The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-04-17
NORTH POLE DISCOVERY.
Peculiar Letter Arrived Here Monday Con-
corning 1T,

\ very interesting letter was re-
I ceived in this city day before yesterday
/ 1t was directed To Miss Cathrina Pc
/ terSon, a domestic servant. and was
written by her brother Hansen Peter
/ son, from Sweden. The letter was in
/ terestinS for the reason that il brought
| the news of the discovery of the north
! pole 20 the United States first. Miss
/ Peterson in company with Mrs. Morris
brought the letter To the Eagle office
yesterday and made known its con-
7 tents. This was just two hours be-
/ fore the news came over the Associated
Press wire. The letter was mailed in
Sweden according to the pOStmark on
April l and arrived in New York on
April j. Swedish handwriting is
tribe hard to be made out even in the
Eagle office where some cracker jack
writing turns up occasionally, but Miss
Peterson kindly translated the parts
of il that We're of a, public nature. Her
brother was in the north pole eXpedi-
ton OF DR.. hansen to whom ;he dis
covery is attributed. He returned from
the expedition on the very day that he
wrote the letter and in il he gave a
very clear description of the eVent--an
event that is of more than ordinary
significance considering the many eff
forts that have been made heretofore
to reach it. Why the news did not be
come public before yesterday, when it
was known in Sweden sixteen days
ago, is matter that is a mystery to
Miss Peterson, and she can only ac-
count for il by intimating that her
brother died after writing the letter
without telling anybody about 1t, or else
that the government of Sweden muz-
lied him for some diplomatic reasons.
The fact is she is very uneasy about
the matter. The probability is, how
ever, that her brother told the story in
Sweden but that he was not believed
Where ne wrote the letter from. she
says. is about 500 miles from his native
home. He being stranger there, and
the simple minded people thinking,
perhaps, that he was some tramp sailor
did not pay any attention to what he
said about he discovery. The fact that
he arrived there alone also tended,
perhaps to discredit his story,
The story told by Hansen Patterson
to his sister is rather a remarkable
one and would not have been believed
here We're ii not for the fact that it is
now confirmed by wire.
Il. with the boys from my neighbor-
hood who were in the expedition" he
says, were the very first to stand on
the north pole. and we wanted 10 have
the honor of raising the flag of Sweden
over il. \ sub-ofiicer by the name of
Swanson said that he was the first man
on the ground and claimed the right
to raise the flag. The result was that
we quarreler and one of my party
struck Captain Swanson. This would
be c1aSSed as mutiny. and when we
realized what might be done with us.
we rushed to our boat and made an
effort TO escape To Sweden. There
were eleven of us in all and l am the
only man ! know Of that has returned
alive 10 Sweden. When about 900
miles northwest Of the coast of Sweden
our boat became disabled. and we were
compelled TO desert il and take 20 the
smaller boats. Myself and a young
man from my home took one boat and
all of US Travelled together for more
than 100 miles when a terrible storm
scattered our little feet and wrecked
at least three boats whose OccupanJS
were drowned. What became of the
others, / did not learn. and | never saw
them any more. Ny friend and / roWed
out 40 miles farther when he fell out
Of the boat while spearine a fish and
was drowned | rowed the remainder
of the way myself and suffered untold
hardships. The sea was heavy and my
hands were raw from pulling the oars
when | bumped up against the shore
81 land one night before / was aware
Of being 50 close to it. | stepped on the
soil of Sweden once more. knelt down
and kissed the ground and thanked God
for my safe deliverance"
Mr.. Peterson gives some peculiar de-
scriptions of the north pole He says
every way a man turns he * looking |
south. and some or the men went Sill- !
whirling around trying 10 see some
place that was not south. The exact !
point Of the north pole is on rocky |
and icy desert, with no veEeta ton what !
ever. IL j sabout ten miles one way !
and sixteen another. according to his !
estimate. for he did not remain there
long enough for the expedition 10 take |
measurement. He says that the water /
is neither liquid or solid. but-a kind of !
a soft mushy substance like pulverized
ice. This Is caused. he said. by the /
water ciTCuling around the pole in /
wild. mad currents. thus preventing IL 4
from SoliGfying into big blocks or ice +
hergs. while a The SINE time the cold /
* 80 intense that the rapidity Of the /
constantly encirCling currents cannot (
prevent the water becoming CONCEALED 4
10 some extent