St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-08-03
WELLMAN WRECKED.
News Of the Disaster to the
Ragnvald Jarl Con-
firmed.
SHIP CRUSHED IN THE ICE,
But the Explorers Succeed in
Saving Their Out
fit.
SHIP CRUSHED IN THE ICE,
DASH FOR THE POLE BEGUN.
Details of the Wreck Told by
the Returning Sail
OPS.

CHICAGO. Aug. 2.-The following
Chicago Herald today:
Tromsoe, Norway, Aug. 2. = Capt.
Emil Peterson, engineer; l., Winship,
II. Westfalt, mountaineer and cook,
and one sailor of the Chicago Herald
polar expedition. which left this port
on May l, on the steamship Ragnvald
Jarl, under command OF Walter Well
man, have arrived here on whaler.
They bring information of the loss of
the Ragnvald Jarl on May "a. Soon
after leaving Danes Island the boat
encountered great field of pack ice,
and in spite of every effort to escape.
the vessel was hemned in and crushed
to pieces. The crew had time to trans
fer the greater portion of their provls-
ions, scientific instruments, dogs and
aluminium boats to the sice before the
boat was destroyed. The men who ar
rived here today left the party after the
accident, but Commander Wellman and
the balance of the party, undaunted by
the loss OF their vessel, resOlutely set
out In the search of The pole. 1t is
probable that another boat will be fitted
up at once and sent to the relief OF the
Herald party.
Details of the Wreck.
Capt. Bottolofsen furnishes the fol-
lowing narrative OF the experiences Of
the eXpedltiOu:
After several battles with ice-young
and winter ice-the Rsgnayald Jarl az
rived on May IL at Table island, enc of
the seven islands of the group. The ice,
however, compelled return to Walden
island, where Mr.. WelIman had left the
ship on May "a with 13 men,
40 dogs and ITO days. provisions.
After the party had established
a depot they proceeded eastward dis
tance of sixty miles, thence northeast,
hoping to reach the land that is be-
lieved to exist in that direction. Up to
the day of the departure of the sledge
party the expedition had had good
weather, the worst being only 20 deg
| below zero.
The members of the party were in
| good health when they left the ship.
| They intended TO return over the same
| route by which they advanced, reach
| ing Northern SpitZbergen on Sept.
| Is and headquarters at Danes Island
on October l, On May %. four days
| after Wellinan and his companions left
| the Ragnavald Jari was broken up by
| the ice ana totally lost. The men in
| charge Of h"r managed to save some of
| the stores. A message was sent to Well.
man informing him of the catastrophe,
! and ii reached him at Martens island.
| Mr.. Wellman, Charles G. Dodge and two
! others then returned to Walden island.
| With material taken from the wreck of
! the ship they built good house to ac-
| commodate the crew and as precaution
in case the expedition were compelled
to winter at Walden.
Wellman left again to join the sledge
party on May 81. He writes On the
! same date:
II have decided to proceed as previ-
| ously planned, except that l intend to
return to Walden island not later than
Sept. l, and to be at Danes island by
Sept. 15." The latest news received
date. when Mr.. Winship, member OF
the party, with one man, left the eX-
peditiOn at spot six miles east of Cape
| Platen, where the explorers had met
with impossible ics and were waiting
for open water. All were we'll. On the
return of Winship to Walden island.
Capt. BottolofSen and three of the crew
of the Ragnvald Jarl started on jour
ney southwards in aluminium boats,
seeking sealers. They met the Maly-
gen and Capt. Pedersen consent
ed to carry them to IromSoe. Here
Capt. BOttolofsen will charter new
vessel and will return as soon as pos
sible to Danes island.
Iu the meantime the Wellman party
has gone north over the ice. Capt.
| Peterson expects that Wellman will
reach Gillei island.
Hyerdahl, a ski runner and sports.
man from the University of Christiana
and member of the Wellman party
has been sent to Danes island to join
Prof. Oyen.