Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-23
THE zIFGLER RELIEF PARTY.
Hopes to Reach Fiala-Long Struggle
With Ice Floes.

disnatch from New York last night
SAYS: William Ziegler received yesterday
detailed report from w. S. Champ, who
went out from Norway early in the summer
with the steamship Frithjof to carry relief
to the Ziegler polar expedition under An
thony Fiala, on the America. The report
tells of the severe arctic season and the
futile attempts of the Frithjof to buck the
ice fields and shows that the relief party
at one time succeeded in getting within sew
enty miles of Franz Josef Land and then
had to give 1t up.
Champs plan is to reach Cape Flora be-
fore the winter season begins, about Sep
TENDER 3. There he expects to find news of
Fala and the main expedition. part of
the report to Mr.. Ziegler describing re-
cent experiences is follows:
I'VE entered the ice on the 9th of July
and bucked our way up to about % de-
grees 80 minutes between S5 degrees and 46
degrees longitude. where met such a
heavy pack ice that we were simply pow
erless to go further north in this position
We then forced our passage through the
ice westward and got good lead northeast,
countered. From the crows nest We
thought there was open water to the north,
and if we could get through the ice ahead
of us we believed we could make Franz
Josef Land, so at full speed we bucked the
heavy pack ice until we were many miles
in the pack.
1.-The ice gradually became more closely
packed and larger foes, and to continue in
this course meant being caught fast and
drifting with the ice whole. There
fore, we again extricated ourselves from
this position, and continued for week to
look for a favorable lead to northward. We
followed the pack ice, however to within
thirty miles of Nova Zembla, when it again
turned southwark to the shores of that
island.
I'VE worked northward again on the 26th
Y,,l, hafyr nd da.
grees longitude forced our way IS degrees
80 minutes north latitude, about seventy
miles from Cape Flora. Here we met the
foe ice. and although we spent week try
ing to force passage we could not make
further northing.
ION the morning of July 81. for the first
time in three weeks, the horizon was free
from fog and we were enabled to get
good view of the ice in every direction. We
found that we could not do anything more
until the wind or swells broke up the foes,
which were rotten. but Impossible to navi.
gate. 1t was at this stage that the chief
engineer reported 105 tons of coal on board,
which was an inadequate amount for us to
be of any service to the America, l. e., so
far as being able to coal her. 1t was then
decided to take advantage of the conditions
to return to Vardoe for coal.
1--WE have had nothing but warm weather,
rain and fog all the time no wind, with the
execution of one day, so the Ice has grad
ually rotted, and if we only get good blow
the whole situation will change In a few
days. We will be back to our last position
not later than August or TO- so that We
will have a full month to accomplish our
mission and have no doubt we will get
through.
This failure has been great disappoint-
ment to us, we are all anxious to reach
Franz Josef Land and be of aid to the boys
on the America, in case Of need. The party
on board are all well, and we shall spare
neither ship nor coal to get through. There
has been very little game to be seen, which
t- 9ar,1t m n a
favorable ice for all kinds of arctic game
During our eastward voyage we reached
1906 north latitude. This was our course
in 1901. W. 8. CHAMP.
"12 pm, August A, 1904
Eve are coaling by the midnight sun. and
have every hope Of success. CHAMP.