Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-17

solute necessity of q smoke, reached forward
to the table for . mat,h, and thoughtlessl,
struck it on his boot, The chief heard th'
familiar crackle and darted like tiger q
him.
.Give it to me, sir! Obey at your periir
He took the burning lucifer from th'
astonished Hardy's hands, carried the ligh
tenderly, as If it were the Kohinoor, across
the floor of the car, and, while the res
watched him. transfxed at the soberius
sight, he lighted the petroleum heater anC
then the lamp in the Atkinson cooker. H.
shut the doors tightly, to keep the slightes
breath away from the lamps, and theI
handed the almost extinguished match bach
to Mr.. Hardy.
There! Light your cigar now. It is the
last match used without my written insfruc
tiona Sealed in tin box, the matches
shall be carried about my person."
Now, continued the Sergeant, Eve will
take formal ballot. We have on hand
81 matches apd two stoves lighted, neither
of which, with the care we shall bestow upon
them, ought to 60 out for five months; we
have petroleum in abundance to heat this
car, and to cook as long as we shall be able
to stay in it The question is, shall We
take even the slightest risk and proceed on
our journey as We are, or shall we descend,
exposing ourselves, perhaps, to ignorant
ridicule and attack, and our sole source OF
hope and safety to possible wanton, preju-
diced destruction?"
the first time since tb.v had started liyhted
a cigar. as If in pracetnl anoIocv At Jack
Hardy's cigarette. He was fercely excited;
SO were his COMPANIONS They followed his
example, and soon the fragrant whiffs
brought certain quiet to their nerves.
The peculiar advantages and dissdvan-
untried. Not even the daring inventor
had realized the terrible perils that this
expedition involved. He had more cour-
ace than he had IMAGINED. In such
a new venture. the ratio Of uncertainty far
outbalances the value of the certainty. Yet
in this comfortable. warm. even COW car,
| thew ara like the traveller VINO did not know
that the train had passed safely over tho
tottering culyert at the rate of so miles an
hour, until the next station had been safely
reached. Their very Ignorance increased
the chances of their ultimate success.
'sWhen NAV we expect to get there?'
asked Jack. The ardent tutor was about
to open his mouth to answer, when he saw
bis chief preparing to speak.
THAT Is easy to calculate, +" said Sergeant
Willtwie sutboritstiveiy. IF the Aero.
pole maintains a speed of 200 miles an hour,
We are due at the North Pole at 4 O'Clock
tomorrow morning, according to Chicago
time. II we only average $50 miles. we
shall be DELAYED until trifIe after 6 in the
morning: we shall then arrive between 6
and 8. Gentlemen. We shall accomplish in
less than "a hours what centuries of treasure
and life could not do"
Indeed, so steady, 50 swift and 50 straight
as if the chiefs words were about to be-
But now. in spite of the well.padded
walls. cold blasts beuan to chill the car. The
party had been gone hardly over an hour
and q halt, and the thermometer, fastened
without and read from the window, had
dropped nearly 300 The tutor even
affirmed that be could watch its gradual
descent
ST vote we keen right on" said Royal:
"we've got matches enough, and expect to
be back in a week, The heater can't 20 out.
Keep Jacks hands off the matchbox. and
we'll get on all right"
'Then, gentlemen, We will record our
votes on naner This ia too serious a ones
ton for an informal ballot. MI. Bali has
been Commissioned by me to keep the rec
ords of this expedition, as we'll as to act as
assistant engineer He will take your votes
and count then" The Sergeant nodded At
the astronomical member of the expedition.
The tutor. with a gravity commensurate
with the situation, took the slips and read
them. He announced Q unanimous vote to
70 ahead.
every we'll, gentlemen" said the Ser |
reant. sTt Is our mutual will to proceed,
and We do so at our mutual risk. God |
help us!''
terrupted the tutor with a preoccupied air.
He was reading the barometer. Their
altitude was constant at about a thousand
feet.
"What the Dickens do Won meap?" de-
manded the astonished real estate agent
of the Young scientist
The tutor smiled. "It means that as we
approach the north we enter into longer
DAYS The Aeropole will outrun the NIGHT
We have left darkness behind MS until We
return. About the pole. Won know. there
is no night this time of the YEAR" This
fact, so patent to the Arctic explorer. was
izipply he had FORGOTTEN this fact. but did
not think II necessary TO saw so.
"Wbewi That's blamed oneer nrs. al
that lack HARDY conId And IN SOW He
looked ont. His watch marked e.so H
pazed at the ann That orb of dav wb;cb
poets assure ma hssten in its declining
course to the vest had refused In Ssci;ns
r. stood still, ~
sThst is . simmer 4" ,a;d .rack "we
beat the sun. NV Aunt Maria would have
ziven her Fortune to b.vs hs.n ;n,;.ad ''
"NoV. eentlemen J" .s;d ' seraasnt o Will
twie AFTER this informat;on had snnL.n ;n,o
H.. mind. of - - n,;oh. aI naI,tLa I NV
,encers Of IN. sir,S:n t.tb. zoo ron.;na 10y ofth pd
.1hihit,on will hsr;n yon Iii nhI;oa " VIZ e
Nv each nutt;nS an hi. a ,ct;. .in.hsss ~"
Tili assist Won Il necessary Atthe r.t;o ~