The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-06-01
POLAR EXPLORATION.

MT Zieger who is to engage in a
 north pole exploration got rather ex-
 cited in New York recently when he
 said T have reason to believe that
 another exploring party is planning to i trail us and to live from our supply. | We have crew of sharp shooters, and
 the first man who lays hand on any thing of ours will be dead man. There are many ways to go north in
 search of tie pole, aa1 I cannot soc
 why another expedition need choose the Franz Josef route for the same season with us, as we announced our plans two years ago" One would almost , think from MT. Ziegler's words that his idea of striking out for he pole from
 Franz Josef Land was something new and original. As a matter of fact. there are now but two routes which are generally considered by north pole seekers. The first is the Franz Josef
 Land route and the second that to the northwest of Greenland. Over half the
 polar circle is not seriously considered
 as containing possible route to the
 pole, nor is 1t at all likely that any
 ul Liici ct lSiliPlsf VIII DC ititQC lO liiS
 northwest of Spitzhergen, or on the
 northeast coast of Greenland.
 Nansen. who holds the record for
 farthest north eighty-six degrees, four
 teen minutes, has plainly pointed out
 the advantages of7fhe Franz Josef route over any other, anl ltsis quite general
 ly held among lexhlorers that wall equipped expedition from this land might reach the coveted pole. Nansen's own idea origiilallysWas to enter the ice
 to the west and north of New Siberia and then allow it to carry him to the pole. This was somewhat similar plan to that of the ;ill-fated Jeanette expedition She, itarlaY be remembered, was to enter the ites to the north of Be- ring strait in the hope of drifting north or finding open water on that side of the polar circle Unfortunately, however, she never really got north, being crushed when we'll below eighty. Nansen found that his ship drifted too far to the south, and his great northing was made by abandoning the. ship and taking a sedge journey over the ice, thus completely autting himself off from his source ofcsupplies.
 The other great route to the pole Is north from Batfin bay, either by the east coast of Grnnell Land or the northwest coast of Greenland. This route is made famous by such names as Kane. Hall. Hayes, Mares, Greedy, Markham and Peary Here land has been traced about as far north as at Franz Josef Land. Ut is, however more difficult to bring supplies beyond eighty on this route than it would be at Franz Joseph Land. There seems to be fairrea- son to suppose that the north pole will be reached by some of the expeditions on one of these two routes mentioned, the chances probably favoring that | starting north of Europe. All explorers agree that the ice in that part of the Arctic ocean is extremely rough, mak- | ing sledge travel very difficult and slow. | If a balloon could only be successfully | used to bridge the few hundred miles | that now separate the explorers from l the pole, it would bea very much easier 1 task than striving to gain distance by 1 ong, hard marches, that often do not | accomplish in a day what is lost by the | drifting of the ice.
 As we have previously stated, two | ships are now being fitted out. one in |