Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1896-10-10
LIFE AT The NORTH POLE.
POSSIBLE THAT HUMAN BEINGS ARE
LIVING THERE.
Polar Animals and eirds-.Not q Frozen
Mass Office, but Land and Clear Water
During Certain Seasons.

During Certain Seasons.
What Is the North Pole like? Is 1t
all a continent of solid ice or Is there
some land there? Is there any life
there. any vegetation? Can human
beings exist there? The answers to
these interesting questions are given
below, based on the best scientific
knowledge.
That the North Pole Is situated on
land seems to bc almost certainty.
There is hand bare of ice in that part
Of the world. and clear water, too.
Good and scientific reasons lie back
of these assumptions. That the region
In question is inhabited by various AMI
mails is an undisputcd fact. II cannot
be asserted with confidence that I'M
man beings do not live there.
It Is known that several species of
birds live and breed In regions far to
the north of any point reached by ex-
plorers. They are seen migrating to-
ward the pole. their focks vanishing
into the unknown beyond. Obviously,
they cannot lay their eggs or rear
their young on Ice foes or bcrgs and so
II must he taken for granted that they
and bare land suitable for the purpose.
The rosy gull, most beautiful of all
its flect-wingcd tribe, spends summer
and winter within the mysterious and
UNEMPLOYED area. Its species IL actual.
~ restricted TO that area. only occa-
sionnlly specimens being seen outside
- .1..t.. L.. ~ Les,
storms. Only once has flock of rosy
gulls been seen: II passed Point Bar
row. the most northerly point Of
Alaska.
There must he no small extent Of land
In a region that exclusively maintains a
whole species of animals. Open water
there must be all the year around. else
the rosy gulls would starvc. Doubt.
less the bird skirts the Ice fields In
winter. looking for fish. Two species
Of sandpipcrs breed in the unexplored
area. The same may he said Of Mt
least one species Of goose. Every
spring brant nrc seen from Point Bar.
row, flying northward. whittier no hu.
man being has yet been able TO follow.
II there be polar continent there Is
no reason for picturing II as devoid Of
animal or vegetable life. In It's sur.
rounding waters are plenty of fishes
doubtless as well as numerous species
Of crustaccans; In Its bays seals dis.
port themselves, perhaps, and possibly
walrus are not absent. As for the
dora, there Is apt to he as much Of II
a. Ia found In Spitzbergcn-that Is
to say, plenty Of moss ana lichens,
with even a few Towering plants such
% the yellow Arctic poppy.
The most interesting question about
man beings are to be found In Its
vicinity. Such n notion Is not 80 NIB
surd us might Ike imagined. From de.
cado to decade bold explorers have
vcnturcd further ana further toward
the northern extremity Of the enrth's
axis, hut however high thcpOint reached
people have always been discovered
dwelling there. A short time ago Nan.
sen outlined the north coast Of Green.
land, proving 1t to be an island. Yet
ct the north end Of the island no came
across colony Of 30 Esqulmau pur.
suing contentcd and fairly prosperous
existence by means Of hunting and
fishing.
Tho man who Is lucky enough to dis.
cover tho North Pole may well feel
somewhat discouraged II he finds a
lot Of people living there. Yet why
not? The climate cannot bc so dread
fully severe; II IL certainly not 80 cold
as north latitude Is degrees. On that
coolest latitude Is situated the town Of
Werkojansk, In siberia. And just
here may as well be told remarkable
story that rests on the authority OF
Captain Herendeen, formerly engaged
In the Arctic whaling service. ana now
employed In the Smithsonian Institu.
ton, In Washington. The event he
describes occurred In the winter OF
1885. which he spent mt Point Barrow.
There Is an Esquimau village al
Point Barrow. and also whaling stu.
tlon. One day there was great com.
motion, and Captain Herendeen saw
half the people Of the village running
evidently much excited. They came Ia
him and told him that three strange
looking men had been seen on the Ice
Of the Point. They We're dressed pccu.
liarly, not In deer skins, but In white
fur. which was supposed to be that OF
the polar bear. They acted as II very
tired, and 1t was noticed that they had
no guns. This last point was particu
larry surprising, inasmuch rs nobody
In that part of the world ever goes
without a gun. Now the Esquimar
are proverbial for their hospitality and
amiability toward strangers, and they
were astOnished when the three mer
took fright on seeing them and rar
away over the Ice toward the north
ward. This was what had caused thu
4, excitement.
The Esquimau declared positively
that the three men We're not of theil
people. Their dress and actions mad,
this certainty. If so, whence die
they come? The only tenable theory
seemed to he that they had driftet
on an ice foe from an unknown lan(
far TO the north, the existence of whlcl
| WuS "SscT'cu "! 'lhui'ioh INNING tH'
Esquimau. They say that some Of
their people were once carried away
by storm and reached this land, sub
sequently returning. One of the ma
tlves was so confident of the truth O
the story that he begged Captain Her
endeen 10 secure for him passage OI
a north-bound whaler, In order that h,
might go with the ship rs far as pos
sible, and then leave it TO complet,