The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-05-09

Josef Land, there to establish headquar-
tiers during the coming autumn The
press here almost daily remarks that
these two expeditions. Jackson's and
ours. are characteristic Of the people who
send them forth. While jackson. like
the true Englishman he is. goes out for
a four years campaign to make his way
poleward by easy stages, carrying his
supply depots farther and farther and
making sure Of every foot Of ground
which he gains, the Americans make a
rush at the goal, or, as the News puts
1t, endeavor ito wing the pole by sort
Of snapshot"
Tt is needless to remark that Mr.. Jack
sons plan has advantages which ours
does not possess, and that we have some
advantages over him. Whom fortune
will favor time alone can disclose, but
meanwhile the English and American
aspirants for polar honors are getting on
well together. One of the pleasantest
incidents of our stay in London was the
farewell luncheon given by the Jackson
Harmsworth polar expedition to the
Walter Wellman polar expedition" at
men were present, and it would have
pleased every American reader of this
letter to hear the hearty expressions of
good will given us by our English cous-
ms. "Of course we prefer that an En-
gl'shman should have the honor of VIM
bur if it can't be an Englishman we
hope it may be and believe it will be an
American. That keeps it in the great
English family"
one of the leading English journals
offered us a large sum for the privilege
of sending its special correspondent with
Us. but we could not accept. Another
agreed to pay us a reward of $4,000 for
reaching the north pole pre- vide6 We
would send to It 70 exclusive use the
accounts of our travels. This also was
declined. as the tradesmen over here say
in stencil on their receipted bills, with
best thanks"
An Englishman called our attention TO
old statute under which he said we
could win a reward of almost fabulous
proportions by reaching the north pole.
1t seems that years ago parliament Of
fered $4,000 for discovery Of the pole and
lesser sums for attaining the eighty-fifth.
Just as we had begun to dream Of the
royal f5. 900 it was discovered that the
provisions of the. statute in question ap-
piled only to discovery Of the pole with
a ship. and a British ship at that. This
bars us out. for cannot claim our lit
tie aluminium boats TO be ships. nor are
we willing to haul the stars and stripes
from their single bamboo masts.
The news that comes to US from Nor
way is encouraging. Our Christana
agent has been here, and he says the
which go out for whale seal and bottle
nose sharks are confident that this is TO
be an extraordinarily favorable year for
navigation in the northern waters. The
winter has been uncOmmOnly mild and
greater quantities of ice than usual have
f1Oated out of the arctics. In fact. there
is more ice in the Atlantic about the
banks of Newfoundland than for many
years and all the transatlantic steam
ships have had trouble with it. The
more ice in the Atlantic the less in the
waters about Spitzbergen and the better
chance for us to find the southern mar
gin of the ice pack a considerable dis
lance from the northern shore Of Spitz-
bergen. The farther north it is the bet
ter, though if the open character of the
winter and spring has caused more ice
to be set in drift we may have delay and
difficulty in reaching the edge of the
pack At the same time we do not for
get that sailing vessels have been as far
north as S1IR degrees in May, cruising
along the edge of the solid pack, and we
are hoping to find a somewhat similar
condition of affairs this year. If we do.
we shall have so much the better chance
of success.
We 60 now 10 the continent after the
long-eared draft dogs, the beasts Of bur
den of the Dutch and Belgian cities,
which we hope to make such good use
of in the far north.
WALTER WELLMAN.