, he forthwith volunteered for the proposed expedition, and his services were accepted by the Secretary of War. When the party for the Lady Franklin Bay station was fully organized, it consisted of First-Lieutenant Adolphus W. Greely, U. S. A., commander; Lieutenants12 F. F. Kislingbury and James B. Lockwood, U. S. A., as assistants; and Dr. O. Pavy, as surgeon and naturalist13; with a force of twenty-two sergeants14, corporals, and privates, all connected with the army, and whose names are given as follows: Edward Israel, Winfield S. Jewell, George W. Rice, David O. Ralston, Hampden S. Gardiner, sergeants in the Signal Corps16; William H. Cross, sergeant15 in the general service; David L. Brainard and David Linn, sergeants of cavalry17; Nicholas Saler, corporal of infantry18; Joseph Ellison, corporal of infantry; Charles B. Henry, Maurice Connell, Jacob Bender, Francis Long, William Whistler, Henry Biederbick, Julius R. Fredericks, William A. Ellis, and Roderick R. Schneider, privates in various branches of the army; and, finally, two Esquimaux, Jans Edwards and Frederick Christiansen, of Greenland.
In view of the possibility that Lady Franklin Bay might become a permanent station, all the preliminary arrangements were made as complete as possible. A steamer called the Proteus was secured for conveying 60 the expedition to Lady Franklin Bay, and she was ordered to await the arrival of the explorers at the port of St. John’s, in Newfoundland. Lieutenant Lockwood sailed in a steamer from Baltimore with the party and reached St. John’s late in June.
Here it may not be out of place to submit a few remarks on the utility of these Arctic explorations, which are sometimes criticised by people who, without due consideration, jump to hasty conclusions. In former times their main object was to find open passages between the northern regions of Europe, Asia, and America, and to settle the problem of the north pole; and statistics show that when these expeditions have confined their operations within reasonable limits, the mortality attending them has been remarkably19 small—less than in ordinary commercial voyages. Sir John Franklin went far beyond these limits, and left no monuments by which he could be traced. De Long put his ship into the polar ice with the design of moving with the polar drift. The Greely Expedition was expected to be confined, and was confined, to the well-known waters of Smith’s Sound. It could, therefore, be reached at any time, and, if necessary, it could fall back upon a point accessible at all times. All that was required to secure its safe return was a well-chosen base, and an absolute certainty that this base would be maintained. Unfortunately, neither requirement was fulfilled, and hence nineteen men lost their lives. Sledge20-journeys from established bases, though fraught21 with great labor6 and discomfort22, have never been attended with serious loss of life. It is 61 now about one thousand years since the first Arctic voyage was made, and their aggregate23 usefulness can hardly be questioned when we remember that they have developed fisheries that have built up the commerce and navies of nations, and that the direct return into the exchange of England has been far more than the cost to her of all her Arctic explorations. The Polar Commission, already alluded24 to, inaugurated a new policy in regard to Arctic explorations, and one whose utility can not be questioned. It had its origin, in 1875, in the mind of a German discoverer named Carl Weyprecht; and in the opinion of many of the leading minds of the world, the meteorological observations inaugurated by him have done much, and will do much more, to rectify25 errors in the polar problem and bring to light information about the ice zones, which will give the observers a prominent position in scientific history. According to Professor Joseph Henry, the problems connected with physical geography and science, which are yet unsolved, are the determination of the figure and of the magnetism26 of the earth, complete knowledge of the tides of the ocean, the winds of the globe, and the influence of extreme cold on animal and vegetable life. Surely the men who voluntarily toil27 and suffer in their efforts to obtain the needed light on all these subjects, are quite as worthily28 employed as those who struggle for riches or political fame. In the Professor’s opinion, all the branches of science above mentioned are indirectly29 connected with the well-being30 of man, and tend not only to enlarge his 62 sphere of mental activity, but to promote the application of science to the arts of life. A French writer, after applauding the plans of the Polar Commission, concludes his remarks as follows: “The larger number of the civilized31 nations are striving by scientific means to wrest32 the mysterious secrets of the deep from the hidden recesses33 of the North.” In 1884 the number of nations that had entered heartily34 into the project was thirteen; fifteen polar stations, and over forty auxiliary35 stations, had already been established. That the reader may fully understand the operations and exploits which are to be chronicled in the subsequent pages of this volume, it may be well to submit the subjoined extract from the official report of General W. B. Hazen, Chief of the United States Signal Service, for the year 1881: “Owing to the very mobile nature of the atmosphere, the changes taking place on one portion of the globe, especially in the Arctic zone, quickly affect regions very distant therefrom. The study of the weather in Europe and America can not be successfully prosecuted36 without a daily map of the whole northern hemisphere, and the great blank space of the Arctic region upon our simultaneous international chart has long been a subject of regret to meteorologists. The general object is to accomplish, by observations made in concert at numerous stations, such additions to our knowledge as can not be acquired by isolated37 or desultory38 traveling parties. No special attempt will be made at geographical39 exploration, and neither expedition is in any sense expected to reach the north pole. The single object is to elucidate40 the phenomena 63 of the weather and of the magnetic needle as they occur in America and Europe, by means of observations taken in the region where the most remarkable41 disturbances42 seem to have their origin.”
While the foregoing were to be considered as the primary considerations, it was expressly stated in the official instructions, that sledging43 parties, generally, should work in the interests of exploration and discovery, and should be conducted with all possible care and fidelity44. Careful attention was also to be given to the collection of specimens45 of the animal, mineral, and vegetable kingdoms. It will be seen that all that was accomplished46 by Lieutenant Lockwood was instigated47 by the mandate48 connected with the use of the sledge.
It thus appears that the Greely expedition was not only intended to accomplish a good work, but that in all human probability the same might have been accomplished without serious loss of life. That there was a deplorable loss of life, we can only lament49, leaving for others to point out the causes of the disaster which befell the expedition.
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1
lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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sojourn
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| v./n.旅居，寄居；逗留 | |
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illustrate
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| v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图 | |
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illustrating
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| 给…加插图( illustrate的现在分词 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明 | |
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5
labors
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| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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6
labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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7
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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elucidating
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| v.阐明，解释( elucidate的现在分词 ) | |
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10
phenomena
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| n.现象 | |
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11
appropriation
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| n.拨款，批准支出 | |
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12
lieutenants
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| n.陆军中尉( lieutenant的名词复数 )；副职官员；空军；仅低于…官阶的官员 | |
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13
naturalist
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| n.博物学家(尤指直接观察动植物者) | |
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14
sergeants
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| 警官( sergeant的名词复数 )； （美国警察）警佐； （英国警察）巡佐； 陆军（或空军）中士 | |
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15
sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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16
corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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17
cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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18
infantry
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| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
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remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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20
sledge
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| n.雪橇，大锤；v.用雪橇搬运，坐雪橇往 | |
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21
fraught
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| adj.充满…的，伴有(危险等)的；忧虑的 | |
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22
discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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23
aggregate
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| adj.总计的，集合的；n.总数；v.合计；集合 | |
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24
alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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25
rectify
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| v.订正，矫正，改正 | |
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26
magnetism
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| n.磁性，吸引力，磁学 | |
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27
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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28
worthily
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| 重要地，可敬地，正当地 | |
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29
indirectly
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| adv.间接地，不直接了当地 | |
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30
well-being
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| n.安康，安乐，幸福 | |
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31
civilized
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| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
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32
wrest
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| n.扭，拧，猛夺；v.夺取，猛扭，歪曲 | |
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33
recesses
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| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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34
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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35
auxiliary
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| adj.辅助的，备用的 | |
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36
prosecuted
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| a.被起诉的 | |
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37
isolated
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| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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38
desultory
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| adj.散漫的，无方法的 | |
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39
geographical
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| adj.地理的；地区(性)的 | |
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40
elucidate
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| v.阐明，说明 | |
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41
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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42
disturbances
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| n.骚乱( disturbance的名词复数 )；打扰；困扰；障碍 | |
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43
sledging
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| v.乘雪橇( sledge的现在分词 )；用雪橇运载 | |
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44
fidelity
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| n.忠诚，忠实；精确 | |
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45
specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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46
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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47
instigated
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| v.使（某事物）开始或发生，鼓动( instigate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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48
mandate
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| n.托管地；命令，指示 | |
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49
lament
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| n.悲叹，悔恨，恸哭；v.哀悼，悔恨，悲叹 | |
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