Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-16
POLAR DASH OUTCOME
Here's a Russian Vino Did
Some Real Ice Travelling.
MADE 400 MILES A DAY
That Is, He Says He Did, on a
Siberian Sledge.
WENT 5000 MILES IN Is DAYS
If You Believe This How in the
World Can You Doubt Cook
or PearyP
WENT 5000 MILES IN Is DAY

| What a tough. determined man can &C
complish under stress of necessity is
| question that has been discussed with in
| terest by humanity from the days when
men lived in caves. ate their food raw
| and clothed themselves in fig leaves or
| animal skins, according to the climate
| they lived in. AS yet no limit has been
| found for human endurance.
! The statements of Cook and Peary of
! the remarkable time they made in their
| dashes to and from the north pole as
| founded the world. And yet they are not
the only men who have made wonderful
speed across ice and snow.
Francis Cotton of 1855 Connecticut ave-
| nue., whose son. Col George R. Cotton,
was recently made Governor of Porto
| Rico, told Star reporter yesterday a
| story of transcontinental journey
| through the wilds of Siberia by a Rus
| sian diplomat that established a record
hard to beat.
Carrying government dispatches of vi
| tai Importance, this Russian, provided
with relays Of fast horses, went in a sled
from Yakutsk, in eastern Siberia, to ST.
Petersburg. a distance greater than from
Boston to San Francisco, in fifteen days.
Prior to the last forty-eight hours of
his journey, the Russian travelled at
rate Of 500 miles a day Then, finding
that he was running behind his schedule
he increased the speed to 400 miles a day
and arrived on time.
Mr.. Colton's Story.
The Russian minister to Japan was
my travelling companion for some time
in the early 7O's out in the far east"
says Mr.. Cotton. He was a man of
great intelligence and wide experience.
He related many incidents in his Of
fetal life, any one of which would be in
teresting to repeat; but the one which
thrilled me most was one which occurred
years before, while he was secretary to
the governor general of eastern Siberia.
THE capital city. Yakutsk, on the
River Lena. is in a country cold enough
good country for sleigh rides. 1t so hap
pened that my friend, Count B.. had to
take such ride. of more than ordinary
length. one winter. The governor gen.
eral had to communicate with the i'm
perial government at st. Petersburg on a
matter of such importance that he dared
not send the dispatches by the ordinary
| channels, nor dared he to trust the tele-
graph. So it was decided that the gov
errors secretary should carry the papers
| in person.
1.-THE distance from Yakutsk the capt.
tai of eastern Siberia, to st. Peters
burg is much greater than from Boston
to San Francisco. The season was mid
The conveyance was sled drawn by
three Siberian horses. Time of transit,
fifteen days.
Count, that is an impossibility"
said when told of this feat. Many an
other foolish person has made the same
hasty remark. lately, about sleigh rides
to the north pole!
How It Was Done.
81 asked the count to explain how 1t
was possible to make an average Of 300
miles a day in a sled drawn by horses.
He calmly replied that the commandments
Of military posts were ordered to have
teams in harness standing at every ten
! mile point along his route, in time to
draw the sled forward.
"'No sooner had arrived at any given
point continued the count, than the
coupling pin was raised and dropped into
the new double trees; the new driver was
laying the lash onto the backs Of the
| fresh horses and they were off on a run
easily averaged twelve miles and
half per hour. which in 'twenty-four-
| But. 1 said. how could you ride
/ twenty-four hours without rest? How
| could you endure the cold and hunger?'
He replied, ! rested all the time. 1
| was robed in heavy furs. with thick
layers Of fur robes beneath and above
me: was In a recumbept position in
the deep box Ct the sledge. and l slept
the greater part of the day and night.
AS for food, I hastily ate square meal
at some military post, twice a day.
brought to my sledge. This l gulped
down, and grasped a light lunch in my
| hand and ate it as the sledge flew on it's
course. without a minutes detention
Made "Grandstand" Finish.
MY faith in Count B. began to grow,
when he shocked me again by saying
ON the last day found was 400 miles
| from my journeys end. Fortunately
was in the region Of civilization and big
| trained horses, so ! ordered the speed
increased four miles an hour and came
in on time!
We'll. / have never quite got my breath
since his wonderful narrative. But l be-
lieve him, because he embodied the trinity
Of success, namely. physical, mental and
| will power. I have known many such
men to do the impossible. At least. the
wise men demonstrated such as imposs-
bilities. and afterward accepted them as
scientific facts.
Once the telegraph was hooted at, a
cable under sea was q hallucination,
| talking over wire was a dream, a
wireless message could not be! All these
and more impossible ideas are today USE
| full facts.
Two Americans raised our flag at the
north pole lately. Norsemen, who are at
home In arctic seas, believed their stories,
but many wise Americans disbelieve or
doubt! A year hence all will swear it's
/ true"
|pAr.ATS R0vAr, FAIL. OPENING