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

utmost care to prevent all from being swept
into the glacier below.
Out of the Trap at Last.
At last, however, we regained the un-
broken snow-clad heights of the inland, and
never did appreciate more fully the old
German song, "Auf dem Hohen ist Frei-
heit." Once more we could set our course
and keep it. In this work Nalegaksoak, my
best dog and king of the team, received q
spraln which resulted in my losing him four
days later. Here, too, lost my spy glass
in creyasse, and narrowly escaped the loss
of Lion and Pau, two of my best dogs In
another crevasse both fell till their traces
stopped them, and then hung suspended
until hoisted out.
Once back on the upper level of the in
land, 5000 feet above the sea, and with
clear weather to help me, could make out
the geography of the surface, and could see
the depression of the glacier basin still
sweeping away to the eastward. Bearing
away to the eastward until I could round
this depression, again started northeast.
was soon brought up, however, BY another
group of ere vases, so to 100 feet in width,
extending across my course, and, as luck
would have it, just as I reached these .
dense fog swept up the glacier basin from
the coast, shrouding the crevasses and our
selves in light which made it dangerous
to advance in any direction.
Big Crevasses Had to Be Flanked.
The only thing to do was to wait until
this cleared away, which was not until 18
hours later Then . half hours reconnois-
sance enabled me to flank the crevasses and
proceed on my course again. By this time
Astrup and myself had named the glacier
basin which had caused us so much trouble,
the bottomless pit, and had grown to hate
the sight OF the land.
I made up my mind now, in order to
avoid further delay and annoyance from
those great glacier basins, to strike still
them completely. In attempting to carry
out this plan, however, I found the snow
increasing in depth so rapidly and the sur
face of the inland ice rising at such steep
grade as advanced into the interior, that
I began to waver in my decision, and finally
gave up in favor of a more northerlv course.
We had hardly made four miles in this
when once more the big sledge,
strained and weakened by the rough work
Of the last eight days, broke down again.
and we lost an estire day in repairing and
it and restoring It's load.
All the Dogs at One Sledge.
The first drop in temperature was eagerly
seized upon to advance again, and with
Astrup and myself assisting, and with all
the dogs at one sledge, we succeeded with
double banking in advancing 6N miles.
The following day the going was much bet
ter, but hardly had we got well straight
ened out before the land, this time in reality
the shores of Sherarl Osborne, rose into
view shead of us, and once more found
northeast and then to the east.
Night found us 1615 miles to our credit,
and another great glacier basin yet to be
weathered. An idea of the next day can
perhaps be best obtained from an extract
from my journal:
Another discouraging day within sight of
the baleful shores of this Arctic Sahara, but
we are on the height once for good, I hope,
and also trust free from further obstacles,
II there Is any truth in the superstition Of
the evil eye, the coasts of this inland ice
surely have evil eyes. just as long as the
black cliffs peer up at us over the round OF
The ice cap, just SO long are we beset with
wind storms, furious drifts and fogs
The dogs seem possessed with devils,
The sledge ana odometer broken, some
ost % al and % eyepythine ~ % seems to 20 oi wrons 70 T
Once out of its sight we find summer
weather. light winds, little drfft-in a word,
peace and comfort. The intolerable drift
as it beat under and through every
minute aperture of the tarpaulin, and
melted as it fell on our faces and clothing.
0ne of my best dogs, CASTOR was dead lame
p one leg and unable to pull. and the traces
we're fearfully tangled and frozen into the
1rift at the hitching post.
Only Eight Miles of Headway
We had advanced but eight miles when
We found ourselves hemmed in by series
If huge concentric crevices The remainder
IF the day was spent II econnoitering for
safe snow bridges by which they could be
crossed. This could be done only in q
direction, and night found us
further south than we were in the morning.
Once two of my dogs were down in
,revasse, and once the little sledge, with
all our biscuits and 100 pounds of pemmi-
IAN, broke through, and but for a project
which temporarily supported it till Astrup
Ind myself could pull 1t out of danger, we
'hould have lost all.
At night, feeling of relief at being
gain out of the woods, as it we're, sent me,
+ such a thing were possible, to even
ounder sleep than usual, and 81 hours of
efreshing slumber put a hungry brain and
'ody in better trim, and gave everything q
'ery different aspect.
During this march we covered 1917 miles
'ver a snow surface, which every now and
hen, as we marched along, settled slightly
'eneath our weight, with sound remind
ng me Of the swash of the ground-swell
'reaking in calm summer days on the beach
It Seabright or Long Branch, OF Oil long
White Caribbean beaches backed by palms
nd wagering under vertical sun.
4 Mild Attack of the Blues Confessed.
The next day, although we covered 1S |
niles, both Astrup and myself had mild |
ttack of the blues, partly because we were
bliged TO buckle down and help the dogs |
IL day, but principally, think, because,
nth the utmost exertion, it seemed impos- |
ible Tor US to raise the days record to 20 |
niles again. The next day, however, we |
nee more got in the swim and closed our
ecord that night with 20k miles, land be-
ng visible to the northwest, north and |
orth-northeast all day.
The moral effect of our better going and |
ur better speed was very perceptible, both
n ourselves and our dogs. At times the
alter would of themselves break into a
rot, and we had been marching but short
ime when heard Astrup singing merrily
s he kept along beside the sledge. During
bis march the sun seemed unusually warm,