The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1908-12-09
TOCROSS NORTHPOLE
Explorer BaIdwin'S New Plan of
an Arctic Expedition.
WILL DRIFT FOUR YEARS
Expects Ice Pack to Carry Ship and
Party From Alaska to Greenland In
That Time-To Start Next sePtsm-
ber-Many Casks to Be Taken.

Germany OaSNo " Dc aNSh
Evelyn Briggs Baldwin, the arctic
explorer who led the unsuccessful
Ziegler expedition in search of the
north pole, a few nights ago revealed
his plans for another dash nOrtbward
whereby he not only hopes to reach
fi. pole, but actually to cross over 1t
by traversing a course from northwest
Of Point Barrow. Alaska, to a 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-
miiting II to become part of the ice
mack. and then to drift with the Arctic
currents until he has accomplished his
purpose Of discovering the pole. Bald
,.;l 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
bu,h sides OF the course.
~ that means he feels sure much
will be added to the present scientific
and geographical information in rela-
tion TO the arctic regions. Efforts
Will be made TO keep the public in
America and Europe i'm touch with his
progress by sending up balloons carry
ire bulletins, says the New York Press
Tat plan was pursued on the Ziegler
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 will not
be made before next September.
The Baldwin party will leave the
Pacific coast in a 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 i'm transporting many heavy
tinbers from the Oregon or Alaskan
forests, and also thousands of strong
C." ks, which will be filed with OIL
clothes. food. emergency supplies and
O,uer things needed for the long voy-
age There also will be portable
houses sledges. small but strong
beats. forty or fifty dogs and three or
four Siberian horses. The horses will
ho used the first year Of the drift or
until provender runs out, and then
thov will be killed and eaten.
She exploring party will consist Of
about twenty-fOur persons, including
probably two American navy officers,
who already have expressed eagerness
to 90 on the expedition. Not more
than two or three Eskimos will be
taken along because they will be Of lit
tie use on an expedition conducted for
purely scientific purposes. Baldwin
says he does not expect to find land at
the pole lie will not be surprised,
however to find it to the east Of that
point
THE initial point Of the drift will be
70 the northwest of Point Barrow,
Alaska" he said. "There we will make
fast TO one of the large ice foes at the
southern edge of the ice pack The
supply steamships will discharge their
supplies on the surface of the ice foes
and then leave us i'm charge Of the
main steamship We will proceed at
once TO form a settlement upon the
floating ice island. These ice foes are
from eight 90 thirty feet thick and i'm
size as large as Central park or even
Manhattan Island. They are close to-
gether, and the edges continually rub,
thus forming the ice pack
lie said the reason for scattering
thousands of logs and casks on the ice
foe is that if the foe should split they
can be recovered easily from the wa
ter Even If a few should be lost
thousands will remain to supply the
needs of the explorers.
Asked how fast he thought the drift
would be after his ship had become
part Of the ice foe, he said:
1--WE will be forced along at an aver
age rate of two miles each twenty
four hours-that is to say, one degree
of latitude a mOnth-and in a course
parallel to the course of the Jeanette
of De Longs expedition and Of the
Fran OF Nansens expedition. Our
course however, will be directly
across the Arctic ice pack instead OF
across the margin, as was the case
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 unobstruct-
ed drift of the pack, where the ice
moves more swiftly than 1t does near
the coast llnes-we probably will con
sumo about four years in the actual
drift. We will have drifted over the
northern curvature of the earth, leav-
ing the pole about midway in the line
of drift. We will go right over the
pole"
Baldwin said the hull of his ship
will be shaped to avoid the danger of
being nipped by the ice If the foe
should break to pieces and that the
discharge Of the supplies on the ice
will make her ride high Asked If he
thought such a long drift would break
down the minds and bodies of him and
his companions, the explorer said IL
probably would If the expedition were
conducted on antiquated lines.
Will Green Shoes Be Worn?