The Hawaiian gazette., 1905-12-22
HUNTING
THE POLE

the leader OF the American Iiegler
North Pole Expedition, who landed
there on his way to the United states.
Mr. Fiala said;
The America. with the ziegler Polar
Expedition on board, left Nardo on
July TO- 1903. sailing through the Ice
fields. We were imprisoned in the Ice
In sight OF Cape Flora for four days,
and were finally obliged TO use heavy
mines OF guncotton TO break passage
between the immense masses OF ice and
to allow the shipp to escape into open
water.
AT the end OF August We reached
Teplitz Bay, Crown Prince Rudolf Is
land, the most northern harbor In
Franz Josef Land. which formed the
base camp of the expedition during the
whole of its stay in the Arctic, and
was named Camp Abruzzi, in honor of
the Italian explorer. ON october 2S, in
the darkness of the Arctic night. the
ship first narrowly escaped destruction
with over half the party aboard. Dur
ing a heavy gale the America which
was less than a mile from our land
headquarters. mysteriously disappear
ed. We found that she had been blown
tangled in her propeller. Three days
later she returned. having lost her
large anchor and chain. Everybody on
board had been up day and night, none
ever thinking that they would survive
LIKE VORACIOUS BEASTS.
"The ship then froze in, and seemed
safe enough to all of us, but on Novem-
Der IL, the ice pressure became so great
that the ship was damaged, but to
what extent we could not tell Early
in the morning of November Il, we
We're awakened by the crashing and
thunder of the ice in motion, great
pressure ridges forming around the
America like voracious beasts, and
tearing out her stern and penetrating
her side, while tons OF ice demolished
her rail and crashed on deck. She was
soon a wreck and in sinking condi-
ton, the rising water having exiting
uished her fires. There was nothing for
it but to abandon the vessel, and as We
did so final pressure raised her high
on the ice.
ION the night of January 22, 1904,
during a gale of wind that registered
at it's maximum ~ miles an hour, all
the old ice in Teplitz Bay, with severaf
miles of the glacier face, were broken
up and carried away, and with the bay
ice disappeared all that was left of the
America, together with 100 tons of coal
and 40 tons of provisions.
ION March Z, the first sledge party
left, and was storm-b bound for a num-
Der of days at Cape Fligely, being
obliged to return owing to the injuries
sustained by several of the men, and
also in order to repair equipments. The
second party left Teplitz Bay on March
25. and crossed the glacial ice to Cape
Fligely, whence 1t descend to the sea
ice. The ice conditions We're frightful,
and nearly every one. of the sledges
was hopelessly smashed, making it alb
solutely necessary, If the equipment
was TO be saved for another attempt
in the following year, that the party
should return to Camp Abruzzi Though
this column only reached a compare
lively short distance from land, all the
way had to be cut with ice-axes, and
it now became clear that it was use
less TO attempt to get further north
during the spring of 1904
A SECOND WINTER IN THE ICE.
Il then conducted company to
Cape Flora to await the arrival of the
relief ship. The journey occupied 16
days, our party arriving there on May
16, 1904. An outbreak of CHAMBERS among
our ponies compelled us to kill all ex-
cept two. From May 10 to September
10 we kept ceaseless watch for the re-
lief ship, by which date we had to face
the fact that relief was hopeless, and
that all of us would be compelled to
spend a second winter in the Arctic.
I'm the meantime, preparations for
the winter and the collection of sup
plies were in full progress to augment
the stores of food left at Cape Flora
by previous expeditions. At this time
an important discovery of coal was
made at a point 600 feet up the side
of a steep mountain. Coal was dug
out OF the frozen ground, and a win
ter supply laboriously conveyed down
the mountain on mems backs to camp.
II prepared to return to Camp Abruz-
ri for the further attempt to reach
the Pole in 1905. Accompanied by Mr.
w. j. Peters, the second in command,
and a small sledge party, we reached
Camp AbruzZi by moonlight on No
vember 20, 1904 having been marching
from Cape Flora since September 10.
This was a dangerous and eventful
trip, for a large portion of the way
had to be traversed in the darkness.
A stop was made on the way at Camp
Ziegler, Alger Island, where we left
two of the party, one whose toes had
been frostbitten and the other to keep
him company.
Time and time again men and dogs
would fall into holes and crevices in
the ice, or run up against great walls
OF ice, the leading men going ahead
without being able to see any possi-
BILE foothold. While crossing Hooken
Island glacier. two of the party fell
into crevasse, and at a distance Of
65 feet were wedged in between the
walls of ice. Their rescue was attend
ed with great difficulty, one being so
injured that he had to be dragged part
OF the distance north dashed to
sledge.
TREACHERoUS ICE.
ION arrival at Camp Abruzzi on No
vember 20 ! was saddened to hear OF
the death from natural causes of