The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1901-02-08
The DIFFICULTlES OF
POLAR EXPLORATION
Obstacles That Must Be Overcome
and the Hardships That
Must Be Endured.
OLD METHODS MUST BE FOLLOWED
The Problem Is stin One of Food and
Transportation-What May BE
Done IN the Near
Future.
OLD METHODS MUST BE FOLLOWED

| Future.
Owing to the failure of the efforts Of
past ages we are Likely to conclude
that the north pole is not accessible;
but no expedition has ever turned
back because of any insurmountable
barrier, or because OF the impossibAity
OF marching farther, says F. A. Cook
in the Washington Star. The real diff
hculty Is not the cold or the impede
ments of travelling over rough ice; it
is the unimaginable hardship of car
rying food, fuel and bedding for a
| journey that Is certain to require five
or six months.
The man who aims to reach the pole
need not necessarily be one who has
great muscular development or UNI
need he be an experienced pedestrian.
His success or his failure will be
measured by his ability to carry sup
plies, and by his power to adapt him
self to the other-world conditions of
life which obtain in such an UNDER
taking. The beautiful success of Lieu
tenant Peary, DR.. Nansen and Prince
| Luigi with dog sledges, with old and
tried methods, and the unfortunate
failure Of Wellman and Jackson, with
their many newly invented articles Of
equipment, clearly prove that we must
L
i The pole is in no danger of being cap
tured by the sudden bound of an up
to-date invention. We must walk to 1t
with our luggage.
How 1t May &c Reached.
IT is possible to push to the sOth par
allel, or very close to it, with a sup
ply ship. In some longitudes a vessel
ers not quite SO far, but ten degrees
is, in general way, the distance to
be covered on foot over rough sea ice
by an exploring party. Allowing for
the many certain detours and the re-
SUE journey, this distance will figure
UP to not less than 2,100 geographical
miles. No men, it matters not how
adept they have become or how per-
feet their equipment. are likely to ay-
erage more than twelve miles daily.
The surface of the ice is such that
there are many days when the party
will exhaust all its strength in adj
vancing tWoHo or three miles; and then
there are the storms, the many soul
racking tempests, which often make
active work impossible for several sue
cessive days. When the ice Is smooth
and the weather favorable it will at
times be easy to cover from twenty to
thirty miles daily, but an average of
twelve miles for all kinds of going is
a maximum. Since the distance Is
200 miles, 1t would require nearly six
pole and back again.
Men who have been in the polar re-
gions know that it is possible to spend
six months camping on ice and sub
sisting on the simplest foods. It is
true that with this kind of life there
is considerable risk of sudden heart
or kidney disease, and there is always
the possibility Of scurvy and fatal
kind Of anaemia. Health, success and
even life depend upon the quality and
the amount of food, fuel and clothing,
and ample experience has shown that
it is impossible to carry sufficient
supply of these for period of six
months.
n An Advance Station.
That which constitutes a possibility
for man with his present means to
reach the pole is the reasonable Ger
tainty of pushing an advance station
beyond the 82d degree of latitude. To
this then may be added another hope
which 1t is always reasonable to en-
Il terrain; that Of securing some game
en- route. From the 80th to. the Saith
parallel, over the more difficult ice of
the outer fringe Of the park. there Is
good prospect Of securing bears,
seals and birds, both on the poleward
and on the honeward journey. This
probability Of securing game may be
reckoned as being equal to another
supply station at the Saith parallel. We
thus have but six degrees to cover in
which we cannot expect to augment
the food supply. This distance with
the return and the detours would
make total distance Of 1000 miles
well-equipped party of the right sort
Of men would cover this distance In
Is 100 days. Peary has made longer
journey in less time over the interior
of Greenland. 7 ) q small body Of we'll
equipped men, who understand the
true condition Of polar life and are
willing to adopt life Of deprivation
the north pole is accessible.
Appalling DiflcultIes.
We now know with reasonable
probability the conditions which are
4 likely to obtain in a journey to the
4 north pole. The recent explorations
sen in the Arctic basin. 4 If land exists
s beyond the known regions 1T Is in oil
probability of small extent. 1t follows
4 i then that the pole is the center of q
fl frozen ocean, and the man who seeks
81 TO find 1T must plan to pick his way
4 Il over q olifefess ana moving sea OF ice
The man who aims to reach the south
4 pole how has before him q series
v of al ffcult ties which are of another
4 M The entii " region within the Ant
A Il arctic circle an area as large as tht
8 cont nent of North America. Is more
t Or less itlYotyed In mysterysSSl Indeed
most OF 1t lis a blank upon our charts
i NO well directed effort has ever beer
aimed at the south pole. There have
& been expedit Ions TO the far south, bu)
they found sufficient work along thu
Ledge OF tho pack ice TO fulfill their mis-
II l6xpeditione we are fWarrantedg in build.
1nSr II "a, Il Nv heficfl cnilttnesf arrnir,f