The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-07
COULD REACH POLE
IF GOLD WERE THERE
So Declares j. p. Rudd Who
Has Spent 10 Years in
Nome District.

i
before the pole would be reached" de-
cIared J. P Rudd, who has spent the
past ten years in the Nome district.
Mr.. Rudd was at the Merchants yes
terday having stopped over in st.
Paul while on his way TO his former
home in New York He says he does
not believe any "tenderfoot" from the
states will ever be able to reach the
pole.
up in Alaska" said Mr.. Rudd, I'VE
believe that if the pole is ever reach
ed it will be by men who are accus-
toned to an arctic climate, and not
by men from the states, who are worse
than 'tenderfeet' when 1t comes to
knowing how to withstand the rigors
of the cold. The discovery of the pole
is something we have often talked
over, and 1 have heard scores of Alas
kans say that they would not hesitate
to make the attempt and would start
out with every confidence that they
would be successful.
"Of course, these men would not
think of making the search merely for
the glory they might gain, but if there
was material inducement for them
they would not hesitate in making their
plans.
Before anyone sneers or laughs at
these statements" continued Mr.. Rudd,
"he ought to consider what kind of
life these men have become used to.
They think nothing of sleeping in a
little flap tent with the mercury so or
more degrees below zero. l have my
self worked with the temperature 70
degrees below.
Could Sleep in Bed of Snow.
Many of them would not even need
tents if it came to that; they could
be comfortable merely in a sleeping
bag in the snow, cuddled in among
their dogs. They have learned to un-
Gergo all kinds of hardships, to live
on such foods as can be easily carried
whale bladder, dried fish, almost any
thing that has a little more nutriment
in it than ice.
The distance from Nome to the pole,
about LOO miles, we would not con-
slider more than a forty days journey,
and not anything to be especially
dreaded even in the winter. In fact,
it is in the winter that we do all our
travelling in Alaska; In the summer it
is almost impossible to make any great
distances because Of the soft condition
of the ground, the foot or so of moss
which covers everything, entirely cut
ing off communication between the
settlements.
But in the winter time it is an easy
matter to make fifty miles day with
dog sledges. While travelling in this
manner man does not ride, as a rule,
but trots along with his dogs for ten
hours at a time without becoming ex-
hausted. Then he will lie down in the
snow, with his dogs all around sand
over him, and sleep as comfortable,
according to his way of thinking, as
if he were in f1rst-class hotel. In
fact, many of them would prefer it.
During the ten years 1 have been
in Alaska, 1 have often heard men talk
of how they would go about it to reach
the north pole. They would start early
in July on a whaling steamer. pass
through the Boring strait and drive
as far north into the Arctic ocean as
possible, say about 400 miles. At that
point they would expect to strike fair
ly solid pack ice, and, after wedging
the vessel firmly into it, they would
make it the base of supplies for a dash
to the pole. They would arrange the
work in relays, establishing stations
along the route 100 miles or so apart,
so that in case of accident they would
have refuge to return to.
Mark Route With Flags.
'By starting out from the vessel
with the dog sIeds heavily laden 1t
would not be long before the estab-
lishment of the stations along the
route would leave them comparatively
light. The route from the ship could
be marked with flags so that the party
could find its way back at any time
without trouble.
In attempting such trip as this the
chief difficulty would be to find a way
around the hummocks which cover the
arctic ice pack, but under similar cir
cumstances, a little further south, we
have always found it possible to find a
way through. The route very likely
would be circuitous, but it would be
IN the right general direction, and the
return would, of course, be much easier
on this account than the advance. as
the route would have been marked by
the flags.
Fhese are the plans for reaching
the north pole as laid out by many ex-
perienced travellers in arctic regions
and they assert that fifty miles a day
could be made easily. The only great
danger would be from encountering
open water, although have never vet
heard man in Alaska who has spent
any considerable time in the arctic, saw
he would expect to find anything ex-
cept ice and land.
Up in Alaska the old timers do not
take seriously the theory of an omen
polar sea, as it is exactly contrary to
what they would expect to find. iudg-
ing from the experiences they have
mad They would take kayaks with
them to cross any narrow breaks in the
ice, but these little skin boats would of
course, be useless in trying to cross
any great expanse of water.
Might Not Recognize the Pole.
What would chiefly trouble MANY
Whom L have talked with about maxi
Ing dash for the pole, would be the
knowing when they reached it. They
9re AFRAID they might pass it by with
put knowing it, and go down on tba
Sther side, SO confident are they that
sney could reach the top of the earth
81 there was any reason for them to
make the attempt. -
these statements may sound will
10 people who have NOT snan+ soo