The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1909-09-12
Be careful of the leads, my boy.


The party from this point comprised
nine men. seven sledges and sixt,
dogs. The conditions at this camp
and The apparently unbroken expanst
of fairly level ice in every direction
reminded me of Cagni's description OF
his farthest north. but | was not de
ceived by the apparently favorable
outlook, for available conditions never
| continue for any distance or any
| length of time in the Arctic regions.
Hazy Atmosphere Destroys View.
The north march was over good
goin. but for the first time since leav.
ing land We experienced that condi-
| ton, frequently over these ice fields,
of hazy atmosphere in which the
light is equal everywhere. All relief
is destroyed, and ii is impossible to
see for any distance.
We were obliged in this march to
make a detour around an open lead.
In the next march we encountered
the heaviest and deepest snow of the
journey. through a thick. smothering
mantle lying in the depressions of
heavy rubber Ice. came upon Bart,
lett and his party, tagged out and tenn
porarily discouraged by the heart.
raekins work Of making a road
knew what was the matter with
them. They We're simply spoiled by
the good going on the previous
marches. rallied them a bit, light.
ened their sledges and sent them on
encouraged again
During the next march we travelled
through thick haze. drifting over the
Ice before a biting air from the north
east. AT the end of the march we
came upon the captain camped beside
a wide. open lead, with dense black
water sky northwest, north and north.
east. We built our igloos and turned
in. but before ! had fallen asleep |
was reused out by a movement of the
Ice and found startling condition OF
afalrs---a rapidly widening road Of
black water ran but few feet from
our igloos, One OF my teams of dogs
had escaped by only a few feet from
being dragged by the movement OF
the ice into the water.
Another team had an equally mar.
row escape from being crushed by the
Ice blocks piled over. them. The ice
ON the north side Of the lead was NOV
ing around eastward. The small f'oor
on which were the captains ieIoos
was drifting eastward In the open
wafer, and the side OF our igicos
threatened to follow suit
Kicking ont the door or the ie7nos
| called to the captains men 10 mack
their sledges and he ready for d ouiek
dash when a favorable chance ar
rived. We hurried cur things on our
siedges, hitched the dogs and moved
on to large foe west of us. Then
leaving one man to look out for the
dogs and sledges, we hurried over to
assist the captains party 10 join us.
Gigantic FIoes Battle For Supremacy.
A corner of their raft impinged on
the ice on our side For the rest of
the night and during the next fav the
ice suffered the tormentg nf the
damned, sufging together opening
put, grooming and grinding. while the |
open water belched black smoke linz
q prairie fire. Then the mo ion
the open water closed; the
atmosphere 10 the north was cleared. |
Ind we rushed across before the ice
should open again.
A succession of IateralIv omen |
ands were crossed. and after them |
'ome heavy old Ice; and then we /
anne to layer Ct young ice. some of
which buckled under our sledges. ana /
MS gave MS straight way of Xix /
piles to the north. Then came more
'eavy old foes covered with hard I
now This was good. long march.
The next march was also long
ne. It was Bartlett's last hit He
81 himself out over series of large +
Id fioes, steadily increasing in dame
er and covered with hard snow.
During the last few miles | walked |.
eside him or In advance. He was
cry solemn and anxious to 60 further b
ut the programme was for him to 20
aek from here In command of the
1urth supporting party, and there were
o supplies for an increase in the main H
arty. III
In the march We encountered a high
Ind for the first time since the II
hree days after we keft Cape Columbia H
was dead In our faces. bitter and
lststent. but had no reason to COM
lain. IL was better than an easterly or II
butterfly wind, either of which would i
ave set us adrift In open water. while n
lis was closing UP every lead behind.
MS furnished another advantage of
~ supporting parties. True, BY so do
~ IT was pressing to the south the
g over which we travelling. and so
,bbing us OF hundred miles Of adj
antage. III
We concluded we we're on or near
70 SSth PARALLEL unless the north
ind had lost us several miles The
ind blue all night and all the following
ny, At this camp. in the morning
artlette started to walk FIVE or six
lies to the north to make sure Of
aching the Ssth PARALLEL. While he
as gone, | selected the forty boat + Y