The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-05
CACHES IN THE NORTH.
The Reliance of Arctic Travellers For
Food on Return Journey.
From the New York Tribune.

From the New York Tribune
AS more and more news comes plecemeal
from the Arctic regions and each new de-
tailed map of the world has fresh lines
! and names put upon it in the nearly blank
spaces marking the frozen zone, there is
not little interest felt in those primitive,
temporary structures of the explorer with
out which a trip in the icy wilds would
seldom be possib,e-the caches of the
north. The books, The magazine articles
the lectures o. the explorers of fame, rare
ly do more than casually mention these
storehouses of their expeditions and thus
few realize the part the caches play in
Arctic work. And still less is known about
their actual construction
Unlike other monuments of civilization
and exploration, they leave no sign behind
them when once they have ceased to be
of practical use. A heavy fall of snow or a
wind storm comes and tears their last
remnants to pieces. On occasions some
thing of this sort happens to a cache even
while it is serving as a repository and is
being depended upon by some slowly toll
ing party far away. Peary was unable
on retracing his steps on one of his Green
land journeys, to find several of the caches
he had carefully established and plainly
marked. Snowst forms and gales of wind
had obliterated every sign of them, and
no amount of searching was of avail Had
the Peary party at this juncture not hap
pened to fall in with plenty of game, star
walton would have beeen certain.
A cache is an Arctic storage warehouse
made to keep provisions in until they are
wanted. The word is the French word
cache meaning simply hidingplace. A
hidng-place is precisely what it Is, for
while men are not to be feared on the score
of theft in the Arctic lands animals of all
sorts are. The great white bear that
abounds in these regions will readily sniff
out food, and any supplies left behind need
TO be hermetically sealed.
Thus the cache is the first outpost of
civilization in the far north. When the
Hudson's bay region was being traversed
and explored for the first time caches were
set up everywhere. Now, the region be-
ing a fairly well-known land, permanent
supply posts in the form of tiny villages,
of perhaps but two or three buildings, have
been established and men are to be found
settled there the year round
The great northern belt of the land of
perpetual ice circling the pole has how
ever, none of the permanent settlements.
though year by year the Danish govern
ment is planting new supply villages still
further north on the snowy coasts of
Greenland. These Danish villages are in
tended primarily for the benefit of the
Greenlanders, but no explorer is ever turn
ed away from their hospitable doors Food
is given him outright, if he wishes it, or he
is allowed to buy it at cost price. Each
year sees the extension of these Danish
villages further north, mainly on the west
coast really the only habitable part of the
island. The entire interior Of Greenland is
a vast ridge of ice and snow, colossal.
glazing mountain ranges Crossing this
ridge was one of Nansens greatest
achievements), and the east coast is Dor
dered by icefoes that shift SO continually
and rapidly that landing is practically i'm
possible. Yet even on this east coast sew
eral Danish villages have been set.
once beyond the last of these villages an,
exploring party must plan its own food