The St. Louis Republic., 1903-12-29
Lays All Blame for Disagreement
With William Ziegler to
Ziegler;s Secretary.
REVIEWS EXPEDITIONS WORK.
Denies That He Was Intoxicated
the Day He Sailed for New
York and Refutes Other
Charges Against Him.
REPUBLIC SPECIAL.

| Kansas City, Mo-. Dec. S-A telegram
| containing the charges made by William
Ziegler, the financial hacker OF the Bald
win-Ziegler expedition, which failed to
reach the North Pole or even to make
| good showing. was sent from here to
| Evelyn B. Baldwin, who is in Oswego,
Kas.. visiting. to-day. He replies:
Upon my return to Norway in 1902,
cabled Mr.. Ziegler that all the Americans
had been loyal and that l intended to go
to Siberia in October, 1902. in order to pur-
chase more dogs and thirty Siberian
ponies. I considered the services of the
ponies to be priceless. and for him (Nfr
ziegler) to regard the information as con-
fidential
| TheSe cablegrams were followed by one
| from Mr.. Ziegler for me to return to New
| York, as important matters required my
presence there. Not even dreaming Of diff
| ficulty of serious character as far as
the majority of the men were concerned,
/ started supposedly for friendly con-
ference with Mr.. Ziegler.
| ZIEGLERS SECRETARY.
Meanwhile W. 8. Champ. Ziegler's pri-
vate secretary. had declared his hostility
to me and to the expedition. saying that
| having been sent twice in charge of sup
| ply steamers he was tired of the whole af-
fair, and that he would do all In his pow
er to prevent Mr.. Ziegler from putting an
other dollar into it. stating In particular
| that his fruitless voyage on the supply
| steamer Frithjof in the summer of 1902
had prevented him from making 81 900 in
| a deal which he contemplated that sum-
| mer.
previous to my departure from the
| Anna for New York l had permitted the
members Of the expedition to live ashore,
| the expedition paying their expenses at the
| Grand and other hotels Of Tromsoe. /.
however. remained aboard with some Of
| the helpers in order to care for the ship
| and other property of the expedition.
AWAITING STEAMER.
For four weeks after my return to
! Norway, August l, 1902, had the expedi-
| ton at Tromsoe waiting Intelligence Of
the supply steamer. which had been dis
| patched with coal and other supplies
which were absolutely necessary for me to
II You GOn
there the first year j want You to turn
right around and go back the next AS l
had returned to Norway owing to the fall.
| ure of the coal supply for the purpose OF
saving mems lives, SO, upon my arrival
at Tromsoe l now held the expedition
there to search for ziegler's private secrc
After waiting three weeks for his re-
| turn, permitted certain men to journey
| homeward by routes Of their own choice.
to port, having failed utterly in her mis-
| sion even to get within sight of Franz
Josef Land Previous to this several several
teered to accompany me during the con-
templated second years work.
Had Champ followed instructions, the
supply steamer might have saved the
members of the expedition, myself In
cluded. several trying sled trips. The pre-
liminary shedding expeditions during the
| winter months extended almost exclusive
| ly between -provisioned ship at one
| end of a 5oG-mile line of march and q
| large station Of food and equipment at
the other. The line of march lay along
| side an island, where travel was compare
| lively safe.
| SAFE ANCHORAGE.
This was longer island, which offers
| an exceptionally safe anchorage at various
points during periods of storm and drifting
seas of ice. Invariably when these parties
| were caught in snowstorms the sleds were
laden with pemmican and other provisions,
| so that In case of delay starvation was
| impossible. TRIPS afforded excellent train
| Ing for young men spending their first vim
| ter in the Arctic.
! Although there were three physicians
on board, none Of them ever reported the
| expedition as threatened with pestiience,
| and at the end of the years toll all re-
| turned in as excellent health as ever en-
1oyed by C9mmander Peary and his Eski.
| Johannsen.
Engineer Hartt's avowal that I can't
pc trusted comes from man who was
forced to resign from the United States
transport service for drunkenness upon his
arrival at Dundee. whittier had sent him
on trial. I was obliged to. cable his dis
! agreed to give him another chance.
This man Is how made to accuse me
OF lying to MIN severalIy In New York. in
| Dundee, in Tromsoe and in Virdo In ali OF
| which places he certainly might have
| severed his connection with the expedi-
| ton.
COULD HAVE RETURNED.
| Upon our arrival in Franz Josef Land
he might also have returned that same
season with his friend, Zieglers private
secretary. It certainly was very unwise
| Of him to remain with man whom he
could not trust and whom, he says. lied to
| touch. 1t is singular that Ziegler and
Champ. with all their shrewdness and
with whom L have been almost daily as
year. left it to this fellow of only a few
days association to discover that could
| not be trusted and that am q liar. Sin
that Spon my ao sRas 8ssaos
July 81. fSei. was under the influence of
LIQUOR
True. " was then an hour or TWO before
| sailing had been the guest at dinner Of
| Captain Gunderson, the harbor master
and his estimable wife. Captain Gunder-
son had brought the caravels from Nor
way to the Columbian Exposition at Chi.
| standing. Following Norwegian custom,
| liquors were served and partook.
| II am certain that had overdone the
hospitality extended this excellent gentle
man would have cautioned me. Instead,
| however, we went aboard and put to sea-
/ Captain Gunderson being also the pilot
| and amenable to the laws OF his country