The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1882-09-15
MANKATo FREE Press.
FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER IS. 1889.
Bill Nye's Polar Expedition,

Bill Nye's Polar Expedition.
find the north pole eighteen months ago
has just been heard from. An explOr-
ing party recently found portions of his
remains in latitude IL A, longitude
sou'we by SOU from the pole, and near
the remains the following fragment of
a diary:
July 1, 188l.-Have just been out
searching for sunstroke and signs OF a
thaw. Saw nothing but ice foe and
snow as far as the eye could reach.
Think we will have snow this evening
unless the wind changes.
July 2.-Spent the forenoon explor-
ing to the northwest for right of way for
new equatorial and north pole railroad
that think would be of much value to
commerce. The grade is easy and the
expense would be slight. Ate my last
dog to-day. Had intended him for the
4th, but got too hungry, and ate him
raw with vinegar. wish ! was at home
eating boomerang paste.
July 3.-We had quite a frost last
night and it looks this morning rs
though the corn and small fruits must
have suffered. 1t is now two weeks
since the last of the crew died and left
me alone. Ate the leather ends of my
suspenders to-day for dinner. did not
need the suspenders. anyway, for by
tightening up my pants l find they will
stay on all right, and don't look for
any ladies to call, so that even if my
pants came of by some oversight, no.
body vOuld he shocked
July 4.-Saved up some tar roofing
and bottle of mucilage for my Fourth
of July dinner and gOrged myself to-
day. The exercises were very poorly
attended and the celebration rather n
failure. 1t is clouding up in the west
and I'm afraid we're going to have
snow. Seems to me we're having an
all-iired late spring here this year.
July Didn't drink drop yester-
day. 1t was the quietest Fourth ever
put in. never felt so little remorse
over the way l celebrated as l do to-
day. didn't do thing yesterday that
l was ashamed of except to eat the re-
mainder of box of shoe backing for
supper. To-day ate my last bootheel,
stewed. Looks as though VIC might
have hard winter.
July 6.-Feel little apprehension
about something to eat. My credit is
all right here, but there is no COMPETE
ton, and prices are; therefore, very
high. Ice, however, is still firm. This
would be a good ice cream country if
there were any demand, but the country
is SO sparsely settled that man feels as
lonesome here as Greenbacker at a
Presidential election.
Ate pound of cotton waste soaked in
machine oil, to-day. There is nothing
left for tomorrow but ice-water and an
old pocketbook for dinner. Looks as
though we might have snow.
July This is good cool place to
spend the summer if provisions were
more plenty. am wearing seal skin
undershirt with three wooden Overshirts
and two bear skin vests to-day; and
when the dew begins to fall l have to
put on my buffalo ulster to keep off the
night air. wish l was home. 1t seems
pretty lonesome here since the other
boys died. l do not know what l will
get for dinner tomorrow, unless the
neighbors bring in something. A big
bear is coming down the hatchway rs |
write. wish could eat him. 1t would
be the first square meal in two months.
1t is, however, little mixed whether
will eat him or he eat me. 1t will be a
cold day for me if he -" .
Here the diary breaks off abruptly,
and from the chewed up appearance OF
the book we are led to entertain horri-
BILE fear as to his safety.