The Washington times., 1901-08-01
SEEKERS FOR THE NORTH POLE.

| Evelyn Baldwin Is the youngest man
| and the slightest In stature who ever
started upon Arctic exploration He
| weighs less than 40 pounds and Is only
| thirty-fi years old. but has had the ex-
perience of two Arctic expeditions. Is
blessed with cool head. tireIess muscles.
and an iniiexible determination He also
posse sses what is equally essential per-
| feet SELF reliance and the power of COM
FiaIG. ;It is the most important char
actcristic for the commander of an ex-
| petition which involves such risks A
| man who leads must be able to control
himself as well as others.
| Although the America is said to be very
| rOomy and comfortable compared with
the ships used on previous Arctic expedi-
| tions. she looks II II would
be difficult to swing a cat anywhere.
either below or above deck Mr.. Bald
win has a tiny cabin fitted up like the
pantry of a Pullman dining car. There
is place for everything. and everything
Is in its place. There Is a stove in ad-
| dition to the steam radiator a typewriter
| two sewing machines. and shelf. which
runs around the entire cabin next the
ceiling, is filled with books of an sorts
lie mas revolving globe. an assortment
| of guns, most of which have been present.
| ed to him. and almost everything In the
way of scientific apparatus from a tele-
scope to kodak. The bridge OF the
America looks like section of a weather
bureau, with complete apparatus for
| measuring the wind and the cold and the
dampness. There is an automatic sound
| ing apparatus at either end and every
| possible contrivance for the preservation
of the ship and the protection of life and
NAH Nry Of ,t,<
experiences. The artist has his little stu
dio and the photographer his dark room
alongside the captains cabin. while down
below the members Of the stan are stow
| ed away as snug as you can imagine
| There are already three expeditions In
the arctics-Peary's, which is on the other
| side of Greenland, working northward,
| and those of Sverdrup and the Duke of
| Abruzzi, on this side of the globe. Sver-
| drup had been gone three years on the
| 18th of June last. and some of his friends
| are expecting him home this fall He was
| fitted out for five years. however, and no
| concern is felt about his safety. He has
! been heard from once on the east coast
| of Greenland about two years ago, all his
\ party being well and working slowly
northward- Sverdrnn the sailing
master of Nansens expedition, a Nor
l "No3oh S<hiioAr niotcSt. ftltfluB. anu Wltn-
| out any particular scientific attainments,
but he is accompanied by competent spe-
ciaiists. He was sent out by the same
! people who backed Nansen, and has the
| Fran. the same boat, which has been al
most entirely rebuilt and strengthened
| From his books and lectures Nansen has
made fortune-not less than 100000 in
the United States afone-and nearly as
| much more in England. Germany. Swe-
dnn aE1 nft Ir;.
| book has been published in four different
languages and he receives comfortable
| income from the copyright He has pur-
chased a handsome villa about four miles
| from Christiania, where he lives in fine
| style. His surroundings and behavior are
/ in striking contrast to those in which he
l-iSnores his old friends. is arrogant. dicta-
| torial, and selfsh-at least that is the
story they tell at the university.
| Nansen was originally employed as an
| tory at Bergen, and afterward at Chris
| tiania, wEsre he became curator of the
| geological department and lecturer in the
| natural sciences. He was not distin-
guished for his scholarship or for any
| thing else in particular. but was well
| thought of by everybody and had many
| friends. Since he went .fartherest north
| and has been hero they do not like him
| so we'll In addition to his large personal
! fortune this achievement has given him
| life position at the head of a depart
1
| Gently established with an endowment of
| a million kroner The money was raised
| by a lottery and private subscription for
| promoting the exploration of the seas,
| and its purpose is comprehensive enough
! to cover all new geographic worl--An ex-
| plorers' congress which met in Chris
| tiania last May TOOK up the subject OF
antarctic exploration and will direct its
! endeavors toward that end of the world
| hereafter.
The Italian Duke Of Abruzzi who went
4 for I, n tta7 a rrnf
| to the arctics this year. and his ship, the
Polar Star. is now at the Italian navy
yard in Genoa. He sent up another ship
early this season in charge of his old
sailing master TO look for three members
of his party who became separated from
the rest while wandering on the ice about
| a year ago and were lost. One of them
was Norwegian engineer one a Swiss.
and the third an Italian. Both of the
latter are professional Alpine climbers.
| They are all men of experience. they
know where supplies are cached and
whefe the stations are. and the duke
| thinks they have found them and are
waiting for rescue. but other people IA
| miliar with the case are not so confident
The ship takes up memorial stone to be
| placed in some appropriate spot in case
the men are found dead or cannot be
traced The father of the Norwegian en-
gineer accompanies the party
There IS no longer any hope of Andree's
return Scientific men in this country and
experienced ice pilots and whalers all
agree that he could not have survived
three months. Thev place no faith in any
of the messages and signs alleged to have
come from him. 1t YVES just four years
ago this very day. July H. 1857, one clear
afternoon. when the wind was in the right
quarter. that Andree summoned his COM
panions without ceremony, cut the ropes
that detained his aerial carriages. and
scared away into the arctic skies What
ever may be thought about the prudence
and scientific practicability of a voyage
to the North Pole in a balloon. there
was never so sublime an exhibition of
human daring, Indifference TO danger and
death. as that given by the young Swede
and his devoted companions, Fraenkel
and Strindberg. Having convinced him
self and them that there is a steady cur
rent of air. like the trade winds of the
tropics, from the boundaries of the Arctic
circle to the Pole. they staked their lives
on their faith. built balloon. and at.
tempted to make the voyage.
The scaffolding built for Andres ball
loon and the cabins he used for his work
shops still stand on the edge of the ford
awaiting the disposition of their absent
owner-a melancholy reminder which ap-
peals to the sentiment of the Norwegians.
who will allow them always to stand as
a monument to Andree, Fraenkel. and
Strindberg.