The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-09-13
SAW THE NORTH POLE.
PETER SMITH TELLS THE ANkNIAS
CLUB WHAT IT IS LIKE.

Long Sought For Pole Is = Mile High.
A Graphic Account of the Cruise.
One OF the greatest explorers and most
fearless navigators on the globe Is mem
Der of the Ananias club. lie il writing an
interesting narrative OF his wanderingA to
be printed in book form At the club meet
ing Patrolman Peter Smith entertained his
friends with an account OF his trials and
hardshipS IN lS22, when he discovered tina
North Pole
Il sailed from indianapolis In MAY OK
1872, on the sidewheeler Dictator. She
had been fitted up especially for an arctic
voyage. and was the fastest boat on any
waters She had double engines. and her
hull was pierced with axles. TO " ich could
be attached wheels. so that she could run
over land in ease OF low water From
indianapolis we went 70 Toledo over the
strip of country now trayersed by the
l.. II. and ID. and other railroads. and (
must say the Dictator attracted great
deal of attention from the natives as sha
rolled along through the meadows and
over the hills. They had never witnessed
such sight before. We launched the
steamboat at Toledo and sailed down the
lake TO Detroit. crossed 70 Windsor, and
then Overland again To New York via Mon
treaL We took the roundabout way in or
der to gather up our crew it being much
cheaper 10 go after them than for them 70
come TO us.
THE START FOR TIE POLE.
when the steamboat passed down Long
Island sound she carried 500 men. provi-
sions for ten years cruise, battery of
fifty guns and % 900 rifles, pistols, swords
and shotguns, seventy tons Of powder, and
the boat was balIasted with cannon balls
and bomb shells.
I'm three weeks we had reached Iceland.
and a month later crossed the arctic circfe.
While crossing the arctic line we were al
most shipwrecked. A heavy wind had
brought the line near the surface Of the
water, and 1t caught one OF the steamboats,
wheels Luckily we were not running over
twenty knots an hour, and tho engineer
was able TO stop before the fne had been
! pulled tight enough TO tear OF the wheel
/ We sailed eastward 20 the Viglen islands,
which are on the west coast Of Norway.
and laid by for a week. Then we ventured
out again and crossed the circle IA safety
/ In August we reached SDitEberRen, and
/ five months later were in the polar regions
! proper. | saw there the first rolly howl
/ yus"-
Aurora Borealis you mean. don't your"
/ asked PatrolmAn Slate
Were you there, Mr.. Slate" asked
Smith sternly III you were perhaps you
will tell this story"
/ well, nc, but then I've readn---
! II don't care what you have read.
wish you would not interrupt me talking
Of things you know nothing about It's .
very strange phenomenon A belt seemed
TO rise across the sky from northeast Co
northwest, and in the belt appeared golden
whrlpools. silver eddies, and diamond
sparks seemed 10 be flying BY utllionA.
APPEARANCE or THH PoLE
In the center Of the arch appeared ths
American flag, and beneath is folds. on .
snow white background. were thu portraits
Of indianapolis mayor and city officials
They looked Ss II they had been painted
there with pencil Of FIRE. Thunder rolled
and the wind howled all the tiI0s the rolly
was IN sight, which was. II | remember
right. about eight weeks. With Yankee
ship and Yankee crew there n 10 such
word "a fail, and one pleasant July day.
when the mercury Wa 10 dsgs. below
freezing, we pushed forward Tor the North
Polel For months We made cur way
across seas filed with floating ieebergA.
some Of them two miles thick and reach
ing into the clouds out Of sight Three
years later we came 70 al open sea, aud ia
this we cruised for seven months. The
water became muddy. AID birds flying
about told us that were Dear land, and
IN a weeks time We steamed into a harbor.
I'VE had found the North Pole Many
people who have never seen IL imagine
that she North Pole il made Of wood This
is a mistaken idea IL u "a sold iron COZ
nmn about a mile high. and reaches en-
trely through the eartb-the other end %
il being called the South Pole should
Judge II TO be about seventy i've miles IN
diameter. aud Of course Of great strength,
10 order 20 hold up the immense weight %
the earth IL glisteued AXE silver. and I
thought il Wa some precious metal until
| tested 10 with sciGs aud found Il % -
Just as stated-plGin. every day iron.
You can imagine the Kind % jubilee 80
had on board the cd steam boat Dictator.
Our oAuu0us were ared and cur band
played.
CLIMBING TIE POLE
I'VE rested ia the shadow u the pole for
a week, and then determined 70 reach tho
summit This wa no easy thing 70 10.
for, a. / stated. the column u % iron sHd
drills Oh shore and We ooIaInsuoed dnlI-
ing The iron was unusually hard. and .
number q drills we're broken before holes
could he made. but Es succeeded ~ lat
In each hole Wa plaoed q wooden bar that
projected about Affsen feet. sod thus =
ladder vas made. Ia two nOBtaz' tins
we had The laddrr 0rnpistsd. and u re-
ssmblsd q large telegraph pole driven fgll
o. El4kcz. To ascend then wzs rsers child .
play. and myself with 10 u the nDsn we're
soon a. the top. think Il took - sDOus
three hours o climb up.
The apex % the North Pole ~ = broad.
level plateau. OF course uOtLIng grows
there. and The rotary motion a4ea- -
sEsEtly dizzy until We g0t ussd 70 - Ihs
pole Itself does no. vh.ri 80 LAT - TIE
earth does. II Il hsd us ~Oud have fa!lsa
Of / released three carrier g!Eeons Tor
Indianapolis. with messages 70 The city Of
acers. but - they uavsr rs@ehsd thear dss-
tination they we're probably Killed b7 ths
E.au!uaauL We acre e. The Top Tor four
dayA Ths vls~ va magnificent. and
tier. "a 10 soeusry Ia thu pzrt a The eoun-
Try Ike i. TIE city % Indianapolis looked
LIS a -. CT pin bsada ia = cork. ard tbs
stearaboa, plying White rivsr rsssmbissi
chips f9a.sag ca tiny brook New Or
leans Wa simply . white patch. and .
small Sns a. that
With Riad free hearts proud THAI 80
had ae1ou1y ilshot what 10 other hrinz
nan had done, re sailed aHay ior our
sou thsru hors2s. II was I've years before
We e: back. sad we're Rivsl a secsption
;hs. ] hsve never forgotten ne Ehoia