The sun., 1909-02-15
ARCTIC PROSPECTORS SAFB
CAPT. hOGG AND THE 0LGNS
MEN AT POINT BARROW.

Their schooner shut In by IceborEs Sst
Mile, North-They Hope 10 Cruiss
Again In the Summer ong TrsmI
TO IAnd-Natiyes Lest IN Fissure
SEATTLE. Feb. i4-Private advices
received at Port Townsend to-day give
news from the Arctic Ocean that Capt.
William Mogg and his crew Of four men
Of the whaling schooner Olga, long
thought 10 have been lost In q gale at sea
fifteen months ago. are alive and spend
ing the Arctic winter at Point Barrow.
The news comes In a letter from Capt.
Mogg written November /. 1908. and
despatched by Eskimo messenger 70
Teller City. 500 miles over an almost
impossible trail, thence by dog team
mail routes through Nome and st. Michael
to Valdez and by steamer to Puget Sound.
The Mogg expedition left this port in
June. 1907, equipped as q whaling venture
in waters Of the Arctic almost unknown
and equally unexplored. II had the
backing OF the Geographical Society OF
London and planned to visit tho Banks
land district The actual destination
Of the expedition was Point Cape. Prince
Albert, nearly 1000 miles northeast from
Point Barrow
By reason of severe storms, impassable
ce fields and series of misfortune, that
constitute a doleful story Of hardship
none OF the primary objects Of the voy-
age has been accomplished. After un-
successfully combating the ice on the
Banksland shore during the brief summer
- a k. Naiy A0A
by laying the schooner fast in the ice
bergs $50 miies from Point Barrow, a
refuge sought for the present winter.
and TO outfit for renewed attempts at
progress northward next summer
Writing in a porfunotory style OF his
hardships. Capt. Mogg tells OF fighting
the ice foes for months, He recounts
the loss OF two parties OF natives that
had been engaged to aid the expedition,
who fell through an ice fssure and we're
drowned. and also the destruction OF a
large portion OF the supply Of food stores
on which the party was to exist and en-
Prince Williams Land.
In career Of twenty-five years whaling
aud sailing the Arctic Capt. Mogg writes
that he has never seen such quantities Of
Ice assembled many miles from ehore |
lines as prevailed during the last open |
season. Every mile Of progress that his |
little command was able to make was at !
tended by ths danger Of being crushed |
between gigantic bergs or massive ice |
fields.
The season whereby the vessel could
hope TO navigate commenced on July 20.
On September 7. on Flaxmsn Island.
nearly 400 miles from Point Barrow. the
vessel became hope!essly weige1 be-
ween the ice and with young ice forming
steadily the seasons work was abandoned.
The crew walked to Point Barrow, the
rip being attended by grave dangers Of
alling into fissures.
Point Barrow was reached on October
=. From that point Capt. Mogg writes
hat he has hope that the vessel will not
'e damaged in the spring and that he can
gain start out on his voyage north.
In addition to carrying facilities for
Whaling the Olga was equipped to search
n unknown regions for mineral de-
osits
Mogg is a veteran whaler in the North
'aoific and Arctic Oceans. He has been
rominent in many adventures connected
'ith the nothern whaling feet. His last Y
prior to the mission with which c
o is now engaged was in the whaler >
onanza. wrecked OF King Point. where d
,e party existed on an uninhabited spot =,
ith rations only sufficient to maintain
hem until help arrived.
During this time Capt Mogg encoun.
'red Capt, Roald Amundsen, the OK.
lorer Of the Northwest Passage. with
hom he came out to civilization.