The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 5, 1899, Page 24

THE SAN FRANOCISOO CALL, SUNDAY, MARCH 5, 1899 28 %% Remarkable “Finds” of a Party of Swedish Scientists While Exoloring the Arctic Regions. < @mong other things they discovered a ‘petrified tropical forest inclosed'In an Icy covering, unknown Jslands, “‘wild’" animals that had na fear of men, and the fact that microbes do not exist In the pure air.of the North. —_— —— = CMARLES Xil HILE making a search through the Polar re- glons for traces of the balloonist Andree the expedition under Professor A. C. Nathorst also made a most thorough exploration of the places visited. The result is a most valuable ad- dition to sclentific knowledge. Many of the facts obtained are surprising in more ways than one. A report of this expedition has just been received at the Academy of Sci- 8§ ences in this city and is attracting much attention on ac- count of its unlooked for array of new discoveries. Perhaps the most surprising statement made in the whole report is the fact that the greatest energies of the expedition were devoted to a search for microbes over the fields of ice. This s the first time that such work has been l done, and the results are sure to be of the greatest benefit Hto humanity. As a search after microbes the expedition was both a success and a failure. It was a success be- f cause it showed that the alr of the Polar regions is the purest to be found on the face of the earth. It was a fatlure because no microbes were found. The preparation for this work was about as complete il s it could bs. Several bacteriologists were employed, and M the laboratory on board the steamer Antarctic was sup- plied with every possible plece of- apparatus. Test plates of gelatine were carried to the tops of icebergs and ex- B Dosed to the air, on all the islands the same work was done, the water of the sea was examined, and no microbes were found. The stomachs of seals, birds and fishes were also examined, and all that came to light was one harmless microbe, such as can be found in the stomachs of human beings almost any day. It was demonstrated conclusively that the alr of the Polar regions is absolutely bacterium proof. This was further proved to the members of the expedition by the fact that none of them ‘took cold.” On two occasions Professor Nathorst fell into the fcy water, but he felt no evil effects beyond the immediate chill. On one of the oc- casions he was compelled to stay in his wet clothes for a couple of hours. He suffered severely from cold, but as soon as he got back to the ship and put on dry garments he felt as well as ever he did in his life. In a temperate climate, where microbes are plentiful, he would most cer- tainly have experienced a long siege of sickness. The fact that the Polar regions are healthful has been known to the people of Sweden for several years. At Advent Bay, Spitzbergen Island, Professor Nathorst found a health resort in the shape of a good-sized hotel. The structure, he says, is the northernmost bullding, excepting the huts of Indians, to be found in the world. It is close up to the eightieth parallel, and for the greater part of the year is buried in snow and ice. But sick people get well there. Professor Nathorst met several consumptives who had been at the hotel only a short time but were able to report a large gain in weight and a marked improvement in general condition. Professor Nathorst made the first landing of which there {s any record on Charles XII Island, far to the north of Spitzbergen. Here he found a sheltered vailley with a scrubby growth of timber. This was a surprise, but he received his greatest shock when a couple of large rein- deer wandered up to him without showing any signs of fear. The animals had never before seen a human being, and they were so tame they could be stroked like pet calves. While voyaging over the ice flelds in the steamer the § expedition yan into an icepack that was belng heaved about by a mighty ground swell. The ice rose and fell on glant rollers, and the ship crunched her way over this in constant danger of being crushed to splinters. But Professor Nathorst says that, in spite of this danger, the tossing fields of jce presented the grandest seene he ever saw. Besides making careful examination of several small, un- known islands the expedition egplored the eastern shore of Spitzbergen Island, Wwhere the foot of white man had never trod before. The climate was frightfully severe even in the summer, but the explorers were rewarded by dlscover- ing enormous ledges of excellent coal. The amount in sight indicated the value of the fields to be millions. Judg- ing by the other coal flelds which have been found on the northern”shores of »Europe, these could not be exhausted in hundreds of years. The explorers found several beetles in localitles where none were supposed to exist. A few small animals were also found, and a large quantity of botanical specimens were gecured. Deep-sea soundings were made, and several unexpected facts were thereby brought to light. The SBwedish Geographical Society looks upon this ex- pedition as the most successful ever sent to the Polar re- gions. The report just issued i8 a long document and can- not be reproduced -here In its entirety. But a synopsis of it has been made for The Call by Dr. Gustav Eisen of the Academy of Sciences and i8 as follows: AT S e iue Geriy iteiiie iteiliesgie el elnre The report of the chief of the Swedish Polar Expedition shows that many and important discoveries resulted from this Visit to the high northern latitudes. No Arctic expedition had been fitted out with so much care. Not only did the staff con- sist of the usual sclentific assistants—hydrographers, surveyors, botanists, zoologists and geologists—but in addition to these the chief, Professor A, G. Nathorst, had provided a complete bactereological laboratory in order to ascertain the actual purity of the air in the Arctic regions. The Investigations of the bacterfologist of the expedition are in many respects re- markable and unexpected. The expedition started from Gothenburg on May 25 and re- turned to Tromso September 7. The main object of the expedi- tion, besldes making a search for Andree, was to explore tae eastern part of Spitzbergen and the land to the east of Spitz- bergen known as King Charles Land. Owing to the influence of the Gulf Stream, the western coast of Spltzbergen is com- garatively well known, while the eastern part, which is filled 7 N W Making Soundings Through the Ice. with ice until late in the season, has rarely been visited and re- matned almost unexplored. The Antarctic, a steamer speclally built for Arctic explorations, has been purchased for the expe- dition and fitted out with the latest improvements for scien- tific work. The first object of visit was Beeren Eiland, an isolated tsland midway between Norway and Spitzbergen. This island had previously been very imperfectly known geologically as well as geographically, and several weeks were spent in re- gearches by the various members of the expedition. The island 1s almost inaccessible on account of its steep sides and lack of proper harbors. In many places the sides rise precipitously 1200 to 15%0 feet above the ocean. Geologieally this island is ofie of the most interesting places. Professor Nathorst sums up its history as follows: ‘‘During the silurian period the now island was a deep sca in which were slowly deposited strata of such low animals as' trilobites and mussels characteristic of the perlod. These strata became later strongly folded and rose above the surface of the sea. After hundreds of thousands of years this land was agaln depressed below the sea and the rivers of the nelghboring continent de- posited layers of sand, with remains of vegetation and other fossils, which now constitute the carbonfferous formations of the island. Hundreds of thousands of years passed by and again the sea rose and its bed became dry land. How long this lasted it is impossible to know, but later on the land sank and became a pemian sea with new carboniferous deposits contain- ing the chars stic animals of that period. The many re- mains of corals which constitute the mass of Mount Misery were deposited at that time. The coal deposits on the island are of the highest importance, and it is only & question of time when they will be utilized. They are, indeed, too valuable to cted, * * * ing the night we were suddenly warned of thelr presence. A heavy sh and an ominous grating were the first from previous experiences in the polar seas.” T rushed on deck at once and found that we were well in among the ice. The sun shone brightly, though in the middle of the night, and on every side were thousands of ice blocks of a brilliant whiteness, with sides of the purest blue and green. A more magnificent sight cannot be imagined. We were now king through the outer ice, which is a little thicker than t ner. With a good ice vessel like our Antarctic such a trip is one never to be forgotten, one of unmingled pleasure, of new and unexpected charm at aimost every turn. When the ice is less dense you go between the larger ice biocks, pushing the smaller ones aside. When it is denser you have to break your way through with the iron-shod prow. During sunny weather vou may see the seals everywhere on the ice blocks sunming themsel while the Arctic seagulls, with their brilliantly white wings, sail undisturbed in all directions, A peculiar phe- nomenon these regions is the ice-blink, an undescribable in glimmer In the air and sky wherever the soild ice pack is near. Whenever this glimmering light was seen we knew that our journey in the direction of the light was at an end, as a vessel, however strongly bullt, can no coukd go through solid rock. * “Midsummer eve was one of 'the most charming days im- aginable. The sun shone with its brightest ra the tempera- ture in the shade was 45, while in the sun it was 75. We had changed our course, and our objective point was Stans Fore- land, in front of Stor-Fjord, the largest bay on Spitzbergen. When we cast anchor in Recherché Bay I decided to remain there some two or three weeks in order to give opportunity to the scientific staff to investigate thoroughly the fauna and fiora, both living and of the fossiliferous strata, for the latter are known to be among/the very richest in fossils in the world. The anchorage was so secure that we could extinguish the fire under the boilers and save our coal. “The shores of the two main bays were mapped and found to be very different in shape and size from what they had pre- viously been reported. . Geologically this part of Spitzbergen is most interesting. We discovered here the Arctic strata pre- viously known only on Greenland. The tertiary formations which we found in abundance, were wonderfully rich in vege- table fossils. These strata contain an endless store of petrified leaves and frults of such trees as.magnolias, lime trees, swamp more penetrate this ice than it ““We ha for our table. RIDING OVER. A ' SWELL OF PALK - ice cypress ,alders, etc., showing what wonderfully rich vegetation existed in nges gore by in these now inhospl(aél here splendid opportunity to hunt. were o0 tame that they came up within a few feet of the rifles, and we had no difficuity in getting all the meat we wanted. I need hardly state that we did not kill more than was necessary e regions. The reindeer “‘Our work successfully finished in the vicinity of Recherche Bay, we steamed for Belsound and Advent Bay, where we ar- ;QOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOQOOOOOOOOOOOOO000000000000000000000 LARGEST RANCH IN THE WORLD. It Covers More Territory Than the States of Rhode Island and Delaware and Thousands of Cattle Roam Over It. T seems natural that the largest ranch in the world should be found in the largest State in the Unlon— Texas. Indeed, this ranch is so ex- tensive that some States could not contain it. Connecticut, for example, could not hold it by several thousand acres. The two States of Rhode Island and Delaware combined could not contain this immense ranch, which consists of over 3,000,000 acres, or almost 5000 square miles. About a dozen years ago, when Texas needed a new State Capitol, the Legisla- ture adopted a novel plan to get it. A promise was held forth that a vast tract of unappropriated land would be given in exchange for a suitable granite buflding at Austin. Among those tempted by this offer were ex-Senator Charles B. Farwell and his’ brother John, who ultimately formed a syndicate in Chicago and took upon themselves the responsibility of erecting the proposed capitol. Their part of the agreement appears to have been carried out to the satisfaction of the State, and In due time they came into the possesssion of the immense domain now known as the X. I. T. ranch. The ranch is situated in the extreme northwest corner of the Panhandie of Texas, and covers or touches nine differ- ent counties. Its northern boundary is “No Man’s Land,” now a part of the Ter- ritory of Oklahoma, and its western limit is the line between Texas and New Mex- ico. In width (from east to west) it aver- ages about twenty-five miles. Tn length it is about 200 miles. The land lies in what is known as the Staked Plains, a high plateau. The soil is mostly of a black or chocolate color—very fertile, and covered with a thick coat of buffalo, mesquit, grama -.and other grasses which cure on the ground and furnish winter as well as summer pasturage for stock of all kinds. At the southern. end of the tract the altitude is about 2300 feet, and at the northern end about 4700. The climate is pronounced to be generally de- lightful, the air being bracing though dary. When the Farwells obtained the land they inclosed it with a substantial barbed wire fence. There are many cross fences upon {t, separating the territory into from twenty to thirty large diyisions, besides many small ones. To make these fences it required just fifteen hundred miles of barbed wire. The syndjcate also built ranch houses, bored and|dug wells, of which there are now about three hundred, averaging one hundred and twenty feet in depth and having earthen or wooden reservoirs and drinking trough attach- ments; erected windmills over the wells; built dams across arroyos to conserve the rainfail, and in various other ways made the place suitable for a ranch. They placed cattle upon it as fast as it could be put in safe condition to recelve them, and have since continued to add to the herd from time to time by purchase and breeding until they have at present about 120,000 cattle, besides almost 1500 horses. The calf crop branded in 1897 exceeded 31,000 head. The whole property is val- ued at $10,000,000. These flgures afford an idea of the ex- tent of the business. The Farwells. at- tend to the chief affairs of their office In Chlcago, but have a general ranch man- ager at the ranch headquarters, which is situated at Channing, in Hartley County. Manager Boyce has supervision over the whole property, being assisted by seven foremen, each one of whom is responsible for one of the principal divis- ions. Hach of these divisions of itself would form a large ranch. There are raised on these plains three breeds of cattle—namely, Hereford, Ab- erdeen, Angus and Durham. At the pres- ent time the herd is unequaled, it is be- lieved, either in quality or size, anywhere in the United States. The hundreds of horses are bred, not, as may be supposed, for the market, but rather for service in traveling between widely separated points on the ranch. No sheep are raised. ‘When the cattle have reached such a size as to become marketable they are sent to Chicago. Not all stop there, however, as many go still farther East, and are eventually shipped to distributing points in Burope. One of the surprising things in connec- tion with the enterprise is the fact that all the duties are performed by a force of about a hundred and twenty-five men, or an average of only one man for every 24,000 acres. There are houses, barns, etc., at the seven division headquarters, as well as line camps, where there are smaller buildings. The men assigned to the camps repair the fences, ofl the hundreds of windmills, and busy themselves in other work of this sort. Scme of the squads have no house in which to stay, but are provided with a ‘“‘chuck” wagon to carry their food and beds as they move from place to place. All are fed by the com- pany, each division having freight wagons to haul supplies from points on the rafl- road where they are bought. The three divisions at the southern end trade at Amarillo, Potter County; the other four at Channing. One might naturally !magine that the yearly loss of cattle would be enormous. As a matter of fact it is not, being only from 2 to 5 per cent. The loss is chiefly due, not to disease, as may be supposed, but rather to the occasional severe weather in winter. In’ these days of general dependence upon all possible means of quick commu- nication ft may afford rellef to some wor- ried and wearied business men to know that on the largest ranch in the world the telegraph is not used and the telephone Is a stranger, neither being considered as necessary. Barring such few messages as are sent by horsemen to points near by, all the communications go by mall, as there are postoffices nearer to several of the division headquarters than Channing is. Payments to employes and others aré made monthly at the main office in €han- ning, where the company's accounts are all kept. As has been stated, the X. I. T. ranch has, with its 5000 square miles, an area greater than that of Connecticut, or of Rhode Island and Delaware combined; for Connecticut, it may be stated for the ben- efit of those who are fond of exact fig- ures for purposes of comparison, has only 4750 square miles, Delaware 2120 and Rhode Island 1306. ‘After a moment’s study of these statistics the question naturally may be asked, “How many towns orother settlements are there in all this vast area?’ There are two, and only two: Channing, where the general manager lves, and Texline, in Dallam County. Both towns contain hotels, stores and schools, but nowhere else on the ranch is there any settlement.—Ladles’ Home Journal. ——————————— He took it very philosophically. In the course of time men become philosophical even in love affairs. “So you have decided that you cannot marry me,” he said. 3 A s e nothing of the kind. can marry you fo-mortow 1f T wish. I could have mar- ried you any day In_the last six months, as you well know. What I have decide l}g that you cannot marry me."—Chicago ost. 3 “I ‘have decided e The averags ~amount of sickness humen life is.nine days out of the year, —————— Z>The Most Northern Health Resort ~” in the World; Microbes Gan not Live in the Same Latitude. + + Photograph- : rived on July 17. At this place is situated the most northern ¥ + 4+ 4+ 4+ 44 hotel in the world—the Tourist Hotel—where travelers and ex- 4- plorers may receive all the comforts and most of the luxuries o of civilized life. In the vicinity of the Ice Fjord we found two species of beetles, a discovery which was the more important 4 as no beetles had théretofore been found on Spitzbergen. + “Our next work was sounding the great deep known as the Swedish Deep. on the western side of Spitzbergen. When we began this work, on July 14, we found at once to our great sur- 4- prise that the Guif Stream had modified the temperature of the Water to the enormous depth of 1200 feet. When the same local- + ity was explored in 189 it was found that the water of the Gulf 4 Stream spread only on the surface, while comparatively a few feet below the water of the ocean was icy cold. Great changes must have taken place in comparativel few years, and it is 4 easy to foresee the tremendous effect such change in tempera- ture must have upon the animal life of the ocean. Millions upon millions of fishes unaccustomed to the warmer water must have suddenly perished or been driven away. while other, more southern species, have taken their place. This spread of the Gulf Stream accounts for the very favorable climatic condi- tions enjoyed by the more northern latitudes during the last 4 ing the few years. “in the vicinity of Prince Charles Foreland we found by ¥ Wonderful sounding that the greatest depth reached was 1500 feet. From % ttettt bttt eee e FOREST these great depths large collections of deep-sea animals were 4 brought to the surface and preserved for future study.. The L last soundings were taken along the large ice pack known as the Greenland fce pack, on account of its belng driven by the + currents from the pole southward along the east eoast ol ( Al Greentand. Tt is This same lce pack that earried Nansen's + TROPI A steamer Fram diago across the polar sea. This ice pack 4 was now carefnlly Investigated in order to ascertain if it is 4 derived fro mthe Siberian polar sea, as Nansen suspected. Our investigations are, however, not finished. 3 “The time was now at hand when we had to attempt to 4 reach King Charles Land, and I accordingly changed the course 4 toward the east in order to take advantage of the more free passage south of Spitzbergen. We had, however, to force our ¥ way for several days through an ice pack of no inconsiderable 4 thickness. But our steamer surmounted all obstacles, and the 4th of Angust fcund us in open water in_the vieinity of King + Charles Land. For twenty-eight years I had constantly hoped 4 some time to-be able to explore this land, which so many had o attempted to reach without success, and now, when we had Found was sorry that the diffi- 4 pushed our way to its very shores, culty of reaching it had not been greater—the effort seemed to 4 me altogether too tame. We found that King Ch: Land consists of two principal islands—the Swedish Foreland and 4 King Charles Island, with Johnsens Mountain. Geologically 4 speaking. the Swedish Foreland belongs to the Jura formation, overlaid by basalt. During the great ice age this island was + submerged and rose at a later date. [t is thus much later than 4 Spitzbergen. On King Charles Island wé found the upper table o lands actually covered with enormous quantities of driftwood, which must have remained here many thousands of vears 4 without decaying. Many of the trunks had become petrified, 4 and some measured as much as three feet in diameter. Much of the snow on this island was green and red, caused, of course, % by microscopic algae of various species, specimens of which 4 were collected for future investigations, During our several weeks' stay on these islands we brought together various and + valuable collections of minerals, fossils, plants and animals, 4 and the two isiands were carefully surveved and mapped. * ¢ o “I thought it best to make an effort to reach the mysterious White Island, to the north of King Charles Land, of which so much had been surmised and so little was really known. We therefore started north. On the 1Sth of August we noticed a peculiar gllmmeflnr at the horizon, which later in the day roved to be nothing but the snow and ice-covered sides of 4 White Island. The island proved to be entirely covered with ice and snow, except for a small narrow band along some parts g of the shore. The walls were precipitous, and their broken sides 4 aropped from time to time as icebergs Into the sea. We landed 4 at two places and explored the shores, but were prevented from staying by the ice, which closed around the island from all 4 sides. The highest latitude reached on our trip was 81 deg. 14 i, ¢ e + ““Not the least interesting results were those achleved by the ¥ bacteriologlst. The air was fiitered in all the various localitles 4 visited and tested for bacteria. The results were certainly most Interesting and remarkable. It was ascértained that bacteria, ¥ the bane of all temperate and tropical climates, are absolutely 4 absent from the Arctic air. Not a single bacterium was found + during the whole vovage. the alr belng absolutely free and pure. The stomachs of birds and mammals killed were also + examined bacteriologically, with most unexpected results. In the intestines of the birds, with one single exception, not one bacillus was found, while in the bears and the seals were found + only very few of a variety similar to those existing in man. 4 Even the water was found to be almost free from bacteria, and + attttdt s Buried the FAR Northern ICE FIELDS. P44 444444444ttt 04t 4t L EEEELEEEELIELEELELEYEY on King Charles Land we found that it contained enly one-bacillus to each eleven cubic cvn_tt‘;nec:ra.*” £ Mot