Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-04-05
THE POLE SEEKER
Last Words From an Arctic
Voyager.
FIRST CAMP M ABE
NOW FOR THE LONG POLAR
DARKNESS.
When the Six Months Night Has
Passed Will Success OF De-
feat Be Toldf
FIRST CAMP MADE

petition
Editorial Note-The Baldwin Zeigler polar expe-
cftion begins its northward march the fee in
the early part Of April 1t is the hope Of Mr..
Baldwin, who is in command. that they reach the
pole within the next four months. The following
article was prepared by him shortly after his first
winter camp established on Aleer Island and
was sent back with the last word that has reached
civilization since his departure 1t gives
news to be had of his expedition for some time TO
come, together with his plans for the long winter
night through which they have just passed.
Life within six hundred miles of the
north pole has little attraction for the man
who likes the comfort, the pleasures and
the warmth of a home. but our party did
not seek these regions a resort and, con-
sequently, We shall not be disappointed
with our surroundings. 1 must say that
conditions have not been so bad, thus far.
as We expected to find them, though
had to brave many dangers and pass
through several trying experiences on our
way up to and through the channels of the
Franz Josef group of islands.
1 remember reading the story of Kane's
expeditions and the part which tells OF his
struggles through the long arctic night is
most horrible. His equipment was of the
poorest, most of his dogs died of bad food,
every one of his men was dreadfully af-
fiicted with the Scurvy, snow blindness,
frost bite and all sorts of kindred ills.
Il feel that We are fighting the battle of
life at disadvantage" he wrote, land
that an arctic day and an arctic night age
man more rapidly and harshly than a
year anywhere else in this weary world"
Now, of course, We shall not have any
such experience to relate when We return
to civilization. Indeed, l am afraid we
shall feel that all the glory of extreme Suf-
fering belongs to previous explorers and
that we shall have very little to write
about. unless we actually reach the pole.
For the whole expedition. 1 wish to say
that down to the present our experiences
have not been remarkable. Save for
occasional sickness and two or three slight
accidents, every man has been In good
condition. l was unfortunate enough to
slip and fall one day while out hunting
polar bear and was confined to my cabin
for a day or two. Otherwise, L have had
excellent health. We have been able to
store away large part of our provisions at
different camps and our dogs have survived
in a much larger proportion than was the
fortune Of any previous expedition. We
have lost very few of the original pack Of
427.
The chief reason for all these good re-
ports is simple enough. We are equipped
with the very best supplies possible to Sc
cure-enough to last us twice as long as
We expect We shall need them. Indeed
everything was done before We left civili-
cation to make our stay in the Arctic not
bit more disagreeable than in a winter
in Labrador.
d
Flora and the meeting with our supply
ship. the "Frithjof" we have been busy
making a suitable base of supplies at
Camp Ziegler, on Alger Island. and in es-
tabliShing another temporary camp far
Their up the channel. By degrees we shall
make progress northward until the hard
ening Of the ice pans and the coming Of
the long night shall compel us to establish
a. final winter camp. This We hope will be
well beyond the eighty-first parallel. The
labor of moving forward is very difficult
Supplies have to be taken here and there
and stored at convenient stages. Our very
large equipment has increased our present
troubles, thought which is not so unpleas-
ant when We think Of the future that these
supplies will make pleasant and agreeable.
A Thrilling Experience.
Our most thrilling experience in NOV
ing our stores and dogs occurred just be-
fore the "Frithjof' departed. We were
making our first arctic camp on Alger Is
land. had already successfully landed four
boats Of dogs, and had returned to the
America for the fifth and sixth loads.
In addition to the dogs going ashore this
time several additional members of the
party took their places in the boats. We
had no sooner cast of the lines from the
steamer when / noticed that the tide had
set in and was running very rapidly in the
opposite direction to which we We're trying
to go, while the wind had risen and was
ruffling the water in a threatening man.
ner. We began to be carried away from
the ship and the shore and I Immediately
gave the order to return to the America"
All hands labored hard at the oars, but
to no effect.
Realizing position, we made known
our danger by the blowing of the boat
SWANS whistle and making other signals
of distress. A light boat put out from the
America" but the two men in it were Of
little help in stopping the drift OF two
heavily loaded whale boats. In a short
ffr,on oil hra h.f,, Irix-
idly away There were no more available
boats on the America and nearly all the
rest of the expedition members were on
shore. Two boats from the "Frithjof."
our supply ship, were at the time discharg-
Ing loads of walrus meat at the selected
camp, and. in response to our repeated
signals of distress. one of these boats came
to our rescue. All four boats fastened
together then attempted to stem the tide
but it did not take more than a moment
or two to convince us that the combined
efforts Of all at the oars were powerless.
There were now twenty men and more
than a hundred dogs adrift at the mercy
Of the waves. We signaled again and
again. hoping to bring the one remaining
whale boat to aid us. We could see that
her men unloaded their cargo of walrus
meat as rapidly as possible. but. instead of
| coming toward US they pulled toward the
"Frithjof. For moment We could not
understand the situation. Presently the
curling smoke from the funnel of the sup
ply ship made it clear. Watchful Captain
Kjeldsen was on the bridge and as he
passed to and fro it could be seen that he
| had his eyes on us. and. although the an
chors of both our steamers were deep in
the sand, we knew that the "Frithjof'
would come to us as soon as the men from
the returning boat could weigh her anchor
AS for the America" no help was to be
expected from her. as there were not
enough men on hoard to raise her anchor
Anxious Moments.
1 could not help glancing frequently to-
ward the one remaining boat, as from my
position in the stern Of the last heavily
laden whale boat i observed the strokes of
the oars as the sturdy Norwegians pulled
toward the "Frithjof" But soon the men on
the steamer were seen rapidly bending at
the windlass as they hove the anchor. The
'Frithjof," too. swung to and fro. as evil
IDENTIFY she endeavored to assist the men to
raise the heavy weight from the sand be-
meath the angry waters. AT last her state
ly masts and the crows nest changed places
with the objects on the shore and we knew
that the "Frithjof' would soon be under
way.
Fortunately no accident deferred her She
swung around to one side of us and got
ropes to our line of boats just in time TO