River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1905-09-21

body knew that Of the SO men, all
but one were safe and sound. The
dead man did not succumb to anything
that he might not have died of in his
own homie. 1t was record far sur
passing that of the other Ziegler ex-
petition.
Fiala spoke modestly of what had
happened during these past two years,
saying nothing for himself, though it
was largely due to him that he had
brought his men back all right.
F'iala didn't have much to say of
what he had been through, but others
told of it. The men were in fairly
good shape, but some were so weak
that they never could have withstood a
third winter in the Arctic.
1t was the terrible winter of 1903 and
1904 that was against them. When
storms and grinding ice crushed the
stanch America like pasteboard box,
this ship that had weathered many an
Arctic winter before, Fiala did not give
up. He saved so tons of provisions
ana 100 tons of coal, which he deposit
ed on the ice for further use. Then
he led his men out on the ice fields
The last wreckage of their ship disap-
peared in the fearful storm of January
%, 1904. His ship gone, Fiala did not
give up his search for the pole. Par
ties went out east, west and north,
trying to force a passage north. There
was impossible ice everywhere, and
much open water, which forbade other
attempts. Then the provisions began
to fail. 1t meant a forced march south
or death for everybody.
It was a long, painful and terrible
Journey on foot and sledge to the
southwark. Ultimately the party
reached the caches at Cape Flora,
Cape Dillon and Cape Ziegler. The
men were distributed at these three
places, and eked out the provisions
they found by catching bear and wal
rus, on which they subsisted.
Everybody was hopeful until the
autumn of 1904, when no relief ship
came. The party knew it was doomed
to pass another winter in the Arctic
without any hope of rescue. Solid ice
fields stretched in every direction. It
was plain that no help could come un-
til another season.
But at home there was one girl who
had hope. And when spring came
again, there was one man who had
made up his mind to obey to the letter
the parting injunction of William
Ziegler, even then doomed to death:
Don't come back without Fiala.
Bring him back dead or alive"
Mr.. Champ knew what that meant,
and he resolved to do it. While Fiala' s
men were fast losing hope, the Terra
Nova was making her way northward
almost by inches. She sailed from
Tromsoe, Norway. on June Is last. She
encountered tremendously thick ice all
the way. She encountered perils that
would have driven back almost any
one save an American.
From Tromsoe she shaped her course
direct for the ice fields, which she
found on June 10. TlL.1n she slipped
along eastward until June 27, when
she began to drive her way through
the foes. On July %, four weeks later,
the Terra Nova struck open water.
But this was only for brief spell.
On July % she again hit the ice.
Champ had experienced navigators
with him and they were agreed that
they could never reach Fiala- Some
even doubted that they could get back
themselves until next year.
Keep on" ordered Champ quietly,
and the resolute men set their faces
still to the north.
On July % they sighted Palmi island.
Next day, after a 24-hour battle. they
reached the island. Then they knew
they had won. There they found six
members of the expedition which
Fiala's foresight had left there. Then
Champ knew that his mission was
successful. for the six told him where
headquarters were at Cape Dillon, and
that Fiala and the rest Of his men