Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-07-09

tLAot many prOple lduS2 al iurlner at
tempts as useless. or ask IN undisguised
contempt: What Is the pole anyway" To
them the best answer 10 their question is:
Nothing" To the scholar 1t is simpIy
a mathematical point where the earths
aAis intersects the .ar,h's surface place
where there are ninety degrees Of latitude
and 800 degrees of longitude. or no longi-
tude al all, just cue prefers to look at it
To NE. these are not the impressive con-
slderations. l am after the pole because
II Is the pole. because it has a value as a
test OF intelligence. persistent endurance.
determined will and perhaps courage
qualities characteristic of the highest tyDe
OF manh0od-because / am confident that
1t can be reached and because 1 regard il
as a great prize which u is peculiarly fit
and appropriate that an American should
win.
Ihere Is no reason whatever for assum-
Ing any abnormal ;ouiICions al the POLE,
for suppcsing that it is the site of a peren-
NAL summer sea or n pa.aocryssic ttlat is
an eternally frozen) sea, or Symmes'
Hole giving access to the center of the
earth. or a specially rounded mountain. q
Ia jules verne, FOR the earth to whirI upon
none OF these There will be found sim
ply prosaic land or water at the pole no
man living can say which until some man
gets there. But II il IS land II will he
land. the characteristics of wh'ch are prac-
tcally the same those nf other arctf,
lands which We know, a few hundred miles
south, and II II Is water, IL will be an arc
tic sea, the characte -is.Ics of which are
practically the same as those of othar arc
tic seas with which We are familiar, few
hundred miles distant.
Pole VIII BE Won.
As to the objection that the pole can
neVer be reached it is groundless. 1t GER
tainIy Will be reached. possibly within a
comparatively short time The distance
which today separates the highest north
from the pole itself Is but 20o miles-about
the same as the distance between Albany
and Buffalo.
THOSE who ridicule polar expeditions ask:
VI what use is the poIe?'' More than one
ahs"er could be given to this question, but
II there ~eTs no other reason than that
curing more than two centuries ten civil
MED nations Of the earth have spent mill
mons OF dollars, and sent scores of ships
ana thousands of men to win the north
pole without success. this alone is sufficient
10 max IL a prize which We should strive
to secure.
The conquest of the north pole, the COM
piele ue4lneauon of the Greenland archi-
PelaSo (the last of the circumpoIar island
group5) and the elimination from our mans
OF the unknown ARA between the eighty
4ourtn parallel and the pole are important
geographical tesiderata- 1t is my opinion
mat thls work can be accomplished with
out risk TO life or health and an a CON-
pardtiVely small cost.
Plan of the Expedition.
The present expedition is simply the sec
ond step of determined campaign for the
pole The Results of the various previous
expeditions show that there remains but
one practicable route by which to attain it.
ana that route is the one that has cora.. to
De known as the Amercan-through Smith
sound hane Basin. Robson Channel and
along the northwest coast of Greenland
Inc expedition starts, / think auspicious-
~ The ship Windwarl is esueciaI1v s,,ft
cd TO face the difficulties of the arctic seas.
ana - loaded with such concentrated pro-
Visions as experience has proved TO he most
Valuable. She will proceed to Whale Sound
ms summer. take on board several picked
families OF E,skimos with their tents ga
noes and dogs, force way through Robe
son Channel to Sherard Osborn Fjord or
further and land people and stores Then
Inc snip VIII turn back. AS soon as the
1reczlnS OF the ice of the great flords of
the northwest coast permits sledge travel
the work OF advancing supplies will be
commenced taking compare lively short
stages and light loads SO that the trips can
De quickly made As soon the supplies
nave been advanced the first stage the
party itself Will move forward leaving a
cache behind As they will be following
Eskimo customs and living In snow houses
this can be dole easily.
Moving Steadily Forward.
Then the second stage of the advance
viii be taken up and the work carried on
until the departure of the SUM- Each of
the brilliant winter moons of the polar
night will AFFORD opportunities for continu-
ing the work. that early spring will find
the party and the bulk Of It's supplies To-
Gated at the northern terminus of the north
Greenland Archipelago-probablY not far
from the s5th parallel. with cae1es behind
II at each prominent headland. From this
point. VIXEN the proper time comes. with
picked Dc gs, the lightest possible equipment
and two OF the best Eskimos. the last stage
OF the journey for the pole will be attempt
ed with strong possibilities of a successful
termination. II the first season is unfayor-
able as regards ice conditions II can be de-
voted to a detailed survey of the archf-
pelago itself and q reconnaissance of the
east coast as far south as possible. the
northern journey being reserved for the
following season, or, IL necessary, even I'M
I'll the second. Each succeeding summer
the ship viii attempt to establish commune
I cations with the partys base. succeeding
probably. every other year at first then
With Increasing experience, every year. and