The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1894-10-03

! this storm beat the record as tne mos
severe ever experienced by any Arcti
party. All Friday was spent in dig
ging out the sledges, feeding the dogs
getting them in shape as far as practi
cable, and making and repairing har
nesses.
The following day gave early prom
lse OF being a favorable one, out we hat
travelled only a short distance wher
the wind aud drift met US again, ant
at the end of three miles forced US K
camp. Tuesday, the 9th of March
was a bright sunshiny day with just s
light, northeasterly breeze, and com
paratively high temperature so
Fahr.) The demon of the ice can, how
ever, had only begun to play bis cards
Less than two miles away from the
camp, Baldwin's big sledge, while
going over huge marble-like sastrugi
broke in the bend Of one of the run
ners, and we were delayed an hour OF
two lasbing another sledge alongside it,
making a tbree-runner sledge. At the
end of The fifth mile Entrikin's sledge,
the "Long Serpent" ran upon the
sharp edge of an ugly, ragged sastrugi
and hung there broken backed. This
ended the days march, and we went
into camp to unload and repair both
sledges. -
This was the first day since leaving
the cache igloos that we had been able
to see more than few yards about US.
The surface of the inland ice lay in
long swells. Each successive one was
slightly higher than the preceding, and
all rose somewhat higher to our right,
and descended somewhat lower to our
left. The surface was firm, yet cloth.
like in texture, and the rasping of the
sledge runners over it came to my ears
crisp and resonant, even when three,
quarters of a mile away. At frequent
intervals were huge sastrugi, offspring
of the storm, marblelike in whiteness
and hardness, all pointing toward
Kane Basin, whence the equlnoctlai
storm bad issued, and which, hurtling
across the icy canopy of Prudhoe Land,
had fallen upon the party at Equinoc-
tial Camp.
MIRAGE ON THE INLAND ICE.
Throughout the entire march there
were constant mirage effects, causing
curious distortions of the members of
the party, sledges and dogs; and a
white frost cloud Of condensation ae-
companied each team. A brilliant par
helion also displayed its prismatic
colors for an hour OR two during the
day. At this camp three of the dogs
that were unable to go on were killed
and used as dog food. After the dogs
were fastened and fed, I found that the
boys were so discouraged by the mis-
haps of the day that made no attempt
to have the sledges repaired, but fixed
up milk punch and had every one
turn in.
The next morning the temperature
by the spirit thermometer was-5l0
Fahr., rising later to-360 Fahr.,
but accompanied then by northeast
winds and drift. In this weather and
temperature, and without shelter, En-
trikin and Baldwin repaired their
sledges, and Clark overhauled and re.
paired all. the harness. This simple
statement conveys no idea of what
this work really meant. While en-
gagged in it Entrikin got the bottoms OF
his feet nipped, and this was the begin
ming of his serious trouble. T..
After his work was done the "Long
Serpent" was much sitter and easier
running sledge than before. and I had
hopes that it would last to Indepen-
dence Bay. Although it was after 6
O'Clock when the sledges were COM
pleted, We harnessed up and went on
for few miles rather than camp a Sec
ond night in the same place.
During this march the wind and
temperature, acting upon the moisture
of Baldwiu's breath, froze his kooletah
so rigid that he could neither walk nor
turn his head, and was obliged to come
into camp riding on bis sledge. Here
we were obliged to assist him in re.
moving the ice aud snow, which had
almost completely closed the face open
ing of his kooletah.
The next day was clear, with tenn
perature ranging from-360to --4O'
Fahrenheit. With everything in re-
pair and good surface over which to
travel, we should have made good pro-
gress, but the wind and drift directly
ahead we're on hand again, and at the
end of ten miles Entrikin's team baked,
and, in spite of the assistance of Bald.
win and myself, refused to 60 further.
In his efforts to start the sledge, Entri'
kin strained his back, and this, TO-
gether with the frostbitten feet, put
bim in decidedly sober mood. The
next morning, when we awoke, Clark's
nose, which had projected too fai
through the face Of his kooletah, was
frozen to the sleeping bag, and bad to
be thawed off by the warmth Of the
hands.
Entrikin was in 90 condition to
march, so We remained III campto give
him chance to rest and get in condi-
ton. Tbe temperature during the day
was well down in the minus forties.
falling at I o. NJ, $50 and remain.
ing throughout the night between -55'
and $50 Fahr.
Every one except myself passed an
exceedingly comfortless night. Being
unencumbered by sleeping bag, 1 was
able, if my feet got chilly, to restore the
warmth by pounding them upon the
snow.
The next day we pushed ahead five
miles more. but the work showed that
Entrikin was not yet in trim to stand
a good days march. The continued
low temperature, too, in the forties and
ffties below zero, with the almost con-
stant wind. gave my dogs no chance tc
recover from the effects Of the equinoc
tial storm, and had a perceptibly numb
ing effect upon the physical and men
| tai faculties of my party. One OF my
best dogs died this oay from the effects
Of that storm. Several had frostbitten
feet, and were unable to pull properly
Others were passing blood. Lion, the
hardy veteran of the previous trip, was
laid up with sore leg, and almost al
the animals still had more or less of the
snow Of the equinoctial storm remain
ing il their coats.
As a last resort-I decided to remair
in this camp two days to give Entrikir
q final chance. and to see if II was pos
sible to get the dogs in any better con
dition. Throughout these two day:
the temperature was we'll down in tht
fcrties, below zero. The Temperature
in the tent at my head for the twt
mornings was 450 and 40 respectively
On April 3, at the end of the day:
march we had covered fifteen miles