The morning call., 1894-08-03
ON TO THE POLE.
Wellman Has Lost His
Ship.
NOT DISCOURAGED YET.
He Boldly Dashes Into the Far
North.
OVER VAST FIELDS OF ICE.
A Rescue Ship Will Be Sent Out
at Once for the
OVER VAST FIELDS OF ICE.

TRoMsoE. Norway. Aug. News
of the Wellman polar expedition has
been received. 1t was brought by the
sealer Malygen, Captain Petersen.
which arrived at Tromsoe to-day with
news dispatches from the expedition
and also Captain Bottelfsen and three sail
ors of the steamer Ragnavald-Jarl, which
carried the Wellman party to the Arctic,
but which has since been wrecked. Cap
tain Bottolfsen furnished the following
narrative of his experiences of the expedi-
ton:
after several battles with ice the Rag
navald-Jarl arrived on May II at Table
Island. one of the seven island groups.
The ice, however, compelled a return to
Walden Island, where Mr.. Welman left
the ship on May "a with thirteen men.
forty dogs and 10 days provisions.
After the party had established depot
they proceeded eastward distance of
sixty miles. thence northeast. hoping to
reach the land that is believed to exist
in that direction. Up 10 the date
of the departure of the sledgo
party the expedition had good weather.
the worst being only 20 degrees below
zero. The members of the party were in
good health when they left the ship. They
intended 20 return over the same route by
which they adva anced."
On May %, four days after Wellman and
his companions left. the Raguavald-Jari
was broken up by the ice and totally lost.
The men in charge of her managed to save
some of the stores. A message was sent TO
Wellman informing him of the catastrophe
- ~ Taio
WellmaD, Charles G. Dodge and two others
then returned to Walden Island. With
material taken from the wreck of the ship
they built house to accommodate the crew
as a precauton in case the expedition
were compelled to winter at Walden.
Wellman left again to join the sleGge
party on May 81. He writes On the same
date:
81 have decided to proceed as previously
planned, except that intend to return to
Walden Island not later than September
and to be at Danes Island by Septem-
Der To-"
The latest news received from Wellman
was June II, when Mr.. Winship, a men,
ber of the party, with one man left the
expedition at spot six miles east of
Cape Platen. where the explorers had met
impossible ice and were waiting for open
water. All were we'll.
On the return of Winship to Walden
Island. Captain Bottolfsen and three
of the crew of the Ragnavald Jarl
started on a journey southwark in the
aluminium boats. They met the Maly-
gen. and Captain Petersen consented
to carry them to Tromsoe. Captain
d. It'll oh
return as soon as possible to Danes Island.
In the meantime the Wellman party has
gone north over the ice. Captain Petersen
expects Wellman will reach Gille Island.
CHICAGO, Aug. 2-The following special
cablegram was received by the Chicago
Herald to-day:
TRoMsoE, Norway, Aug. 2.-Captain
Emil Peterson. Engineer l.. W. Wilship.
Fl. II. Westfall, mountainesr and cook,
and sailor of the Chicago Herald polar
expedition. which left this port on May
on the steamship RagnaVald-Jarl. under
command of Walter Wellman, have ar
rived here on a whaler. They bring in
formation of the loss of the RagnavaId-
Jarl on May a. Soon after leaving Danes
Island the boat encountered a great mass
of pack ice, and desoie every effors TO
escape the vessel was hemmed in and
crushed to pieces. The crew had time to
transfer the greater part of their pro-
visions, scientific instruments. dogs and
aluminium boats to the ice before the boat
was destroyed The men who arrived
here to-day left the party after the acci-
dent, but Commander Wellman and the
balance of the party, undaunied by the
Ines nf THAR veaeal rAs0lut0lV set ont in
search Of the pole. 1t is probable another
boat will be fitted up at once and sent to
the rescue Of the party.