The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-12-02
WOMAN TO TRY FOR POLE.
Ella oueman Thinks She Can Accom-.
plish the Trip.
From the New York Press.

From the New York Press.
somebody has got to find the north
pole. The men who have gone searching
lor 1t have failed. I'm going to try and
l think I shall succeed"
This is the confident assertion of Mrs.
hila ougman. explorer and anthropologist
VINO IS making ready at Nome, ALASKA.
LUZ an expedition 'farthest north" Pho
tosfaphs OF this plucky woman and soma
Vi the interesting retinue that Will accom-
pany her on the hazardous trip have lust
reached New York.
MIS- ougman Is well known at Smith
sonlan Institution, Washington. for her
ooterHuned exploits In Alaska and other
parts Oh the northwest where she has for
9SNeIai years been studying the habits of
the Eskimos. She Is regarded as an sx-
pert on the Innuits, as the Esklmos ara
hhoWn' and her collection of Eskimo en-
rios Is considered the finest extant.
Mrs ougman expects to start within a
Iiohth ana believes she will return to
nome well inside of two years.
Ihis newest of the explorers will ba,,,
l'shlllos as her only companions She
understands the Esklmos thorouphly
speaks their strange language as fluentiv
as she does her mother tongue. and con-
-, mat they VIII be best able to
Withstand the temptation to dig for aold
In the Klondke and stick TO the obiant
OF the expedition.
would have recruited a few sterli,.,
whlte men, said Mrs Ousman. IF
could nave found any PROOF against their
raining victims to the gold fever. 1 have
not projected this trip for the sake of
making money out of It, 1t Is hot gold
we SNAP seek, but the elusive north pole
all,
70 take any possible desercers with n1e
1 Know the lnnuits. They are faithful.
ihose VINO VIII go with me have sworn
that they will stay to the end of the trim
ana Know they will do 1t. Besides this
no white man has the endurance that
the lnnuits have, and of all things en-
ourahce counts in "a trip to the Arctics'
MIS-. ousman Is known to the EsI<inos
as man. Although she wears sItirts
the unsuspecting Innuits have always
been led to believe that they were donned
simply to keep her warm. The rskimos
90 not trust women as they do men and
II they suspected that the leader of their
poid expedition was of the weaker .ss,,
they could not follow her.
ne Eshmos grant me courtesIes thev
would not think of allowing women ;.
saia MIS-. ougman. For instance. they
aiiow me TO enter their burying ground
''''''o nv Nplllelu NOT native born ia
ever permitted to do. In this wav
have gathered all manner of things fror,
the treasure buried with the Eskimo dead
"On the trip to the pole this will hs
OF much Importance to me. 1t will ba
my object not alone TO look for the
pole, but to study the habits of the air
ferent Eskimo tribes we meet"
The expedition will start on sIedge.
drawn by Eskimo dogs. At the Eskimo
settlement farther north in the Journey
the sledges will be loaded with food
There will be enough Mrs. Oueman saws
to last twenty-four months. Should The
commissary supply by any chance give
out there will be some extra dogs that
can be spared.
| Mrs. Ougman has the distinction OF be-
ing the only woman who has seen Mt.
| mckinley on the heights OF the snowy
| Alaskan range, With a party of ex
plores she pushed to the Yukon Valley
| two years ago and stood at the base OF
! the mountain The climb to the peak
of Mt. Mckinley is 1000 feet.
There won't be any change of fatigue
on this trip said Mrs. Ougman. 'I have
had experience in the awful cold OF the
Alaskan country. and know how to keen
warm This time we will pass Mt. Me
Kinley and continue north until We have
found the pole"