The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-08-29
News Vea.zen's Death.


dogs rushed Up and drove off the bear.
Mr.. Wellman, February lS 1899, with three
NorWegians, with sledges and dogs, start
ed north"
News - Yea zen's Death.
Mr.. Weliman. continuing said: "Febru-
airy &C. 1899. | arrived at Fort Mckinley.
Bioervig. rifle in hand. stood at the mouth
of the snow tunnel. He wrung my hand,
and with tears in his eyes, said:
Poor Ventzen is dead
"'Of course. you buried him. I said.
No Bjoervig replied. He lies there,
pointing to the hut. kept my promise
'"The two men had made a compact thaJ
in case of the death of one the survivor
should keen the body till help came. In
that little hat the quick and the dead had
slept side by side through two months of
arctic darkness. Bioervig said he had
managed to keep up his spirits by reciting
aloud Ihsen's poetry. The next day We
gathered stones, and under these we
buried our dead comrade. A few fitting
words were spoken as We stood around in
20 degrees Of frost
After a delay of ten days, the party,
including Bjoervig, pressed north in
sledges. and by March % reached 81 de-
grees east of Rudolf Island. The pros
-
had three months of the best season be-
fore US and were confident OF reaching
81 degrees Though, of course. We had
suffered from cold, we were all in fine
form.
Forced To Retreat.
Then a seemingly trivial accident turn
ed the satisfactory ADVANCE into a pre-
cipitate retreat While struggling with
the sledges in rough ice, my leg was
bruised and sprained by my falling into
a saoW-hidden CTeVasse. For two days
I went on, and unless other circumstances
had occurred. / should have pressed on
ward so far that | would never have been
able 10 return alive.
AT midnight March % we were awak-
encd by the crashing of the ice under our
feet IL sTayed. and deep cTevices yaWn-
cd about US. Several dogs and sledges
were crushed. In the darkness and
storm il was impossible 10 see a path of
safety. Expecting 10 be overwhelmed at
any moment by the Ice, We scrambled
over the field OF ice and saved most OF
our equipment except the dog food,
reaching a place OF safety IN half an hour,
Our brave Norwegian comrades did nor
express the slightest fear While il was
possible 10 go on fer time, my leg now
demanded a retreat. For two or three
days / stumb ed along. until l fell Tcera
was nothing to do then bur gel on a
sledge and be dragged back TO head
quarters by the men and dogs Force 7
marches by my devoted comrades saved
my life.
THE point at which we turned back
was twenty-five miles northwest of Free
den Islands. whore Or. hansen ;andet in
lsS5. North Of these Islands We photo
grabbed three Islands and some large
land, unseen either by Payer or Nars,.i
We also found that Payers so-eaiiad
Dove Glacier does not exist.
SIM Ih.t ~ To'- Nav i:- Reached.
Il sin believe it is possible to reach The
pole by Franz Josef Land But cannot
say II / shall make another erort."
After Mr.. WeIInan's return I'd Harms
worth House April s. Baldwin and louY
Norwegians weat out 10 WusEek Land
chartlug the unexp.o.ed os Il coast. and
discovering a new Recovered Island eN-
tending 10 "a degrees east, almost as Iases
as WHczek Land. They named IL Gra-
ham Bell Land. after the president OF "a,
AmeRiosE,i GaoErs phicsl Society. P,idw.r
returned - The base April 3D. !. Harlem
81 the United States Coast Suivry, ais,
Took a separate trip before the rcunGCC
expedition sailed, July e. On the steamer
Capeila.
A fairly complete survey o. tie archl
peIago has been prepared by AR, Weilm5I
and his party. They ali shoT traces 81
hardship. Their faces are pale and drawn
and Wellman Is much thinner tai
formerly. HIS right leg 5 irsgn up &
! foot from the ground and q Is not know
whether he will ever again Use u IL
will consult a specialist IN London imIne
diately. Otherwise he - IN good he..Iti
and spirits.
on board the Eld0rad0. the S1EUe.y'al
ship which brought the party from b!
gen 10 Hull. Mr.. Wellman was The csr,e
Of attraction. and on arriving al hull IA
passengers gave him a cordial send on
'rhe party proceeded Immediately % Lon
don. where they arrived This afternoon.