El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-24

y
steamer Frithjof sailed away from Cape
Tegetthoff, latitude so degrees, where
they had safely landed Wellman, the
| Arctic explorer. and his paryt of eight
brave fellows.
The Capalla, from Goteborg, Sweden,
stopped at Vardo, on the northeast
coas. OF Norw ay. July 10, from which
Josef Land to bring back the Wellmsn
expedition, or news of 1t.
Mr.. Wellman, in his delightfully."-
graphic style, describes the scene of
their landing and the leaving of the
ship in letter to Mrs. Wellman,
which the Fritbjof brought back last
September.
Cape Tegetthof is wild and bleak.
A mountainous headland, snow covered
and mist enshrouded, terminates in q
series of basalt spires rising from 200
to 800 feet above the sea. The land is
bare of vegetation, except for moses
which carpet the hillsides, and Arctic
peoples, which are in every direction.
About the spires and across the
plateau, says the Washington Star, the
wind sweeps violently. Only once be-
| fore in all time has the cherries spot
been visited.
Here we are to set up our home.
Upon the second plateau. about 100
| feet from the water, we have begun
| the erection of a house. 1t will not be
| a mansion. 1t will not even be q good
house, as Arctic houses go, but we
| can not afford to waste much time in
| its construction, for we do not expect
| to live in it. So far as we are now
depot.
It is our purpose to place in it our
reserve supplies, and to make it as
secure as possible against the ravages
of bears, and then to abandon it for
the winter, or perhaps forever.
But it will be q comfort to know In
case of disaster or the necessity of
second wintering in the Arctics, that
we have some sort of q house to return
to.
In spite of all emptation to settle
down here and make ourselves as COM
forta BILE as possible for the winter, we
have determined to adhere to the ORR
ginal plan of expedition. We propose
to 60 north and winter wherever we
can or must, and in the best fashion
circumstances will permit Of. In other
words, we are going to burrow in the
ground, to hibernate like so many pol
ar bears.
How far north we shaQ be able to
get we do not know. In this region
man proposes and nature disposes. But
we believe everything comes to him
who works, and we shall push on in a
week with our dogs and loads. If we
make three miles day we shall do
we'll, for it must be rememb ered that
we are trying to carry to our winter
camp, 12O geographical miles north,
the supplies which are usually taken to
sledging headquarters by q ship. But
we have all the remainder of the sum-
mer and early autumn to do it in before
the darkness and the cold come. The
obstacles in our way will have to be
very great If we do not succeed.
This forenoon It was impossible to
send things ashore, as the waves we're
running high in the strait; but this at
ternoon, amid many yelpings aud
barks Of dismay or delight, the dogs
were taken ashore and tied up to big
rock. Material for house building is
also being put Off, aud small stove
and coal. In a. day or two we shall
have quite settlement here in the
most northern part of the world that
take care not to make it too comfort
able, as it must not tempt US to neglect
our work toward the:Dole.
Monday, Aug. l. 1S9S.-Aga'n the
skies are bright. This far northern
world is bathed. in the most brilliant OF
sunlight glistening upon sea and dark
est clefts of rugged mountains. None
OF US nave ever seen aoy6nluR more
beautiful than the immense glacier of
McKlintock. six or eight miles west
ward. 1t rises, q perfect sheen of glist-
enir z ice, studded with billions Of par
ticles of refracting crystals to height
of some 1000 feet, and the two emin-
ences appear, one bald and rugged and
black as if with a mighty effort il had
shaken itself loose from the grip of ice
king, and the other lifting itself toward
~
ajestic but still with the mantle of
frost clinging to all it's garments. In
the foreground we have the
held cliffs of Cape Tegetthoff. At this
base our pack of fifty-three Siberian
dogs raising continuous series of
ecnoes, each of which ia repeated many
times, serving, together with the in
cessant chatter of birds, to raise q
strange din in this silen torld. To the
northeast Cape Frankfurt rises from
the snow as black landmark of our
route toward the region north, the
land of promise for our expedition.
All day we have been busy getting
stores ashore and fixing up the house,
when our men now sleep to keep watch
over the dogs.
After dinner our Norwegian mem
bers were invited to conference.
They were told that we Americans
they were infor med OF our plan of ex-
pedition, which involves q most arduous
campaign and a wintering amid great
discomfort. Then they were told if
any one among them was dissatisfied
aud wished to return with the ship now
was the accepted time. To a man they
laughed at the idea of returning.
Your true Norwegian likes nothing
better than a sharp battle with the
angry forces of nature In the arctics.
The sharper, it is the better he is
pleased. Tomorrow the Fiftbjcf turns
toward home and we begin preparing
our equipment for the march north. -