Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-12-04
GROSS NORTH POLE
Explorer Baldwin Has New and Unique
Plan for Coming Expedition
to Aretics.
WILL DRIFT FOUR YEARS
Expects Ice Pack to Carry Ship and
Party From Alaska to Green
land in That Time.

explorer VINO Ieu tue uuSuCScSiui |
Ziegler expedition in search of the |
north pole, u few nights ago revealed |
his plans for another dash northWard |
whereby he not only hopes to reach |
the pole, but actually to cross over 1t
by traversing course from northwest |
of Point Barrow. Alaska, to Il point |
between SpitZbergen and the east
coast of Greenland. 1t is his plan to
let nature shape his course by run
ming his ship into the drift ice. per-
hitting it to become part of the ice
pack. and then to drift with the Arctic
currents until he has accomplished his
purpose of discovering the pole. Bald
win estimates that the drift will last
| four years and that its slowness will
permit him and his associates TO make
many exploration trips ON sledges on
| both sides of the course.
BY that means he feels sure much
will be added to the present scientific
! and geographical information in reia-
| ton to the arctic regions. Efforts
| Will be made to keep the public in
America and Europe in touch with his
| progress by sending up balloons carry
ing bulletins. says the New York Press
| That plan was pursued on the Iiegler
expedition, and several of the bulletins.
! which were incased in cork buoyS.
were found on land or at sea. The
start on this new expedition win not
be made before next September.
The Baldwin party will leave the
Pacific coast in steamship, which
a.,
ton. There also will be two or more
supply steamships, which are to be
employed in transporting many heavy
timberS from the Oregon or Alaskan
forests, and also thousands of strong
casks, which will be filled with oil,
clothes. food, emergency supplies and
other things needed for the long voy-
age. There also will be portable
houses, sledges small but strong
boats. forty or fifty dogs and three or
| four Siberian horses. The horses will
he used the first year of the drift or
: until provender runs out, and then
n they will be killed and eaten.
III The exploring party will consist of
Y about twenty-four persons including
\ probably two American navy officers,
Y who already have expressed eagerness
X to go on the expedition Net more
y than two or three Eskimos will be
X taken along because they will be of lit
y tie use on an expedition conducted for
x purely scientific purposes. Baldwin
Y says he does not expect to find land at
X the pole He will not be surprised
" however, to find it to the east of that
N point.
u THE initial point of the drift will be
~ to the northwest of Point Barrow
u Alaska" he said. There we will make
~ fast to one of the large ice foes at the
III southern edge of the ice pack. The
y supply steamships will discharge their
III supplies on the surface of the ice foes
III and then Leave us in charge of the
n main steamship. We will proceed al
~ once to form a settlement upon the
n floating ice island These ice foes are
~ from eight to thirty feet thick and il
IN size rs large as Central park or ever
~ Manhattan Island. They are close to
X gether, and the edges continually rub
~ thus forming.the ice pack"
N He said the reason for scattering
- foe is that if the foe should split they
n can be recovered easily from the wa
NJ ter Even if few should be los
thousands will remain to supply tn,
needs of the explorers.
Asked how fast lie thought the drift
would be after his ship had becom,
I part of the ice foe, he said:
I'VE will be forced along at an aver
age rate of two miles each twenty
four hours-that is to say, one degree
of latitude Il month-aDd in courS
parallel to the course of the Jeannett
of De Longs expedition and of tn
Fran of Nansen's expedition. Gu
course, however, will be directl.
across the Arctic ice pack instead @
across the margin. as was the cas-
with De Long and Nansen."
How long do you think that drift
will lastY" Baldwin was asked.
"As we are to drift mdstream-
that Is. through the field of unobstruct
ed drift of the pack. where the ic
moves more swiftly than 1t does nea
the coast Iines-we probably will COZ
sumo about four years in the actua
drift. We will have drifted over tn
northern curvature of the earth. lea,
ing the pole about midway in the lin
of drift. We will go right over tn
pole"
81 Baldwin said the hull of his shi
viii be shaped to avoid the danger G
being nipped by the ice If the flo
RI should break to pieces and that ii
* discharge of the supplies on the ic
N will make her ride high. Asked IL b
81 thought such long drift would brea
W down the minds and bodies of him an
W his companions, the explorer said
u probably would II the expedition WEI
W conducted on Anticipated lines.