Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-10-25

1
The snow was so bad after making but .
few miles from Camp Separation that the
isledge sank in it nearly to the crossb ars
and this, together with the upgrade from
| the Humboldt basin, made the hauling SC
heavy that after few hours my dogs re-
fused absolutely to work any more, and
was obliged to 90 into camp. At this camp
\ We commenced our REGULAR sledge ration,
with daily allowance Of butter and Liebig
| extract
A Case Of Dog Eat Dog.
A. this camp. also, one Of my dogs. down
with the dog disease, was killed and fed to
the others, di.proving conclusively the old
saying that "dog will not eat dog"
The following day the continuance of the
upgrade and the increasing depth of the
snow compelled as to resort to double.
baAking, and the end Of the day found us
but three miles ahead of our last camp
Ourselves tired, and our dogs out of sorts,
Astrup and myself ate our dinner in silence,
and were glad to lose ourselves in sleep.
The morning found us refreshed and with .
new stock Of courage, but still felt that If
by hard work and no end Of trouble I could
gain ten miles should be satisfied.
To my agreeable surprise the next camp
this without mishap or hitch throughout
the march. We were now evidently at the
top of the grade, and could soon expect a
slight descent on the northern side of the
divide, toward the basin of the Petermann
Fjord.
The next day proved the truth of these
conclusions The snow surface became
harder and harder, the aneroid and the
sledges both indicated . gradual descent,
and after six hours' marching we came upon
. firm, marble-like surface, showing EVIL
denee of most violent wind forces, and
scored and carved until it looked like
great bed Of white lava
Land Sighted to the Northwest.
Two hours later land was sighted to the
northwest, and after another two hours
called halt, with q record of 20 miles for
the day. On the last day of May we had ad-
vancsd but i've miles, when, as we rose on
to the crest of . long hummock, the head of
and the great basin of the glacier discharg-
ing into 1t, flashed into sight below us
Here We were on the ice bluffs forming the
limit Of the great glacier basin, just as we
had been at Humboldt
found it necessary to defect some ten
miles to the eastward, to avoid the Unequal
tiles of the glacier basin and the great
crevices whicn cut the ice bluffs encircling
it. 1t had been my good fortune to look
down from the serene heights of the inland
ice into the feeder basin of three of the
greatest glaciers in the world-Jacobsha
Tossukatak and Great Kariak. 1t was
with strange feelings of uncertainty that I
looked upon this view. could hardly d.
vest myself Of the feeling that the ragged.
shining ice field dropping away from my
feet to the glistening Ice caps stretching up
into Washington Land and the dark
mountains guarding the distant shores
might vanish, and leave me with only the
unbroken ice horizon of previous days
A Day or Two of Beautiful Weather.
cation 10 favorable for observation, made
no attempt to advance further, but camped
at once and began observations for determ-
lining positions and the bearing of the land.
In this camp we remained So hours, with q
of the most perfect weather,
warm, clear, and, what was most unusual,
calm. For two or three hours at midday
my Thermometer in the sun registered II,
and advantage was taken of this to
and air ell our clothing, and
for myself to enjoy the luxury of snow
bath.
Leaving Camp Petermann and the circling
bluffs of the great Petermann glacier basin
I kept away due east, parallel with series
covered with snow, though in places drifts
of snow had fallen in, exposing the blue
black depth of the chasm. tried repeat
edly to get an idea from the walls of these
clefts in the ice of the gradual change from
surface snow to neve and thence to
true homogeneous ice, but my efforts
were thwArted by incrustations of fine snow
upon the sides Of the crevasse and lux
uriant growth of exquisite frost crystals
and even icicles The ten miles to the
enabled US to flank all the Gre
east, hoping to clear the basin OF Sherard
Osborn as fortunately as I had weathered
Humboldt and Petermann.
At the Summit of the Divide.
From Camp Petermann mountains were
in sight for 40 miles Then the aneroid
began to show gradual rise, tho snow be-
came softer and deeper, and knew that
We were beginning the ascent of the divide
between the Petermann and Sherard o.
borne basins Still we were able to make
three full ones brought US to the summit of
the divide.
From the divide summit, a. in every pre-
vious instance, we found the travelling very
good, and with the wind behind us were
able to make 1871 and q miles respectively
in two successive marches, camping in view
of Sherard Osborne Fjord. as at first sup
posed, on June 8. I had not expected to
tight land again 30 soon, and if the maps
we're correct it should have taken about |
TWO marches more to have brought me
within sight of Sherard Osborne, but 1 |
assumed that naturally the delineation of
he inner portion Of Sherard Osborne might |
DO considerably out Of latitude, and that |
- hofO ms ho Shar III
Osborne. Future developments showed me |
hat was wrong, and that St. Georges |
Fiord penetrated farther inland than had |
been supposed, and that this was what lay
,eFore me. |
A Rapid Descent, After All.
The latter part of the march of June |
lad been through threatening weather. the |
Ky overcast, the distant land dark and in
listinct, and the peculiar light over the IL
and ice, which made 1t impossible to dis
,nly from my aneroid, but from the way
he slsdges travelled, that we were descend
ng quite rapidly, and this, with the occur
ence of several patches of bare blue ice,
sused me to hesitate and finally call a halt
n the completion of the 21st mile, though
~ could easily have accomplished four or
i've miles more.
The experiences of the next two weeks
howed the wisdom of my cautiousness, and
hat 1t would have been much better if I
ad had premenition of trouble still earlier
q the day. We had hardly made camp and
nished orr dinner when the gathering
torn broke upon us, and once more we
ad to endure imprisonment Astrup under
be tarpaulin in lieu of the sledges, myself
a the little excavation half covered with a
ail, which We called our kitchen. For two
avs the wind howled above us down the
lope toward the distant land, and the