The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-08-22

| yinl u lie Moor nasler Thsa tor
! Texan to Live There.
Hal IS WHAT OLD TOM KEATS SAYS
: spemt . winter I'm the Arctic
Rcxlsns ON One of Those Polar
Expeditions.


lminal. YES. cir, nothing less than crirni-
Al. for the newspapers to print the s.o-
" they are printing about the kiondike
3untry to inflame the minds Of the ven
sresome with such dreams Of gold % 70
nd them shiyering TO Alaska, and to pri-
I lions worse than tho death which comes
{ least to release them from their suffer-
igs."
aThis IL the way Tom Keats put II this
s,rning when Post man asked MN what
knew about Alaska. He was iounu III
rs tin shop on Avenue A, and was KICK
: holes ia a piece Of tin with the aid OF
machine in leisurely sort OF way. but
y stopped kicking holes In the TIN when
Ia reporter told him about what was
ianted. and went to work kicking holes IN
asions OF Klondike gold. which might nave
Zen floating around there.
Tom Keats is not nearly Ia tho sere ana
lillow leaf stage OF life But no nus put
t,hjnd him the old dreams OF romance ana
4lnuuest and adventure he knew long
Ears ago. when he followed tho sea- and
\ a likely lad In the ships company Of the
out old frgate Amphitrite, volunteered 10
! .coine one OF tho crew OF the bark rover.
Zen fitting out for cruise 10 the Arctic'
lat was vry fine fAr Tom KEATS men
sut 1t would not suit Tom Keats OF To-Day,
ho says that no mans money could in-
lce him TO spend a winter In the frozen
orth.
Last night Mr. Keats told the social de-
,rtment of the Temple OF Honor his
DRY Of the Arctic But that WAS pri-
Ito AFFAIR OF secret order. This morn
no told II over again for The Post, and
sre It Is, just as he gave 1t. In his own
rnacuinr:
S"Now." said he. by way OF opening up,
i ct me tell you how ! happened 10 ne
oxen In Arctic ice for Il twelve month,
hen I was not so wise us J may be now.
i'd did not SO well know IL was good
ding TO keen warm. Everybody knows
10 story OF Sir John Franklin, and how
IA sailed In tho good ships Erebus and
error TO discover the Northwest passage.
John was an English admiral, and
az born In Lincolnshire England, In liS6,
10 cure his love for tho sen HIS father
(; mt him TO Lisbon In a merchant vessel,
hich had the opposite result, So, on his
lturn, Franklin was appointed to the
ellcrophon, on which he acted as signal
iidnhipman In the battle OF Trafalgar In
05, and escaped unhuri. In 1907 Franklin
d the van In the great battle or Copeh-
igen. He followed the sca and developed
great love for research aud adventure.
IL, 1915 Sir John now bordering on hts Goth
mr. but with mental and physical powers
diminished In vigor, started In the Ere
us and Terror on his Inflated expedition
II discover the Northwest passage, The
st time the vessels we're soen was IN July
The same year, and II was not until 1859
iat the fate OF Franklin was certainly
,ccrlained by the commodore of little
,ssei fitted out by Lady Franklin. Frank
had died on July IL. 1877, before his
,mpathetic heart had been lacerated by
10 awful sufferings OF his men. But J
ahead OF my story.
I'm lS49 the British government sent two
lips. the Investigator and Enterprise,
lder command respectively Of Captain
,lIlnson and Captain Mcclure, to find
rankin. The next year. whilo sailing In
10 Arctic, Captain Mcclure found an open
q In tho Ice ana entered It. His ship was
lught and frozen In and Captain Collin
IN returned In the Investigator and win
red at Port Clarence Captain Coll'nsoi
new nothing Of Captain Mcclure who was
gncticaly lost to the world until he final,
oandoned his ship and was rescued b,
. ,me American whalers after suffering UNI
I'D hardshirs. The ship was ofterwart
,und by some whalers and returned TO In
ritish government. She had gone into thu
rctic on the Boring sea side ana wa,
nnd In Hudson bay, showing cono'uslseiI
ity her drift that there WAS open waite
/ ,mewhere IN the North. But ! am agar
aiming away with my story
In 1859 the British government bough
J 4. old Calcutta pilot boat called the Lad
l entlck. She wac a stout bark OF go ton
u ad was fitted out for cruise to the Arc
n G In search OF Franklin and McClur,
ae ives rechristened the Plover and vol
/, nteers were asked for. ! was then In IN
j, 'lgate Amphitritc. and together with 10
II others and filled with visions OF 70
,ance and herolsm. volunteered TO becom
40 OF the Ployer's crew, That's how
appened TO visit the Arctic and know ipo'
iat II Ia certain death fov any man froi
N. lis country TO undertake to bravo one Arc
e winter.
\ "After passing a strict medical exam'
alton. the volunteers selected for the ploy
yss.'s crew were sent on board that vesse
!. he vessel had been fitted out with every
h ring which could suggest issef to guar
\ sainst the hardships ws were told "
I lould have To endure and we sailed ava
fine a lot OF fools ne ever foated
i ieh hardshtps that Il Is wonder ANY
+, nre alive to tell the tale. In the Plov,
{ Q went as far north ms Point Barrow. II
u strerne northern part of the Americs
i ,ntinent. On September rs tho ship ",
!, oxen In and we got ready MS best y
,uld to spend a year locked hard aud Ia