The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-10-29


least Land, Cape Platen bearing southwest.
The ice Is no rough in every direction, even
that from which wo have come, that 1t IL
difiicult to see how we arc to move Mt all.
We arc, in fact, wholly surrounded by &
4 frozen Jungle which grows moro forbid
IfinC and imphssable ms the northwest
l6t0rms heat up tho ice and with the power
Ibf million Hydraulic presses ceaselessly
lxnm and jam it upon the shore. Some
way out of this dilemma must be found,
( and our scouts are now out looking for
lcasiblo road.
When last wrote, you we were at the
|occne Of the wreck of the Jarl, Walden is
hand On the last day of May Dodge and
IL. with Nate Sandbu and the sailor Hovde,
who wcrc engaged TO go with tho expedi'
!; ;11on, set out fer our camp, 90 miles Co the
i0oetward. Most interesting is 4 trip like
Ithis on skis. Absolute stiffness prevails,
ioxccpt as ID is broken by the shuttle Of the
wooden runners over the snow and the
TAPS Of the bamboo sticks which the r2en
{hod In their hands. One man, as a rule,
I1ollowa another, as by so doing he can
! keep the course without mental effort and
Inay dpxe IL 'he likes as he moves along.
+! The long, black snow skates just in front
I0e's--follow one another i'm eve9y move.
Imcnt with tho rhythm of geared ma.
lohips and Iul the runner almost to sleep.
|(Opecr optical delusions affect a man as he
inlides over the frozen surface. On either
side Of the track the snow now appears tc
jxfse in high ridges, SO that the skates are
drumming In groove, or the reverse effect
Ioppcars In. the eyes OF the traveller, and he
a. IL I. -
wave, giving him apprehensions of slip
Il ping - one side or the other. AS matter
Let fast. the surface IL perfectly level. II
n rough now and then, 30 be sure, rs the
Hummer discovers only by finding his skates
looming to standstiil at the foot Of 1T
ltle elevation which his eyes had been un.
loblc to discern. In this vast expanse oi
white all levels appear the same, and the
'.oyes, even when well protected with
Y glasses, have hazy mist over them. Over
mood snow the ski Is an ideal skate, fan
4 superior 90 tho Canadian snowshoe. We
have snowshoes with US, but have not ms
yet used them. AS long as the tompera.
Sure Is 8 or moro degrees below freezing
tthe ski slips along beautifully. It's great
advantage over the Indian snowshoe is
that with every push Of his foot the runner
telides few inches, thus lengthening his
pace without increase OF energy. The dis.
tance slipped with each stroke may be
fonly four or five inches, but add four OF
i've inches TO every pace Of n walker, with.
out extra effort on his part and it is easy
70 see how rapidly and easily he will put
the miles behind him. Consequently tbs
good ski runner literally shoyes his wood.
en- skate under him with lunEc forward
l. r.
hind so as TO make tho strokes es long ms
Hpossible The skis are not lifted from the
enow az all Most experts use but one
stick. pushing themselves along with 10
littlo ar ovcry other stroke bot when grcA.
speed Is desired two sticks are better, foi
I1hen one can nee both arms as well rs his
legs I'm getting himself over the ground.
On good. hard snow ski runner will
cover four or i've miles an hour and keep
81 ND all day without az much fatigue as
ono wonrd feel from walking at half the
|epcel oyc- a good road, but when the snow
D. so.t nnd silky The SKI is not Of muoli
fhdvautag5. hT then the wooden skntc
t1akc on % aiding motion, and tho result
IS SIMPLY walking with six pounds oi
oeiclt Oh either foot But even under
f@Ich tirCufactanccs tlc skl may be q great
L.eip "a tLs ~ 81 Is deep, TOT II prevents ttt
bot ci ihc clkcr sinking deep down. II
-inn 5.ecn.cs snowsloc instead Of .
M.ars .Jd "a this a. well as other PARTON.
Hrs li.1 i D. npcrior % the Canadian
~. VA is-. q ,ti adaptable TO a grtatcr vari
~ ~ ga. -ec- II fortune will only favor
Nfs Ntiba ta. % reach the unnappcd land.
81 10 trrfhni there wc hope GO have an
oDo1rtuni,s so see what soneof our crack