The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-05-29
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A Da5hto the Pole. @
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By. Herbert Ward.
WRITTEN ESPECIALLY FOR THE HELENA INDEPENDENT.
By Herbert DMard..

To zee only the same Ice, the same sncW,
tho same wind, the same C0Idt the same
landscspe, after an unparalleled journey ~
not Inspiring; ~ Mas e Y ne g. sa,o q We
and ono excepted some strange .phencmenA
to mark tho spot. Petty scisnttsts have a.
gusd for an extraordinary something % Ne
north pole. whereby the exact plAoo cam 10
identified. But neither In there An Open
sea, an undiscovered current, : prehiat0tio
cavern teeming with an antedeluvian gaee
of beings; nor 10 there Q thAw OF d de-
seription. There II an everlasting aceumu.
lation Of leo and snow. perhaps tmpercepei-
patches Of islands that lock ths Rrsat los
mass about the pole-but . current OF w.
ter-no! A current of iCe4 Ferhaps--yeol
"You will let NE take the final obsefva.
tons, won't yonY" Tbs tutor spoke fssbly,s
commander, who had seen nifty msn die
beside him Of starvation and exposure,
knew the symptoms too we'll. He bont
over his young companion a. tondsfIy -
father.
Are Won warm now?, he asked.
Almost! II | could only get dry 4
should feel comfortable. Say. old fsllows
Pm sorry I'm done up. You'll let sem1
know that p D
Hush, my boy, Of course IawilI. YouplI
rest. Don't think about the internal polss
Go to sleepg'
The wan face looked back q the speaker.
as IL plying his forlorD hope, and then HID
lips closed. His mine wandered. Ha
drsamth of warmth and drynsss, Of food
and home, and = happy look came over
his pinched face, even az the Visions
passed.
But the sergeant could not sleep. H.
threw himself down beside the tutor thstS
thought whats madness il Was to ~ whs1eS
he WIS, and OF the same madness that had
killed hundreds. before this boy. HI NO.
longer felt the impatience Of his sslf-im-
posed mission. He wondered IL Tho world
were benefited BY his animal sndurAncs
was folly in his heroism. One lifs al-
rendy lay At his door; he vent 10 Tar N "a
wish that he had never made tho trinm-
plant attempt-snd then be slept
start. A faint light streamsd through nm
Opaque blocks of snow about thsm. Ho
felt for the bottle of alcohol ~ hid si6os
and with care lighted tho spirit lamp. HeI
had twenty matches LETT and AZ GloaHo6,
over them 10 he rsplaced them IA On tin'
box. These would last them M IN ratS7 Ox
ons a day until NJ got back. HeM-nn4&
hsnceforth be satisfied with ono meAt IN
twsnty-four hours. The lantern had laatodg
until . short time ago. Then ~ maaS5 th1l
discovery That hs could not spare w sDiriAss
He boiled the water and then awcks his
companion gently. The tutor, turned sovoeS
and murnurod in his uneasy sleep ths nansa
dearest to the human heart, ..MothsTy,
The sergeant dared mot lot him sleen
longer, and aroused him sitter afsw shaksa
1t took the sufferer Z few minutes w WV
member where he was. The brain WCrka
slowly after it has been partially congsaled..s
When ho r~sooanized the face abovs hila
horror psrvaded his face.
Come. old fellow. drink q little Of thin.
The whisky in it will give you life.n
The warmth restored the circulation; tha
thin blood gave q feeble hope; tho =
man ssengsd to rally. They brsakfasSsd
rsyally Oh canned lambs tongues atewed IN
onions. The tutor ate ~ much ~ he cOuld
n began to throw of his deadly stupor.
With foil stomaehs their excitement ~
turned. The tntor insisted on being hsipeA
consulted their watches. BY corrected tinaSeS
they calculated that ii was within a hour
of IL. but whether night Or day they coald
not tell.
As they walked. the susor breathsds
II fee! q lack Of nil" he said. "My had
rings. What does the barometer sayf,s
Sergeant Wil!twiR looked. The aneyoid
told him that they were at an elevation "
$4,000 feet. Intending to make thcrouah
had not looked at the sensitive instrunenk
for 10 hours.
what does il say?'' asked the Autox.
after q pause too long to realize ! simple
inquire.
''How p"
1.-The blamed thing puts az on an elova.
ton of fifteen thousand odd feet. What
nonsenseo'
The tutor looked grave. Until Ross did.
covered the magnetic pole in 1881 the nosth-
ern regions had played mischief with tha
needle of the compass. What was there 81
the geographical pole TO affect The barom-
eter which, taking account Of the minuto
variations OF temperature, nsvsr played
shake It'll" suggested the tutor lettino
his blue glasses wander over the range 81
binding ice and snow. Around fkam
stretched an immense plain OF ragged. 1orn
foes and blocks of ice.
Ground together, these assumed fanNaa.
tic shapes. At u half mile from whore thsv
stood, jutting land stood forth. Qrav mi
solitary. Perhaps il was tbs tip Of : raoun-
tain peak; perhaps the head Of an ivIand
emerging from the eternal snow. IheseB
was no mark but this In sight-no tudionsg
ton of a remarkable elevation, nothIna ~
that they had asoendod higher thant ~
care of Mont Blanc.
With feeble hands the tutor, ~undauntod
privatlon and deadly exposure. began Is
adjust his instruments and make his neas.
and calculations.
The problems Of the pole are many. Tia:
first il to lind IL. The second II to nrov~
that you have found il. Tho nasssufspsnS
Of a degree OF the meridian al the pole n ID
ITSELF reason TO got there. Again. the burn-
ing question must BIO solved, 70 what a.
gree IL the earth flattened at the polsY
The tutors hand shook. Judge how I
hand would shake il IL should Be yuur ~
to discover the largest diamond - 49,
world. Men have gone mad Al unesSthinS
. nugget OF gold. -
The sergeant locked at his aomnaui0n
The young man shIvsyed nm
excitement n cold. He xuipod do1H
2 few swallows OF brandy and VorfSI Ss$
From slime 20 timo he ~ doV4 n
upon the Ice. He seemed nrS1f9
by the power OF . great puspoSS, ~
persistence was ghastly,
lro HE cosrrxusn.l
copyright. 1852. by y. II Mcclure An ,isxx44R