The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1909-10-20
Final Dash For the Pole.
The "Big Nail' Reached at
Last and "0ld Glory" I'm.
furled - Endless Fields of
Purple Shows - No North,
No East, No West o. %.

o Nv VAA9
3 No East, No West o. o. 9
1t seemed that something must hap
pen, some line must cross our horizon,
to mark the important area into which
we were pressing.
When the sun was low the eve ran
over moving plains in brilliant waves
OF color to dancing horizons. The mi
RACES turned things topsy turvy. In
verted lands and queer objects ever
rose and fell in shrouds of mystery,
but all of this was due to the atmos-
oheric magic Of the midnight sun.
With a lucky series Of daily astro-
nomical observations u position was
now accurately fixed for each stage of
progress. As we neared the pole the
Imagination quickened, and a restless,
almost hysteric excitement came over
US. The boys fancied they saw beaver
and seals, and l had a new land under
observation frequently, but with a
change in the direction OF light or an
altered trend in our temperament the
horizon cleared and we became eager
only to push farther into the mystery.
From the eighty-eighth to the eighty
ninth the ice vas in very large fields
and the surface was less irregular, but
In other respects it was about the
same as below the eighty-seventh. We
noticed here also an extension of the
range Of vision. We seemed to see
longer distances and the ice along the
horizon had a less angular outline.
The color Of the sky and the ice also
changed to deeper purple blues. We
had no way Of checking these impress
sions by other observations. The ca
gerness to find something unusual may
have fred the Imagination, but since
the earth is f1attened at the pole per-
haps a widened horizon should be de-
tected.
At s o'clock on the morning of April
10 we camped on q picturesque old
field with convenient hummocks, to
which we could easily rise for the fire.
quent outlook which we now maintain
ed. The tent was pitched. The dogs
were silenced by blocks of pemmican.
In us new enthusiasm was aroused by
a liberal pot of pea soup and a few
chips of frozen meat, and then we
bathed in life giving sunbeams, screen
ed from the piercing air by silk
strands. 1t was a beautiful day, and
had u sense of appreciation not been
blunted by accumulated fatigue we
would have greatly enjoyed the play
Of light and color in the ever changing
scene of sparkle.
The Eskimos were soon lost in a pro-
found 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 Ion
gitude calculations lined us at 81 de-
grees 3 minutes. At noon the suns al
titude was carefully set on the %sextant,
and the latitude quickly reduced gave
80 degrees 81 minutes-twenty-nine
miles from the pole.
My heart jumped for Joy, and the In
conscious commotion which l was Gre
ating awakened Etukishuk. l told him
that in two average marches we would
reach the 'tigi shu" (the big nail).
Ahwelah was awakened with q kick,
and together they went out to a hum
mock and through glasses sought for
a mark to locate so important a place
as the terrestrial axis. If but n
sleep beyond it must be
l tried to explain that the pole was
not visible to the eye; that it's position
was located only by a repeated use Of
the various instruments. This entirely
satisfied their curiosity, and they burst
out in hurrahs of joy. For two hours
they chanted and danced the passions
Of wild life.
It was the first real sign Of pleasure
or rational emotion which they had
shown for several weeks. For some
time l had entertained the fear that
we no longer possessed the strength to
return to land. but the unbridled flow
of vigor dispelled that idea.
More sleep was quite impossible. We
brewed an extra pot of tea, prepared a
favorite broth of pemmican, dug up a
surprise of fancy biscuits and filed up
on good things to the limit Of the al
lowance for our final feast days. The
dogs. which had Joined the chorus Of
gladness, were given an extra lump Of
pemmican. A few hours more were
agreeably spent 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 enthusi-
asm and rushed along at a pace which
made it difficult for me to keep a sufh-
Gent advance to set a good course.
The horizon was still searched for
something to mark the approaching
boreal center, but nothing unusual was
seen. It was the same expanse OF
moving seas of ice on which we had
lived for 500 miles.
But, looking through gladdened eyes,
the scene assumed a new glory. There
were Mains of gold fenced In nurnle