The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1909-09-10

Lerwick, Shetland Islands, Sept. l.
After prolonged fight against famine
and frost, we have at last succeeded in
reaching the north pole.
A new highway, with an interesting
strip of animated nature, has at last
been explored.
Big game haunts were located, which
will delight the sports, and extend the
Eskimo horizon.
Land has been discovered upon which
rest the earth S northernmost rocks.
A triangle of 80, 200 square miles has
been cut out of the terrestrial unknown.
| The expedition was the outcome of a
summer cruise in Arctic seas. The
yacht Bradley arrived at the limits of
navigation in Smith Sound late in
| August, 1907. Here conditions were
| found favorable to launch venture for
the pole.
Mr.. John R. Bradley literally sup
piled from the yacht suitable provisions
for local use and my own equipment for
emergencies served well for every pur-
pose of Artic travel.
Many Eskimos had gathered on the
Greenland shores at Annootox for the
winter bear hunt. About the camp were
plenty of strong dogs.
The combination was lucky, for there
was good material for an equipment,
expert help and efficient motor force
and all that was required was con-
veniently arranged at point only 700
miles from the boreal center.
A house and workshop was built of
packing boxes. The willing hands of
this northernmost tribe of $50 people
were set to the problem of devising a
suitable outfit and before the end of the
long winter night we were ready for the
enterprise,
Plans were matured to force new
route over Grinnell Land and north
ward along its west coast out onto the
Polar Sea.
Soon after the polar midnight the
campaign opened. A few scouting
parties were sent over to the American
shores to explore way and to seek
game haunts.
Their mission was only partly sue
cessful, because storms darkened the
January moon.
ELEVEN MEN START FOR POLE.
At sunrise of February 10, 1908, the
main expedition embarked for the pole.
Eleven men and 109 dogs, drawing
eleven heavily loaded sleds, left Green
land shore and pushed westward over
the troubled ice of Smith Sound.
The gloom Of the long night was re-
lieved by only few hours of daylight
IL u6 CHlll VI WilIcI Was lSlI StI lJo WOloO' |
As we crossed the heights of Elles-
mere Sound to the Pacific slope, the
temperature sank to SO degrees Fahren-
heit below zero. Several dogs were
frozen and the men suffered severely,
but we soon found game trails, along
which an easy way was forced through !
Nansen Sound to the lands end.
In this march we procured 101 musk
OK, seven bears and 335 hares, and then
we pushed out into the Polar Sea from
the southern point of Helberg Island
On March IS, six Eskimos returned
from here, with four men and forty-six
dogs, moving supplies for eighty days.
The crossing of the circumpolar pack
was begun three days later. The other
Eskimos forming the last supporting
party returned. The trains had now
been reduced by the survival of the
fttest. Etuckshook and Aswelsh, the
two best men, and twenty-six dogs were
packed for the final dash. There was
before us an unknown line of AGO miles
to our goal
The first days permitted long marches,
and, with encouraging progress, the big
lead which separated the land ice from
the central pack was crossed with little
delay.
COLD MAKES LIFE A ToRTUE.
Low temperature and persistent winds
made life torture, but, cooped in