Evening star., 1901-08-31
POLAR SEA MESSAGES
Explorer Baldwin Tells How He Will
Keep the World Informed,
WILL TAKE 600 BUOYS With him
Forty Balloons viii Garry Them
Southwark.
OTHER PLANS OF THE PARTY
lCOpyriEht. 19D1.l

Copyright. 19o1)
Written for The Evening Star by Evelyn Briggs
Baldwin. Commander OF the Baldwin-Zieglcr
Polar Expedition.
1t is only in recent years that arctic ex-
plorers have attempted to keep in touch
with the world after once leaving their
bases Of supplies until their return there
to. The old way meant not only months
of isolation in the arctic regions. but also
as many months Of waiting on the part of
the civilized world for news of these seek
ers for an elusive geographic point. Nor
have recent efforts to overcome this latter
condition of affairs been marked by any
great degree of success. The history of all
the expeditions which have set forth to de-
termine the secrets so jealously guarded by
the ice sphinx of the north have shown this
great lack of detail The chronicles of
events occurring in that almost unknown
region lying beyond the eightieth parallel
are never written until the return of the
survivors or of the relief expeditions For
months-sOmetimes years-the members of
an arctic party are dead to all the known
world. What would Americans not give to
know what Peary has been doing for near
~ two years past: what would Sweden not
give to learn of the wanderingS of Andree
ana the tate OF himself and his two COM
radeSi
The expedition which 1 have the honor
to command typifieS. in it's euuipment for
Informing the world of our progress the
true spirit of the twentieth century In
the matter of exploration We shall to a
large extent, take up the quest where our
predecessors left off. Certainly no previous
expedition to the north has ever made
such complete arrangements for the trans
mission of news back to civilization When
Andree sailed away four years ago he took
With him thirty-two pigeons and thirteen
buOys. One of the pigeons returned four
afterW1r1- bearing las
heard OF Andrea brief sentence giving
his location and the direction in which he
was then travelling. OF the thirteen buoys
supposed to have been set adrift by him
two have thus far been recovered-one off
tht north coast of Iceland and the other
on King Charles Land. 80 miles AWAY
IL should be remembered that Andree had
10 device for releasing his buoys being
compelled to throw them from the car of
his balloon. 1t is more than likely that
some OF them We're crushed and broken by
the fall upon the ice.
PrOfitinE by Andree.
Fronting by Andrees experience, there
fore. l decided to adopt a type of buoy
somewhat similar TO his-carrying the stars
and stripes instead of the flag of Sweden
ana devised a plan OF releasing each buoy
without involving the risk of any injury
to it. If two out of thirteen Andree buovs
could be recovered, why should not larpar
proportion of more carefully devised ones
sent out by my party be recovered? We
shall employ balloons to carry the buovs
back southwark. and 1 fully expect that
the news OF our progress toward the mole
Will be had quickly and frequently NOT
only may this news feature be accomplish
ed, but II We reach the pole-and we have
determined that nothing shall stop us-the
news or this triumph may be brought back
months before We shall get to civilization
Two hundred of the buoys are to be placed
al stations on the east coast of Greenland.
10 be used by any of my party who may
reach these points on their return Ii NAV
be stated here that we have chosen the
east coast OF Greenland as our objective
point after reaching the pole
Before the end of the present summer We
nope To establish our main station some
where in the neighborhood of the Slst par
alIel on the eastern side of the British
channel among the islands of Franz Josef
Land. Thence We shall move northward
through the ice until the America, my flag
ship. shall be frozen in. and from this sta
tlon we shall transport sufficient supplies
and equipment to establish an additional
base at the very northernmost point of
Franz Josef Land. Soon after this shall
have been accomplished the long arctic
night will have begun and here we shall
be Obliged to stay until March. 1902. Mean
time however. We shall be making obser-
Vations of wind. weather, clouds and vari-
Gus arctic phenomena, and records of these
important scientific Investigations which
we expect VIII be of great meteorol ogical
value, Will form q part of the news to be
sent back by our buoy messengers to civil
lZation. Soon after the return of the sun
We shall throw out advance stations on the
sea Ice to the northeast before the ice. snail
have acquired much movement and our adj
vance will begin about the lst of April
win only 800 miles between our winter
home and the pole and the most complete
equipment possible for covering this dis
tance L have every hope of accomplishing
my object before the 4th of July The
news OF this advance We shall send back
by frequent bulletins. What a great tri-
laden with buoyS containing messages sent
from that point where there is only one di-
rection-south-and where II is any hour of
the day one may choose TO call It.
Cones of Solid Cork.
have been specially constructed for the
kind Of work they will be called upon to
do. The body of each buoy is a cone of
solid cork weighted, with copper-sheathed
lead in order that 1t may preserve an up
right position when afioat. The outer sur
face Is painted. half red and half blue and
is well protected from the shocks of ice,
which II. must endure. by a mesh OF heavy
lowed sufficiently to admit a brass tube,
into which the message is thrust and the
tube Is held in place by q metallic cap, on
which Is inscribed. "Baldwin-Ziegier Polar
Expedition" Above ALL on a spiral iiag
stan OF nickel wire Is the American flag
painted on sheet Of copper. The spiral
nickel wire imparts a vibratory motion to
the flag. which also moves easily on a
pivot. The purpose Of these devices is. of
course to render the buoy more noticeable
than would be otherwise possible. l have