Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1909-10-07

eagerness to find something unusual
may have fired the imagination, but
since the earth is fiattened at the pole
| perhaps a widened horizon should be
detected.
At eight o'clock on the morning of
April 10 we camped on a picturesque
| old field, with convenient hummocks,
10 which we could easily rise for the
frequent outlook we now maintained.
The tent was pitched, the dogs were
silenced by blocks of pemmican. In
US new emit. u:lasin was aroused by
liberal pot Of pea soup and a few
] chips of frozen meat, and then we
| bathed in life-g giving sunbeams,
screenoG from the piercing air then
| By silk strJnds. 1t was a beautiful
day, and had our sense of appreciation
not been blunted by accumulated IA
| the play of light and color in the
! ever-changlng scene of sparkle, but in
| our condition it was but an induce
ment to keep the eye open and to pro-
! long interest long enough to dispel the
/ growing complaint of aching muscles.
The Eskimos were soon lost in a
profound sleep the only comfort in
their hard lives, but l remained awake,
as had been my habit on succeeding
days, to get nautical observations. The
! longitude calculations lined us at "a
deg. min. At noon the suns alti-
tude was carefully set on the sextapt,
and the latitude quickly reduced gave
SO deg. 81 min.-twenty-nine miles
from the pole.
My heart jumped with joy and the
unconscious commotion which / was
creating awakened Etukishuk. l told
! him that in two average marches We
would reach the "tigi shu" (the big
naiN.
Ahwelah was awakened with a kick.
! too fI1nr- f1,axr M IN htaY~
mock and through glasses sought for
a mark to locate so important place
as the terrestrial axis. If but one sleep
beyond, it must be seen.
] tried to explain that the pole was
not visible to the eye, that its position
was only located by repeated use of
the various instruments. This entire
ly satisfied their curiosity and they
burst out in hurrahs Of JOY. For two
hours they chanted and danced the
passions of wild life.
Sleep is Impossible.
1t was the first real sign Of pleasure
or rational emotion which they had
shown for several weeks. For some
time 1 had entertained the fear that
we no longer possessed the strength
to return to land. but the unbridled
fiow of vigor dispelled that idea.
More sleep was quite impossible.
pared a favorite broth of penmican,
dug up a surprise of fancy biscuits
and filed up on good things to the
limit of the allowance for our final
feast days. The dogs, which had join
ed the chorus of gfadness, were given
an extra lump Of penimican few
hours more was agreeably speit in the
tent and then we started with a new
spirit for the uttermost north.
We were excited to a fever heat.
The feet were light on this run. Even
the dogs caught the infectious enthu-
Siasm and rushed along at a pace
which made il difficult for me to keep
a sufficient advance to set a good
course. The horizon was still search
ed for something to mark the ap-
preaching boreal center, but nothing
unusual was seen. 1t was the same
expanse of moving seas of ice on
which we had lived for five hundred
miles.
But, looking through gladdened eyes,
the see lie assumed a new glory. There
were plains of gold, fenced in purple
walls, with gifded crests. 1t was one
Ct the few days on the stormy pack
when all nature smiled with cheering
lights.
As the day advanced and the SPLEEN
dor of summer night was run into the
continued day the beams of gold on
shadows of hummocks and ridges
spread a line of violet barriers through
which a way must be sought.
From my position a few hundred
yards ahead of the sleds / could not
resist the temptation to turn frequent
ly to see the movement of the dog
train with it's new fire. In this direc-
ton the color scheme was reversed.
The icy walls we're in gold and burn
ing colors, while the plains represented
every shade Of purple and blue.
At the North Pole.
Through this sea of color the dogs
came with a spirited tread, noses down,
tails UP and shoulders braced to the
straps like chariot horses. The young
Eskimos, cnanting songs Of love, came
with easy step. The long whip was
swung with a brisk crack, and all over
there rose a cloud of frosted breath |
power, which an easy southern air was
driving pole ward.
Camp was pitched early in the morn
ing of April 20. The sun was north |
east, the pack glowed in tones of lilac, |
the normal westerly air of shivers |
ing burst, of enthusiasm had been nurs-
ed to its limits. and under II a long
march was made over average ice with
the usual result of overbearing ia
tigue. Too tired and sleepy to wait
for a cup IF tea melted SHOWS were
poured down AMI the pemmican was
pounded with the axe to ease the task
of the jaws. The eyes closed before |
the meal was finished and the world
was lost TO us for eight hours. The
observation gave latitude SO deg. 46.5
min. longitude "a deg. 50 min.
With the boys singing and the dogs
bowling. we started off after midnight
on April II. The dogs looked large
and noble a. they came along that
day. while Etukishuk and Ahwelah, |
as heroes Of the greatest human battle
which had ever been fought with re-
markable success.
We were all lifted to the paradise |
OF winners as we stepped over the |
shows, of destiny for which we had
risked life and willingly suffered the
tortures of an icy hell.
The ice under US seemed almost sa- |
cred When the bedometer registered |
fourteen and a half miles we camped
ana calmly went to sleep feeling that
We we're turning on the earth's axis. |
The observations. however gave 81
deg SO min. AZ sec. We therefore had !
the pole. or the exact spot where it !
shonld be, within sight.
We advanced the fifteen seconds, |
made supplementary observations, !
pitched the tent. built a snow igloo and
prepared In MAKE ourselves comfort
able for stay Aong enough for two
rounds Of obs .-Xatons.
Our position was thus doubly assur-
ed and necessary day OF rest was