Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-02

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The Aluminium Boats.
cans and Norwegians together. The en-
thusiasm over this expression was very
great, and after that Professor French,
DIR. Mohun. Mr.. Dodge, Professor oven,
the writer and others of our party had no
oifhculty In rousing the imagination Of
our generous Norwegian hosts. We prom
ised them to carry the two flags, those of
the United States and of Norway, as far
as We should be able to go. and to leave
them there together to mark the friendship
which exists between the two peoples If
the arrival Of daylight-daylight comes pro-
vokingly early in this part of the world
had not cut short the number of INSTALL
ments In our speeches, probably We should,
ere concluding, have promised them to an
mex all the lands in the arctic regions to
the future Norwegian republic.
They have nag question of their own
over here. There is a flag with union in
II, typical of allegiance to the King of
Sweden and Norway. Another flag has no
union, and II Is, of course, the favorite Of
that rising party in this country which ia
vors separation from Sweden and the es-
Enlistment of a Norwegian republic 1t
was easy to see that we were in danger Of
being involved in a flag controversy and
possibly in some international complica-
tons, Tor there was suspicious curiosity
on all sides to know whether the flag to
be hoated from the masthead of the Ragn-
valid Jarl was to be union or non-union
Some of the Norwegian members of our
party are uniontSts and some are not, and
this made the situation all the more en-
barrassng. We finally decided that with
the politics of Norway We had nothing to
90; We will keep our political aspirations
tiH-we get to the north pole, and there we
hope to put the Ice king to rout and take
possession of the land in the name of the
Washington Press Club. The Norwegian
flag which We carry is the flag of the gov
try viii i,
hansen. who is a republican, seriously Of
Tended the king by taking his flag without
but that Is privilege which a subject
might dare, but which a foreigner could
not venture upon, even If he were so dis
posed.
The Center of Attraction.
The good luck which has so far attended
US in every port of our enterprise was en-
phasized in Aalesund. Contrary to fears
all our shipments arrived in good time and
in good order. Our precious aluminium
boats and sledges, which the bills of lading
had marked as ''insecurely packed, con-
tents broken and parts missing" words
which caused a succession of cold shivers
to run down all our backs, came to hand
In perfect order. Scarcely a bolt was
broken, and the beautiful aluminium boats
came out OF their crates without a scratch
or mar on their long voyage. So with the
sledgeS and their water-tight food cases
which more than ever resembled what we
ourselves have jokingly called them-'a
tank line to the north pole'-now that
we have them altogether. The boats in
stantly became a center of attraction In
Aalesund, rivaling most successfully the
best looking and most debonair members
or our party in the affections of the ladies'
The trim little craft, whose sledge bottoms
scarcely dampened themselves in the blue
water OF the fiord when put overheard,
were at once surrounded by crowds who
fleets tn Va.
had been little anxious as to the iudg-
ment of the Norwegian boatmen upon our
boats, for they are accustomed to the use
of heavy craft, with broader beams and
thick skins. Beside such boats our little
craft, though obviously Of fine model and
superb workmanship, were sure to appear
frail as cockle5hells.
But the Norwegian boatmen were delight
ed with the aluminium boats They rowed
them TO and fro and smiled as the shells
glIded SO easily over the water They tried
an vain to tip one C. them over, half a
dozen men throwing their weight upon the
gunwale of the Lockwood as our boat No.
i Is named in honor OF the gallant Ameri-
can who made the proud record of the
farthest north Our second boat is named
the Parry, after the greatest of all arctic
explorers of this century, Sir Edward
Parry, the Englishman who made the far
thest north in 1871. that stood as the record
in polar work for fifty years. starting from
the same island of Spitzenbergen for which
we are now steaming. Our third or work.
ing boat, is named the Kane, in honor of
DIR. Kane, the American who added so
much luster to the record of cur country
men in arctic exploration. The Norwegian
boatmen cut up all sorts of capers with
these little craft and finally gave their
opinion as eXperts-and there are no better
boatmen in the world-that they would do
the work for which they had been built:
that they were splendid sea boats; that
they could be beached through a roaring
surf. and that they would do everything
n small boat ought 10 do except sail to
windwsrd. This we already knew and 1t
is point without Importance in our
scheme. We were therefore much relieved
10 learn that the verdict of the jury of
srizzled boatmen and fishermen was In our
favor.
A Touching Farewell.
Today the people of Aalesund gave us a
farewell that touched all our hearts. We
had appointed o'clock as the sailing hour,
put long before that time the people as
semoied In dense throng upon the custom
house quay. Owing to difficulty encounter
eo oy our men in getting aboard from the
famine ST. Helena, the pack Of draft dogs,
sOhe Oh which had become obstreperous
.nrough their many days of idleness, it
"1s o CLOCK before the Ragnvald Jarl
SO e..aLned INTO the harbor. In half an hour
uur party appeared, Americans and Nor
MeSlans, already the best of friends march
ing SIDE by side, and stepped on board At
that instant the American colors were run
10 the fore peak of the steamer the band
on the wharf struck up 1.-The Star Spanglad
banner, and the people cheered. In fifteen
minutes all the good-byes had been said we
had bowed our prettiest to thrice three
CHEERS Tor the Americans who were not
AFRAID to venture where others had failed
hao responded TO million wavings Of
handkerchiefs In the hands of fair friends.
ana the engines of the Jarl were set in
n otlon. AS we steamed out the ships in
the harbor dipped their colors the guns of
the fort tired q salute. and We rnn1ntinr