The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-11-11

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centration. and unable TO continue pro-
longed thought The first TO feel the
effects Of polar anaemta seriously -
Lieut. Dance with ihe dcseeut ot thu
sun he commenced complaining II short
ness of breath Indeed, We all have
some Difficulty OF respiration upon the
slightest exercise. but Dance frequently
stands still and gasps.
June lit Is now difficult TO get QUE
OF our warm beds In the morning There
Is no dawn--nothing TO mark the usual
division OF night and morning until near
~ noon. | had resolved TO rise az
o'clock, but, owing 10 the iethargy due
60 the long darkness ard the profound
sleep. l did not find myself cut ~ my
berth unti IL When I arise at this
time ! omit the fornsality 81 n breakfast
and OF this my stomach does not COM
plain
Death Of Comradc.
rune 5-Today we have to record the
darkest page In our log-the death OF
our beloved comrade, Danco. it has not
been unexpected. for we have known that
he could not recover but the awful
blank left by his demise. Is keenly felt.
and the sudden gloom of despair. thus
thrown over the entire party, Is impos-
sible Of description. Poor fellow In
the last forty-ei4ht hours he had been
steadily improving. and. although we
were not encouraged by this, he felt SO
much better that he was cheerful and
altogether more like his former self, but
II was the calm before the storm. With-
out any premonition OF his coming death
Dance passed away easily tonight; his
last words 10 me were, Il can breathe
lighter, and win soon get strength. The
darkness grows daily little deeper, ana
the night soaks hourly a little more color
from cur blood. Our gait Is now care
less. the step nonelasiic, the foothold un-
certain. The hair grows quickly. ike
plants in a dollhouse. hut there Is
great change In the cclor. Most OF us
IN the cabin have grown decidedly gray
within two months. though few are over
| 30
June 22-It Is midnight and rsdwin'er.
| Thirty-five long. dayless nights have
| passed. An equal number OF dreary.
| oheeriess days must elapse before We
| again see the glowing orb. the star OK
\ day The sun has reached Its greatest
| northern declination. We have thus
4 passed the Antarctic midnight.
| .'October i5~tt Is but SLOWLY that this
blackness of the polar night Is dissolved
\ by the Wilderness OF the coming day Tn
III the first week In September we felt
1 little Of the cheering influence Of the ris-
Ing sun except FOR short. spasmcdic Pc
| RODS. We are now able to read our Their
| mometers and other Instruments outside
without artinoiai light from ESQ .. M
TO $50 .. m.
November is--The winter night. with
its death-dealing blackness. has passed:
the spring, with its awful storms and
gray monotony, has followed. and the
y summer, with Its continuous MONDAY
| splendor, commences today. At least It
ought to. n our estimated position Is cor
| rect. We have. however. had no observa-
lions In q week. and are not. In conse-
| auence, able to rx our enact position,
and tho persistent cloudiness Of the sky
Ia such that we cannot determine whether
the sun 10 above or below the horison at
| midnight s.ss st
II certainly an anomaly 70 residents OK
the northern hemisphere. but our mid
summer II more sterile than the midwfn-
ter Of any known spot on the giobst At
homo there may be snow and wind. but
thsre Is at hand the companionship Of
warm friends tho cheer OF . bright IRE.
the charm OF flowers and pretty things;
but what have we In place Of this sccus-
toned gayetyf
/ Sad New Years Day.
January i--Nsw Years day passed like
Christmas, with n special feast followed
by anxious discussions ss to the tina OF
our prospective liberation. We are now
doing much travelling over the pack Ice.
studying the life and tho Ice changes.
SO far as her internal arrangement Ii
concerned, but outside there II nothing
which promises q disruption OF the leo
In such manner as to permit W 70
push out OF IT,
February is--By the first OF February
we had extended canal through tho ice
from open waters to within 100 feet OF the
Begica. but the Ice which remained 20 be
cut was from six 10 seven feet In depth.
and OF consistency no hard that the
saws barely made an impression upon 81.
In ono spot we sawed eight hours and
cut less than i've feet On tho morning
| ~ the 18th tho wind again changed
There was a general expansion OF the
pack, leaving open leads on ali sides. and
our canal widensd. We lost no time In
steanaing out. No body Of men were evse
happier than the ofncers and crew of tho
Bsisiea as the good old ship thumped the
edge OF the leo which had held her .
prisoner for nearly . year.
our supply OF proyisicns did not permit
| continuation Of the campaign. ana after
all our mission was about fuiniIed. 40
cordinEly we headed northward IA the
most direct manner for the open sea- In
two days wa pushed. through eiossiy
packed tee, twenty mites norihwsrd. ana
then We entered q zone in the pack wbsro
1 the Ice was broken into small pieces and
closely pressed by an almoat continuous
line Of icebsrgK. Here. within nigat OF the
open sea. We were again Imprisoned b.
tho closely packed ies for thirty dayA
but at last. when We had almost ebans
doned all hope Of escape and were prepar-
Ing for work during the second winter
night. a gentle southsriy wind drove Us
with tho sea ice out beyond the tine ~
icsbefgs. and then we we're free 20 neck
ths world 81 life In our own WAY. We left
the paek-ice In latitude 70 degrees a. min
utes south. longitude ia degrees west.
and then headed for Cap. Horn"
From Through the FIRST Antarctic
Night" by Or. Frederick A. Cook. t%ew
York: doubleday 4 Afc'iur<l
g~yf0n al -.