Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-08-17

He Reaches Within Few Miles of the
s1st Parallel and Then Finds Ice That
Is Apparently Impassable - Scientific
Men of the Expedition Make Many In
teresting Observations, and Number
of Islands Are Added to the Map.
TEoMsoE. Norway. Aug. l7.-Walter
Wellman with the crew of she crushed
steamer Ragnvald Jarl arrived here by
the fishing yacht Berntine, Captain John
sen. from North Sptzbergen. All the
members Of the party are we'll Dis
cussing the failure of his expedition to
reach the pole, Mr.. Wellman said to a rep
resentatite of the Associated Press:
After the loss of the Ragnvald .Jarl
and the consequent breaking up of my
line of retreat was compelled to modify
my plans for the summers work and
make sure of being able to return 20 the
coast of the Spitzbergen earlier than in.
tended. though the expedition reached
within a few miles of the Sist parallel on
May l, eleven days from Tromsoe The
season had been changed to the other ey-
. treme. North OF the Seven Islands, situ-
ated at the extreme north of Spitzbergen,
SO far as we could see were masses of
heavy, unbroken. ice, which appeared alb
solUtely impossible.
Interesting Observations.
The expedition then turned its face
east, along the northeast land, and
! though the northeast gales broke up the
ice which had promised to afford smooth
and easy. travelling, the whole northeast
land was explored. The scientific men
OF the party made many interesting OBJ
servations in geology and natural his
| tory. Professor Owen B. French of the
| coast and geodetic survey of Washing
ton accurately surveyed large part of
the coast. Among the points added to the
map 10y virtue OF the discoveries made
during this survey are Cape Gresham,
| Whitney, Armour, Scott and Walsh ISL
| and. On July l. with the seven men and
an aluminium boat | started to force my
| way over the pack ice, but was compelled
after several days of frightful struggle
with the ice to give up the attempt.
Waded Through Water.
"On July 4 we started to return to
Walden island, crossing Dove bay. We
were all compelled for hours to wade
| through water waist high. The screwing
OF the pack ice threatened to destroy the
| boats and sledges, but though they were
| subjected TO the hardest usage the alumni.
mum boats came through uninjured. Had
1t not been for the protection afforded the
stores by the Water-tight cases progress
would have been impossible in pack ice
where men and siedges were half the time
| III the water and half the time on the ice
Crossing Dare bay Alme, the meteorologist
/ OF the party, broke Il bone of his right leg
and had to be carried in the boats tC
| Walden island, which WIS reached OF
July -. We waited fortnight in vair
for open wafer, and on Aug. 4 decided {,
| push through the ice.
| dangerous but Successful.
The attempt, which was 4 most danger
Gus one, was wholly successful, and ou,
four boats reached Low island on Aug. 6
where we sighted the Berntine. Even1l
! ally we hired her to convey our party Il
! Iromsoe- We sailed from Low island OF
| Aug. { and reached Danes island on Aug
5. There we took off Professor Oven, tn,
geoloSist, and Hyerdahl, the sski-runne
and sportsman from the University o
Christiana, and the stores which the,
were guarding for us. Though we wer
| unable to get as lar north as we ha,
| hoped III 1894 On account of the loss Of ou
steamer, etc, and the bad nature of tn
season, am determined to try the Spitz
| bergen route again in lS9.'