Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-09-13
VERY NEAR THE NORTH POLE.

A dispatch from Christiania, Sv eden,
announces the receipt of information
to the effect that the Stella Polare,
with the Duke of Abruzzi's Arctic ex-
petition on board. which has arrived
at Tromsoe, Norway, on the return home,
reached point in latitude 80 minutes
33 seconds north. thus penetrating
further north than DIR. Nansen did.
The Stella Polare remained fast in the
ice for eleven months. The pressure
stove in her sides, making hole foot
and quarter in breadth. Her ma
chinery was also damaged The mem
bers of the expedition suffered many
hardships, and wero compelled to eat
their sledgedoge. A Norwegian engi-
neer and two Italians, members of the
expedition, persisted.
DIR. Nansen, who returned from his
expedition to the Arctic regions in
August, 1896, reported that he left his
vessel, the Fran, on March I4tb, 1895,
10 "a degrees north latitude, and
traversed the Polar Sea to point Sc
degrees IA minutes north, situated
north of the new Siberian Islands. This
was point four degrees further north
than any prev ious explorer had reached.
Prince Luigi Ahedeo of Savoy -Aosta,
Duke of Abruzzi, who was born in
1873. and who recently climbed Mount
st. Elias, in North America, on the
boundary between Alaska and British
Columbia, left Christiania On June 18th,
1899, in the steam brigantine Stella
polare, formerly the Jason, laden with
$50 tons of coal and $50 tons of pro-
visions, &C., including 1900 packages
each containing 25 Kilograms Of matter
i'm 10 hs,
easily carried on the arm or shoulder
of a single person. These bundles were
divided into four categories = food,
clothing and equipments, scientific IN
struments, and useful but not indis-
pensable' articles. ~ IN - ~
The members of the expedition were,
in addition to the Duke, the Cavaliere
Umberto Cagni, a captain in the Royal
Italian Navy; Count Quirini, a naval
lieutenant; DR.. Cavalli- MolinelIi, two
ahle-bodied seRmen of the italian Navy,
Giacomo Cardenti and Simone Camepa
four mountain guides, Giuseppe Petit
gaux, Alesso FennollIet, Felice Olliere
and Michele Savoye; ten Norwegian
sailors, and one Eskimo for the manage
ment of the dogs, of which there we're
100. ALI the members Of the expedition
were supplied with an Eskimo equip
ment for the polar season, and the col
lection of scientific instruments and
apparatus was large.
The dukes Elan to reach the Pole
was exactly opposed to that adopted by
Nansen. The latter attempted to APP
proaoh the Pole by the longest route,
and with his ship, either by the open
sea, or by letting himself drift with the
ice, trusting to the strength of the Fran
to Withstand the tremendous strain.
The duke planned to make only
limited use Of the Stella polare, and to
push on in as straight line as posi-
BILE over the ice with sleds, after leay-
Ing the ship. The Stella Polare carried
twenty sleds, each weighing 4S1s
pounds, and every sled was to carry
eight aluminium boxes packed with
stores and canoe. The runners of the
sleds were shod with britannia metal,
and had protective, removable wooden
soles. Forty pairs of ski were also car
ried and forty pairs of snow shoes.
All this is very interesting, and in
large measuer explains the fascination
that Arctic explorations have for bold
adventurers. But, after all, it mainly
tends to revive the old, old question:
What real good would be accomplished
by the actual discovery of the North
Pole2