Durango semi-weekly herald., 1904-04-07
WIZARD CONTINUES HIS INTER
Esrlho ARCTIC ExPER-
FENCES.
Confined from saturdayJ


were given the preference. and the
rest Of us joilied until we felt able to
walk Also two of the fresh men
walked beside each of thhc exhausted
ones and helped them along be
lieve | was the only one Of the party
that walked the entire distance back
TO the ship. which we reached about
half past nine,
With the two mates. who were
tried navigators. and Mr.. Baldwin in
the lead the cavalcade must have
made an odd appearance as we strag-
gled along. The Russians were lead
ing the Siberian ponies. which were
piled up with furs and men, and the
rest of the crowd were following
along in groups, all heavily swad-
died In furs or woollen clothes,
Two men were carrying lights made
Of some chemical that burned IN a
white glare, something like the lime
light of the stage In the little area
which was thus Illuminated strobe
Baldwin back and forth, from left to
right and from right to left, careful to
keep within the zone of light which
meant the center of the stage; step
ping with the mimic dignity of the he
70 of melodrama,
There under the limeight. lighting
up that vast oxpanse of darkness and
ice. he strulted back and forth. the
cynosure OF all eyes Chat were not
closed In Sleep the observed of all
observers. the monarch of all he sur
veyed Twas the height of glory
achieved by him on the expedition,
and he carried 1t to the limit
For was he not the commandant?
Were we not his hencbmen. hired for
season TO do his will and serve his
pleasure? Laying aside for the time
his role of absolute dictator. he glo.
ricd in the pose of hero and rescuer.
On the return the entire party missed
the ship and went around 1T, but we
heard the ringing OF the bell, kept
up by Fiala's order. and SO came back
against the wind TO the ships side
And il was all so cheap. unnecessa-
ry and theatrical To be sure the dan.
ger had been very real. and the arriv-
nj of the rescue party had been oppor.
tune. yet the whole affair was so petty
and useless. Mr. Baldwin himself
the only experienced man in the
crowd had sent us out without sleep
ing bags, without tents. without even
compass and we had known nc
more than 10 go We learned. before
the season was over. and we pitched
our tents rolled into our fur sleeping
bags and weathered ont many fierce
gale before our sledging season was
over, We sledeed over a thousand
miles that spring. with heavy loads
over hummocky ice. and at one time.
were fifty-four days away from the
ship, These iifty-four days were days
of hard work and exposure, without
the benefit Of any artificial heat what
ever Our little oil stoves would boil
water for the preparation of coffee
and our condensed foods hut were
useless as heat producer, and your
hand would freeze fast to the valves.
blaze was boiling.
In addition To our sledging. Mr. Por
ter mapped one new island. and out.
lined the shores OF new channel
through the group of islands.
When, after forty days of field
work we had returned to our half
way station and were only one days
travel from the ship, MIR. Baldwin ask
ed for volunteers for another return
with loaded sledges to our northern
cache. not an able bodied man refused
We were worn and tired, our hands
sore from frosthites, and our bodies
reduced from the exposure and The
diet of condensed foods.
For this last trip MIR. Baldwin Sc.
iecied DIR, Werner as leader. while he
baldwin, took with him MT Porter
and Mr.. Fiala. for trip of eXplora-
tion OF among the islands in search
OF Nansen's hut.
DR.. Werner was allowed his own
choice of men, as only the ten We're
needed, for the last trip northward
Need | try tC tell how proud | was
when | was selected as one of the ten?
Mr.. Baldwin expected us to he gone =
week, but we made the eighty mile
round trip in four days. and waited at
the halfway station three days for the
return of Mr. Baldwln's party. They
were successful In their search of
Nansen's hut, Mr. Fiala being the man
who made the discovery, believe
though on this point | am not certain.
as 1t may have been Mr., Porter. They
also found the copy OF the note which
he left there, and It corresponded ex.
actly with the copy in Nansen's book
"Farthest North"
On May 2lst at midnight of 1902.
stood on the northern shore of Prince
Rudolph land, the most northern point
OF ground known on the European side
OF the world. and looked across "A mar.
row stretch of black water that sepa,
rated MS from the ice field ON the open
arctic sea. On our left and a little 10
the south rose the headlands OF Karl
Alexander land. the cliffs rising In ah.
rnpt precipices that We're serraled
with gulches down which the accumu.
lated ice of ages makes its way in
slow moving glaciers
Our cache was planted but short
distance from whore the Duke OF