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 who led the unsuccessful
Ziegler expedition in search of the
north pole, II few nights ago revealed
his plans for another dash northward
whereby he not only hopes to reach
the pole, but actually to cross over II
by traversing Il 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 it's 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 Liegler
| expedition. and several of the bulletins.
! which We're incased in cork buoys,
were found on land or at sea. The
| start on this new expedition viii not
be made before next September.
The Baldwin party will leave the
| Pacific coast in steamship which
will be the main ship of the expedi
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
I 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
NJ they will be killed and eaten.
ri The exploring party will consist Of
\ about twentyfour persons, including
probably two American navy officers,
! who already have expressed eagerness
X to go on the expedition Not more
y than two or three Eskimos will be
NJ taken along. because they will be of lit
tie use on an expedition conducted for
X a, purely scientific purposes. Baldwin
Y says he does not expect to find land at
Y the pole He will not be surprised
Y however. to find it to the east of that
y point.
II VIII Fasten to lee FlOe.
4 THE initial point of the drift will be
y To the northwest of Point Barrow
q Alaska he said. There we will make
III fast to one of the large ice foes at the
n southern edge of the ice pack. The
* supply steamships will discharge theil
II supplies on the surface of the ice foes
N and then leave us in charge of the
n main steamship. We will proceed a
~ once to form a settlement upon the
n floating ice island These ice foes arr
~ from eight to thirty feet thick and al
n size us large as Central park or ever
~ Manhattan Island. They are close to
lN gether, and the edges continually rub
~ thus forming. the ice pack
W He said the reason for scattering
thousands of logs and casks on the ic,
- foe is that II the foe should split the,
- can be recovered easily from the wa
n ter. Even if Il few should be los
4 thousands will remain to supply tn
needs Of the explorers.
Asked how fast he thought the drift
b would be after his ship had becom
II 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 degre
of latitude a month--and in a 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 C
across the margin. as was the cas-
with De Long and Nansen."
How long do you think that drift
will last?' Baldwin was asked.
AS we are to drift midstream-
that Is, through the field of unobstrucI
ed drift of the pack, where the ic
moves more swiftly than it does nea
the coast lines-we probably win col
sumo about four years in the actua
drift We will have drifted over tn
northern curvature of the earth, leaN
ing the pole about midway in the lin
of drift We will go right over tn
pole.''
& Baldwin said the hull of his shi
will be shaped to avoid the danger c
= being nipped by the ice If the flo
Fl should break to pieces ard that I'll
WI discharge of the supplies on the ic
w will make her ride high. Asked IL b
&; thought such long drift would brea
NJ down the minds and bodies of him an
N his companions, the explorer said
N probably would If the expedition wei
W conducted ON Anticipated lines.