Evening star., 1901-05-11
WITH EVERYTHING MONEY CAN BUY
No Similar Party Ever Set Out so
Well Equipped.
TO START NEXT MONTH
Written for The Evening st


decessors in magnitude and equipment. All
the preparations, however, which have
been made for any previous dash to the
arctic appear insignificant in connection
with the plans made for the expedition
which will leave New York city in June OF
the present year. This enterprise, which
is known officially as the Baldwin-Ziegler
expedition, is under the direction of Evelyn
b. Baldwin, a man who for more than
decade has been engaged almost exclusively
In arctic work, and is financed by William
Ziegler, the baking powder maSnate, who
has announced his intention to eXpend
$1,OOO,O00, If necessary, in his effort to float
the stars and stripes first at the north pole.
The route selected by Mr.. Baldwin is one
never traVersed before. There Is large
territory in Franz Josef Land, lying be
tween the British channel and the Austrian
sound, called by Mr.. Baldwin the inter
channel route which has never been
charted. This includes the regions to the
north and northeast of Crown Prince Ru-
dolph Land. 1t is the explorers intention
to cross this territory, making complete
geographical chart of it, and then to make
his dash for the pole from the farthermost
northern point in this region.
VIII Have n Large Party.
Although Mr.. Baldwin accompanied the
Peary expedition of 1898 and is thus thor
oughly familiar with the theories of his
chief rival in the race for the pole, he is
by no means in sympathy with many of
them. For instance, Lieutenant Peary has
always contended that polar exploring
party should be made up of the fewest pos
sible persons In order that the danger OF
accident and delay due to sickness, might
be reduced to minimum. The young
American who now seeks to fight his way
through the region of perpetual snow and
Ice takes his stand that within reasonable
bounds, there is strength in union.
In pursuance of this policy the Baldwin
Ziegler party will have the most extensive
transport train ever carried on such a vog-
age. For moving the supplies and appara-
tus there will be employed four hundred
Eskimo dogs and fifteen Siberian ponies,
and, just to indicate the manner In which
the comfort Of beasts as well as men is
to be looked after, it may be noted that
fifty tons of specially prepared dog food is
included in the list Of equipment. In the
exploring party proper there will be some
thirty men, although if the sailors and
other men aboard the vessels be included in
the enumeration the total will probably ex-
ceed seventy-five persons The explorer.
however, will allow to accompany him only
the hardest men. Each member of the
party understands that he will be expected
to do rough work from beginning to end
and that the journey is not to be regarded
as in any sense pleasure excursion. 1t is
significant that almost all the men who
will accompany Mr.. Baldwin sturdy
young Americans Of exceptional energy.
The Two Vessels.
This coming invasion Of the frozen north
will be made with two vessels The steam
er America, which is to carry the exploring
party. and is now being refitted at Dundee
Scotland for one of the most arduous tasks
ever imposed upon a vessel Is 157 feet in
length, % feet beam and 10 feet in depth
The America formerly the crack
whaler Of the Dundee fleet and has seen
exciting service In the arctic regions. She
is a three-masted sailing vessel with aux
lllary steam power driving a single screw
and is, of course, of wooden construction
since no experienced explorer would think
of taking q steel craft into the ice pack
This vessel lately rechristened in honor
of Explorer Baldwins native land, carried
the Swedish expedition under Prof Koltoff
to Greenland last year. and it may be as
serted with confidence that no vessel ever
entered the arctic seas better constructed
than the America to withstand the perils
peculiar to seas Of ice. The famous Nor
wegian sealer, the Frithjof, will accom-
pany. the America, carrying supplies and
provisions as far north as Franz Josef
Land where Mr.. Baldwin proposes to es-
tablish his base of operations.
Leader of the Expedition.
The personality Of the man who is in
command Of the latest polar invading force
Is such as to inspire confidence, and his
achievements In the past would appear to
fit him for this supreme ordeal Mr.. Bald
win was born in federal camp during the
civil war, and when a mere boy made a
trip on foot and by bicycle over all parts of
Europe and the greater part of the United
States, winding up with the pioneer wheel
trip ever made through Yellowstone Park
AS noted. he was with Peary In the arctic
in 1872 and all arrangements had been
made for him to join the Inflated Andree
in the latters balloon expedition but at the
last moment he was forced to remain he
hind, it being found that there was less
ir,f hl h1, l,l
Pushing northward after this disapnoint
ment, Mr.. Baldwin spent the season study
ing arctic conditions, and In 1SyS-'9g he
went to Franz JOSEF Land as member of
the Wellman arctic expedition He snant
three or four months last year I'm Eurona
making Investigations bearing upon his
present project, and probably no other ex-
pedition has had plans so carefully man
ped out to the minuteSt detail in advance
Mr.. Baldwns chief concern now is to heat
out Lieutenant Peary and Captain Sver-
drup, who are In command of two separate
expeditions which are forging to the mole
by what is known as the 'Greeniand
route a different course from that which
will be followed by the Baldwin marty As
indicative of the determination of the man,
it may be noted that Mr.. Baldwin's nlans
contemplate voyage to the antarctic
should the northern goal be reached by an
other ere his party has taken up the race,
ana with TINS possible contingency in view
the equipment of the two ships has been
made ample for a most extended VOYAGE.
Well Supplied.
There will be stored in the holds of the
Baldwin vessels more than 1900 crystalized
eggs and fully 1000. 900 rations of coffee
This coffee Is Of new brand a Japanese
preparation known as "kato," and it has
been prepared in the tablet form, a tablet
no larger than cough lozenge affordins
delicious cup of coffee. Practically ali the
food taken viii be of the concentrated va
riety, and immense quantities of condensed
milk will also, be stored away in the float
ing larders. Mr.. Baldwin expects that his
men will shoot enough seals, bears and
birds to provide a fair proportion of fresh
meat, but he is not relying upon this source
of supply to any considerable extent.
Dried and tinned meat is to be carried In
large quantities. apd the new form of ra-
tion with which the United States War
Department recently made experiments
will be employed to some extent. Desic-
Gated potatoesl and a great variety Of can
ned fruits viii serve to ward off the dread
scurvy, which SO often attacks crews
forced to subsist on an exclusively meat
diet.
The immense pack of dogs which will
accompany the Baldwin-Ziegler party con-
stitutes one Of its most novel features.
The 400 animals-a dozen times as many