The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1909-09-04

49, on the schooner Bradley. which
arrived AZ the limits OF navigation In
Smith sound late IN Aug 1897 Hers
conditions were found 10 launch a Win
t0rs 10 the pole. x. Bradley liber-
ally supplied from his vessel suitable
provisions for local use Ny own
equipment for emergencies served wen
for everA purrose In the arctic.
The campaign opened with few
scouting psrti-s being sent over the
American shores to explain the way
and seek the game haunts. Their mis-
sion WAS only partly successful be
cause OF the storms At sunrise OF
ls0S tFeb lSl the main expedition en-
barked on its voyage to the pole. Il
consisted OF AZ men and los dogs
drawing eleven heavily laden sledEes
The expedition left the Greenland
shore and pushed westward over the
troubled ice Of Smith sound. The
gloom Of the long night was relieved
only by few hours OF daylight The
chill Of the winter was felt at its
worst. As We crossed the heights Of
Ellesmere sound 70 the Pacific slope
the TEN perature sank to minus SIS cen
dgrsde. Several dogs were frozen and
the men suffered severely. but We
soon found the game trails along
which the way was easy We forced
through hansen sound 70 lands end. In
this march We secured l01 musk oxen.
seven bears and 335 hsres. We push
ed out into the polar sea from the
southern point of Herbert Island on
March Is six Eskimos returned from
here. With four men and as dogs
moving supplies for eighty days. the
crossing OF the circum- polar pack was
begun
Survival OF the Fittest
Three days later two other Eskimos
forming tho last supporting party re
turned. and the trails had been now
reduced by the survival of the fttest.
The two best men and sixty dogs were
picked for the effort. There before US
in a line Of 400 miles lay the goal. On
March So the horizon was partly clear
ed and new land was discovered.
There was urgent need OF rapid ad.
vance. our main mission did not per.
NIT Of a detour for the purpose Of ex.
ploring the coast Here were seen the
last signs Of solid earth: beyond there
was nothing stable TO be seen
Ate Their Dogs
We advanced steadily. and now
found ourselves beyond the range OF
all life Neither footprints OF bears
nor the blowholes OF seals were de
tected The night OF April was made
notable hv the swinging OF the sun at
midnight over the northern ice Sun.
burns and frost bites now were record
ed on to- same day In spite OF what
seemed long marches. We advanced
but little over 100 miles We were
now about 200 miles from the pole and
sledge loads were reduced One dog
after another went into the stomachs
OF the hungry survivors until the
teams We're considerably diminished in
number
Pole IN Sight
"on April p we had reached SO de
grees - minutes IS seconds. The pole
was In sight. We covered the remain
ing fourteen seconds and made a few
.-s@+ "''H'A taNARAo ARAu tue ACCOM-
panyins Eskimos that we had reached
the Great Nail
Everywhere we turned was south
With a single step We could pass from
one side OF the earth 70 the other:
from midday TO midnight. At last the
fag fioated TO the breezes at the pole
II was April 21 1908. The tempera.
ture was minus IS. centrigrade baron
eter % So. latitude So AS for the
Longitude IL was nothing, as it was but
a word
Crazy With Joy
Although crazy with JOY our spirit.
began 70 undergo a feeling OF weari
ness. Next day. after taking all our
observations. a sentiment OF intense
solitude penetrated ms while we looked
at the horizon Was Il possible that
this desolate region. without a patch
OF earth. had aroused the ambition o.
so many men FOR so many centuries
There was no ground. only an immen
sity OF dazzling white snow: no liv
ing being. no point TO break the fright
ful monotony. On April % we started
On our return.