Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-02
WELLMAN HEARD FROM
His Wife Has Received Two Letters From
Him.
All Were Well When He Wrote, and
Conditions Were Favcrable-They
Were Brought by the Saide.

Letters have been received In this city
this week from Mr.. Walter WelIman. who,
with his expedition, Is somewhere between
Washington and the north pole The letters
are by no means OF recent date but at the
same time they bring some definite informa-
ton as to the welfare Of the party, and
would seem to prove that some, at least, of
the statements contained in the alarming
reports as to his safety were false Further.
more, they make 1t look almost as though
some studied attempts were being made "a
| discount the success of the expedition II
seems rather curious that the letters should
have been brought down from Danes Island
by the yacht Sadie, the very vessel that
brought the most alarming rumors.
Totally Different Statements.
According to the stories brought by the
Saide from the north, the ice is unusually
thick and bad this season, and it was con-
jectured that Mr.. Wellmans ship, the
Ragnvald Jarl must have been crushed In
the foe. The letters just received contra
dict the first statement entirely and bear
out Mr.. Wellmans statements made in his
newspaper letters. already printed in The
STAR to the effect that rarely has such an
open season been known as the present one
ana that he hopes to be able to go farther
north before leaving his ship and taking to
the Ice than he had supposed would be pos
slble when he left Washington
The letters were addressed to Mrs. Well
man, Who Is still In the city with their lit
girls. The letters are two in number-one
dated May and the other MAY lO-and
We're received here day before yesterday.
Inc nrst letter was written when the
Ragnvald Jarl was tied up to an iceberg
at SpltZbergen. Her arrival at that point
was considerably ahead Of the date given
by the experts in Norway as the earliest
she could possibly be expected to reach
there.
Conditions Favorable.
Both captains on board said that never in
| all their experience had they known the
sailing. They were confident that they
would be able to make a record for their
ship by going farther north than any ship
had ever gone before. and 1t is this prob
ably that accounts for the delay in return
ing to Tromsoe. the delay that gave rise TO
the rumor that the party had been lost.
They said that they intended to go as far
north as the Seven Islands. If they could
before diSembarking the members of the
party on the Ice. II they did reach there
Mr.. Weliman and his expedition PROBABLY
took to their aluminium boats and sleiges
at that point.
All Right ut Danes Island
1t was expected that the trip to Danes
Island would be accompanied with some
difficulties. but this did not Drove to be the
case at all for they REACHED there on the
following day without nsishap. The second
| letter was dated on heitiay before the ship
left Danes Island AMI IN It Mr.. Weilman
spoke of being very busy Writing. 50 that
1t will probably not be very long before the
readers OF The Star win enjoy some more
OF his interesting descriptions of life in the
far north. The letters Mert left at Danes
Island, where they were picked I'd by the
M writ he
bers of the expedition we're, in the best of
health and spirits. and more confident of
success even than hey were when they
left Washington last spring