New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-01-29
LAST OF DIR. KANE'S PARTY.
AMOS BONSALL AND J. WALL WILSON oF
THE FAMOUS ARCTIC EXPEDITION
eour or THEIR HARD AND CURIOUS ExrERi-
ENCEs IN NORTHERN lCE-DisCoM-
! FORT on THEIR RETURN.

reach the frozen region by means OF an airshiP
the continued efforts Of Peary and the co''"hs
departure of the expedition under 'he Duhe VI
Abruzzi have done much TO Keep awe the III
terest in arctic exploration, and men WHO haVc
made the trip and have lived to tell the tae are
looked upon with awe.
Auong the oldest of these Amos Bonsa
and ]. Wall Wilson, the last survivors OF the Dr
Kane expedition which sailed away from New
York on May 81. 1853. TO search for Sir Johh
Franklin Dr. Kane had gone on previous eA-
petition under Lieutenant De Haven on inc
same errand. Henry Grinnell Mr. PEABODY 'he
Geographical Society of New-York' the Sn'.n
sorian institution and the American Philosophi-
cal Society were contributors TO the 1uhd WIN
which the Advance was fitted out and after
months Of preparation the journey was begun
Resides DR.. Kane there were seventeen men
two Of whom had been Kanes associates on the
first expedition. a man was taken aboard at
Newfoundland and Carl Petersen, a Nor
werian was added to the crew at CpernaVlk az
aog-master. The equipment simple, and
consisted of a quantity Of rough boards, some
tents OF india-rubber and canvas. and a few
sledges The expedition returned in 1880, nav
Ing lost its ship and three members OF the parry!
when We were fitting out for the journey,
said Mr. Bonsall, I'VE lacked the advantages
which explorers OF the present time enjoy. There
was no canned food and no such thing as SCI
entifically prepared luXures There was plenty
Of salt meat, and that was the food staple all
Ihe time We had pemmican. some meat biscuit
nicl,led cabbage and some dried vegetables and
fruits"
RUGGED AFTER ARCTIC TRIALS.
The trials the hardships and the narrow
escapes from destruction which the men under
Kane endured are matters of history, but the
appearance of the two rugged men who returned
from the frozen regions forty-four years ago
would lead one to believe that life in the arctic
regions might be conducive to health and Ion
geyity. Mr. Bonsall lives In Philadelphia, where
he Is engaged in active business He is sixty
nine years old, but says:
THE years spent in the arctic regions should
be counted off, and that would make me sixty
seven years Old
He made the first extended siedge journey
sfter the Advance was fast In the Ice; in twenty
tcbt DAYS he covered four hundred miles, and
h that time was exposed for days to a tenn
perature OF from 60 to 40 degrees below zero.
but never felt any ill effects from the exposure.
The fact u.s." he said. "the suffered less
from the cold than from want Of proper food,
and as ! could eat and relish almost anything
all the rest, | had scurvy in consequence of the
salt-meat diet but it left no lasting i'll effects,
and even the rheumatism which | contracted
there left me within A year after my return.
The man who has not lived there can form no
idea OF the depressing effect OF the long nights.
Men with resources. those who had taste for
literary or scientific work, had the advantage
over the others, for there were many good books
on board. and the four months of darkness
seemed less grewsOme 10 them than to those
who had more time to think about it. Stories
were told over and over again and every one
did his best to make the others believe that he
was all right. and In the twenty months OF the
Advances captivity in the ice the close atten-
ton to duties aboard ship aid much TO keep up
the spirits OF the men. Men placed oh
watch and all posts were filled al all times just
as they would have been If the ship afoat
and not hopelessly frozen in"
WHEN SUMMER CAME
In speaking Of the country near where the Ad-
vance frozen in he said that the seasons
made only little difference in its general APP
pearancc. The first signs OF change came in the
last days Of June" he said "All had been so
still and silent for months that the least sound
aside from the ordinary attracted attention, and
We wondered what the little cracking sounds up
In the hills might mean. We heard them every
now and then, always little more distinct and
nearer, The next day We heard the sounds
again but much louder, and soon the murmur
became a roar and saw that Nature was
preparing to destroy the snow and the Ice which
covered the hills Tiny rills formed and poured
over the mountain sides. and parts of tho per
pcndicular background. which appeared solid
earth until then fell away and showed mighty
breaks and canyons which had been filled up
with solid ice. As the process Of destruction