Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-09

terfeit. nourishing without heaviness. We
have found, in short that our ration OF
| twenty-four ounces Per day is too much
| rather than too little and that IL necessary
| II may safely be diminished twenty-five pei
| cent or even fifty per cent in an emergency
| A Pleasant Voyage.
Our voyage up the coast OF Norway was
the pleasaatest part Of our journey. We
| were interested IA watching the feet OF
| hundreds of fishing vessels. nearly all OF
the Viking ship model, coming from the
famous Lofoden cod fisheries. 1t was pleas
| ant to note how the days rapidly length
ened till, at the arctic circle, there was al
| midnight only soft, radiant twilight. Now
there Is scarcely even a twilight, and In a
few days we shall see the sun at midnight
| the sun who Is to be our constant compan-
ion ever in the sky for several months
Within the arctic circle too, 1t was a pleas
| ure to bask ia the warm sun and to go up
| on deck in the early morning stark naked
and take our baths by the simple process
OF pouring buckets of sea water over one
another: This in the latitude Of Greenland
| in April,
1t is not always that we can do this I'D
| here with comfort, but this Is an eXtraor-
binary season in the arctic. Today the
streets of Tromso are clear OF snow, earlier
| than for forty years. The people say the
| weather must have been made to our or
| der for We could not have 1t better. Nor
could We fail to be pleased with the pre-
diction of all the arctic navigators that
4
| are sure to meet with SUCCESS
| Organizing for the Dash.
Greatest pleasure of all was to note the
| ease with which we organized ourselves for
/ life and work on shipboard. and the rapid
! ity with which Norwegians and Americans
| became fast friends and boon companions
Realizing at the outset that We are neither
| military nor naval, and that organization
was still necessary, we applied some simple
/ common MIR
able results. We have each day an officer
! OF the day to look after details, and every
man Is assigned to his share Of the work.
! three to looking after the dogs, two to
| table stewards work, and so on through all
| the phases OF ship duty and service No
| cruiser in the white squadron could have its
| analrs In better order or get along with less
| friction than We experience in our daily
| ioutine.
| There is work enough for all. for In addi-
| ton to the ordinary tasks, we must make
| preparations for the Ice journey and for
| our headquarters Food supplies must be
! assorted and packed, boats prepared with
| awning covers and other fittings, boots and
gloves and wearing apparel be overhauled
| and distributed. Dog harness must be made
| AID also canvas harness for the men to
| drag with. Every article or store that Is
! going upon the ice must be weighed for
| weight, next to utility, Is the great consid-
| Grafton in an effort Of this sort. We watch
| every ounce with jealous eye and throw
aside every pound that can be safely dis
| carded.
| The Ragnvald Jarl is as full of stores as
| she can be. we have the three aluminium
| boats, seven sledges, three other boats
| tons of provisions for a possible winterng
| every conceivable article of housekeeping
! necessity. weapons. ammunition, tools by
| the hundred. including a miniature ma
| chine shop, all sorts of articles for repairs
en- the field. alcohol for fuel upon the ice
and barrels of petroleum for light in case
| winter overtakes at the headquarters,
groceries enough to start grocery shop
[ With. boots enough for very respectable
Sshoe store. medicine sufficient to stock an
| ordinary druggist. enough bedding for a
| small hotel, culinary and table articles in
4 quantity and variety most astounding. sci
entiric and Photographic Instruments by
! the score. bamboo poles from the Inflated
| Spectatorium at Chicago for use upon the
ice, mountain rope from the Alpine clubs
| clothing enough to start up an ambitious
| clothier in a small town. and about two
| million other things "too numerous to men,
| ton" as the auctioneers say. Think Of
anything you please. except money, and the
chances are we have 1t. We even have a
passport-pot to the realms Of the Ice king
but to the Russian dominions. issued spe-
ciaily for us by the car at the request Of
Secretary Gresham, through Minister White
II commands the subjects Of the car to
give Us help should we require II. and this
We take along. not because there Is one
chance in ten thousand of our meeting Rus
sian subjects or touching Russian soil. but
because we wish to be provided against even
that remote contingency should our return
be made via Franz-Josef Land, Nova Zem-
bla and Russian Lapland.
Coal md Dogs and FIcas.
In Tromso we took aboard all the coal
the Ragnvald Jari could hold. Every chink
and corner is filled with fuel, for I'm the
arctics coal is sometimes worth Its weight
In gold. Where there is no coal. there
dog may be found. The Ragnvald Jarl Is
as full of dogs as our dogs are of feas and
: Orr ole
dogs are giving a good deal OF trouble,
not because they are weakly or vicious
for they are neither, but simply because
they are dogs. Imprisoned below deck, with
nothing to do but eat and sleep, they fill In
their superabundance of leisure time by try
ing to chew each other into small pieces.
Bob we had to bring On deck because he
broke his chain three times and every time
had one of his mates for breakfast.
Milford, a big poodle sort OF chap, with
corkscrew curls all over his dirty body has
set out to be the king dog and being armed
with sharp teeth and thick WOOL which
fills his assailants' mouths and protects
his hide. he is likely to succeed though II
Is easy to see all the other dogs are craving
chance TO get at him. The pack have
more wounds and bites than DR.. Moburn
could attend to in a week. but luckily they
are in most cases hurts which quickly heal.
We had our first funeral just as we crossed
the arctic circle, consigning to the waves a
poor pup who had been bitten to death by
his mates. Two more have succumbed to
the same disease. and we have found ii nee
essary to organize a regular dog watch
Fortunately we have more dogs than we
need and can still afford to lose a few, IL
the brltes must have amusement at one
another'S expense.
Letters FOR the Pcary Party.
The Ragnvald Jarl Is perhaps the first
steamer that ever carried mail to the north
pole. Besides the American and Norwegian
colors, which have been saluted by all
passing steamers and by the light house
Keepers we have the right to fly the post
pennant If we wish so to do, for we have
on board letters for Mr. Astrup, the Young
Norwegian who Is with Lieut.. Peary from
MS mother. and also for a number of the
members OF DIR. Nansen's brave party The
writer's asked Us 70 carry them in viey of
the bare possibility of there being a meet
ing or two or more of the polar exploring
parties nov In the field in the region Of the
pole.
Unless we are fortunate enough to get
another opportunity to dispatch letters BY
hshlns smack, 1t Is not likely we shall
be again heard from till the return of the
NagnVald Jarl from Spitzbergen, in JULY
At hrst we had intended to send her back
10 Tromso about the LIST of June, but now
~ is PROBABLE We may have need of her in
the north throughout May. and that she
will not reappear in port TIL after the re-
turn or our supporting party from the Ice