The evening times., 1896-08-14

he IL u very happy man. He is gwen much
. liberty aud is allowed a pleasant, airy room
on tbe second floor OF the jail, where ne has
books and stationery.
He lis u stadsut and prefers the 1,ixfer
class or literature.
Swain's short career is q romantic one.
He has eaeircEed the world, battIed for
life within almost sight or the North Pose,
aud faced death iruadred timex iffnong :he
tcefloes IN the Arctic Ocean.
Swain is a native az Indiana, beii,g born
Ia IndiadapoIis twenty-eight years ago.
Hispareatsiive IN the 9foosiercapitai andare
weli-tG2o and respectable people. Given
the advantage OF the schools OF his city and
two terms IN collage, he was well educated.
and when he reached his ma iority hc starred
out with every prospect of a life OF use
fulness.
CHANCE OF HIS LIFE. =
He did rcportorfai work Tor the Indian
apoIis dailies, aud contributed quite Gre
qaenuy 70 fnaeaxines. He proved sue
cess IA Journalism. His magazine articles
were in demand. and wan. with his ready
pen, was encroacning upon the able rite-s
of the day. His fame as an author, rather. as
q MY Ctint, nIJiCuu. ut hCdt1Cfuy VI
Seieaces and the Geographical Sotiety nf
PhHadeIphia rendered him the responsible
and honorable position of geoiosist with
the Peafy party, that was then Iitted out
FOR an expedition to the north pole.
Here Swain saw the chance of his life.
The position suited his taste. He had been
a student OF sciences, ana he had notsovef-
looked geography in his researches. He was
tten robust, vigorous young man, whose
commanding physique would attraet. the
attention or any one. He was not the
emaciated, detected. pitiabe looking crea-
lure that he is now, but instead a u attietic
fellow. whose avoirdupois tipped the team
at $50 pounds - s-'Tis.i ifs RI
He passed an excellent examination. and
on June z, 1893, went aboard whaling
vessel that had been fitted outfor the cxpe-
dition. This was about the most expensive
expedition ever sent out from America
Supplies and provisions were stored IN
the vessel that would support them three
years. The voyage TO the Arctic ocean,
Swain described as cot great pleasure.
THEIR FUEL LOST.
In latitude II degrees, ~ minutes.
and within eighty miles OF where Greeiy's
men perished, the party left the vessel and
went into winter quarters. AT this place
the vessel returned, intending 10 go to their
relief in one year. Several miles inland the
party built their winter quarters. During
the period of total darkness. which lasted
11s days, the party got things IN readiness
for pushing northward- ,.,s.o...,.,,, ....s
In the month OF october a tidal wave
came up. throwing massive pieces OF
ice on shore and demolishing twepty Of
the forty barrels of Kerosene that had
beep taken for fuel. In consequence OF
this loss, the party suffered severely
Finally Eskimos visited their headquarters
and rendered assistance in providing meat
for the party and food for the. 125 Eskimo
dogs that had been recently purchased.
Two hundred and fifty three reindeer
were slaughtered and cured for future use
THIS meat, Swain says, is the most de.
licious ever eaten By man. walruses were
killed by the hundreds aud packed away Tor
food for the dogs. Heavy fur clothing had
been made, and the party was provided
with everything that would insure comfort
In that frisid climate.
On March the party started northward..
EiElt uOSs WthC dteASuCt W NssSh ciSsAeC.
an ayerage load OF provisions being l 800
pounds. Though considerably hampered,
the party made an average OF twenty miles
a day until March go. when the unusually
severe equinoctiai ssorm put stop to f'Ir-
ther progress
UNDER FROZEN SNOW
The storm burst upon them in all Its fury
and without a moments warning. The We
locity OF the wind was 120 miles an hour.
and the temperature wasT0 0 and so degrees
below zero. .,t
progress impossible The party craw:ed
into their sleeping sacks, three in each. anc
lay down to await their fate. DR.. vincent
of Philadelphia: James W. Davidson, now
japanese correspondent Of q New York
paper and Swain occupied one sack. The
snow and ice covered them and froze tight
After three days. Davidson dug out and
with much difficulty succeeded in getting
his companions from under the ice. All
were nearly frozen. But three dogs out OF
twenty-five survived, and two OF the SUIT
viving dogs died from the effects OF the
imprisonment under the ice
The provisions were lost, and the party
left with nothing to subsist upon They
hastily started for their headquarters. q
distance of 200 miles. but their wcak Con-
dition made progress slow. and after sew
eral days ehey were met by rescuine party
and taken home more dead than alive.
The provisions in their winter qrarters
were running low, and the loss OF the
three sledge loads almost depleted the sup
plies For q time they existed on walrus
meat and biubber. When the rescring ship
returned, it anchored sixty miles away, and
| for six weeks was unable to find the cx-
I petition The Eskiros reported the pres
ence of the vessel, and a number went tc
| It, not, however. without many thrilling
adventures.
BLOWN OUT TO SEA.
On reaching the vessel Swain and three
| oompanions were blown out to sea, ant
l floated on the ice five days in the Arctic
| Ocean without fa,od or water. When res
| cued, Second Commander Entrekln wal
badly frozen and unconscious.
Swain took census. andstudied the habit,
and customs nf the Eskimo tribe. or tn;
once popular tribe there are but 24S left
They are hemost thospitabie peopleon earth
he said, but their presence is repulsive.
The party was absent fourteen mouth
and their rcturn tocivilization il due mainl,
to their remarkable physical endurance
swain's condition when he gotaboard th'
vessel and was home ward bound was pit
uble. His frozen limb was swollen TO al
enormous size. and 10 alleviate his suffer
Ing be was kept under the influence Of inor
pliine for weeks. when he recovered h