The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1894-11-22

east Land, Cape Platen bearing southwest.
The ice is SO rough in every direction, even
that from which we have come that it is
difficult to see how we are to move at all.
We are, in fact, wholly surrounded by
frozen jungle which grows more forbid
ding and impossible as the northwest
storms beat up the ice and with the power
of million hydraulic presses ceaselessly
ram and jam it upon the shore. Some
way out of this dilemma must be found,
and our scouts are now out looking for a
feasible road
When last l wrote, you we were at the
scene of the wreck of the Jarl, Walden is
land. On the last day of May Dodge and
1, with Mate Sandbu and the sailor Hovde,
who were engaged to go with the expedi
tion, set out for our camp, 20 miles to the
eastward. Most interesting is a trip like
this on skis. Absolute stiffness prevails,
except as it is broken by the shuttle of the
wooden runners over the snow and the
taps of the bamboo sticks which the men
hold in their hands. One man, as a rule,
follows another, as by so doing he can
keep the course without mental effort and
may dOze if he likes as he moves along.
The long, black snow skates just in front
of him-two pairs, his own and his lead
er's-fOllow one another in every move
ment with the rhythm of geared ma
chine and lull the runner almost to sleep.
Queer optical delusions affect man as he
slides over the frozen surface. On either
side of the track the snow now appears to
rise in high ridges, SO that the skates are
running I'm groove, or the reverse effect
appears in the eyes of the traveller, and he
then is sliding upon the crest of a snow
wave, giving him apprehensions of slip
ping to one side or the other. AS a matter
of fact, the surface is perfectly level. 1t
is rough now and then, to be sure, as the
runner discovers only by finding his skates
coming to standstill at the foot of lit
tie elevation which his eyes had been un-
able to discern. In this vast expanse of
white all levels appear the same, and the
eyes, even when well protected with
glasses have a hazy mist over them. Over
good snow the ski is an ideal skate, far
superior to the Canadian snowshoe. We
have snowshoes with us, but have not as
yet used them. AS long as the tempera-
ture is or more degrees below freezing
the ski slips along beautifully. Its great
advantage over the Indian snowshoe is
that with every push of his foot the runner
slides few inches, thus lengthening his
pace without increase of energy. The dis
tance slipped with each stroke may be
only four or five inches, but add four or
five inches to every pace of walker, with
out extra effort on his part, and it is easy
to see how rapidly and easily he will put
the miles behind him. Consequently the
good ski runner literally shoves his wood
en- skate under him with lunge forward
and knees bent, trailing the other foot be-
hind SO as to make the strokes as long as
possible The skis are not lifted from the
snow at all. Most experts use but one
stick, pushing themselves along with it q
little at every other stroke, but when great
speed is desired two sticks are better, for
then one can use both arms as we'll as his
legs in getting himself over the ground.
On good, hard snow a ski runner will
cover four or five miles an hour and keep
it up all day without as much fatigue as
one would feel from walking at half the
speed over good road, but when the snow
is soft and sticky the ski is not of much
advantage, for then the wooden skates
take on no sliding motion, and the result
is simply walking with six pounds Of
weight on either foot. But even under
such circumstances the ski may be great
help IL the snow is deep, for it prevents the
foot Of the walker sinking deep down. 1t
then becomes q snowshoe instead Of q
skate, and in this as well as other particu-
lars the ski is superior to the Canadian
snowshoe and adaptable to q greater vari-
ETY. Of surfaces. II fortune will only favor