The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-09-22

Ny siedges, now that the repairs
we're completed. were In good condi-
ton. MY supplies were ample Tor ~
days, and, with the reserve represent
ed by the dogs themselves could De
made to last 50.
PREPARING FOR FINAL DASH.
PACING back and forth in the lee OF
the pressure ridge where the isIoos
were built. while my men got their
loads ready for the next marcnes.
settled on my program decided
should strain every nerve to make nve
marches Of Is miles each. crowd1ng
these marches in such way as 10
bring us to the end of the NTH long
enough before noon to PERM. the I'M
mediate taking of an observation for
latitude.
Weather and leads permitting. be-
neved l could do this. II my proposed
distances were cut down by any
chance had two means in reserve for
making up the deficit:
First-To make the last march a
forced one, stopping to make tea and
rest the dogs. but not to sleep.
Second-At the end of the NTH
march to make forced march with a
light sledge. a double team of dogs.
and one or two OF the party. leaving
the rest In camp.
FEARFUL OF ARCTIC GALES.
Underlying all these calculations
was recognition of the ever present
neighborhood OF open leads and i'm
passable water. and the knowledge
hot IL
my plans into a cooked hat, and even
put US in imminent peril.
At q little after midnight Of April /,
after few hours of sound sleep, hit
the trail. leaving the others to break
up camp and follow.
I AS climbed the pressure ridge
back Of our igloos l set another hole
in my belt, the third since started
Every man and dog of US was lean
and fiat bellied as board and as
hard
MORNING OF FINAL START.
1t was a fine morning. The wind of
! the last two days had subsidized, and
| the going was the best and most equ-
able of any l had had yet. The foes
were large and old, hard and clear.
| and were surrounded by pressure
ridges, some of which were almost
| stupendous.
| The biggest of them. however. were
| easily negotiated. either through some
crevice or up some huge brink. l set
good pace for about ten hours
| Twenty-Five miles took me we'll be.
yond the eighty eighth parallel.
| While was building my igloos a
long lead formed by the east and
southwest of us at distance Of few
miles.
BUT FEW HANDlcAPS.
A few hours sleep and we were or
the trail again. AS the going was
now practically horizontal, we were
unhampered and could travel as long
as we pleased and sleep as little al
we wished.
The weather was fine and the 60
ing like that of the previous day. ex
cept at the beginning. when pickaxes
were required. This and a brief stoI
at another lead cut down our distance
But we had made 20 miles in ter
hours and were half way to tn,
eighty-ninth parallel.
The ice was grinding audibly II
every direction. but no motion wa
visible. Evidently 1t was settling
back into equilibrium and probabl!
sagging due northward with it's re
lease from the wind pressure.
LEVEL ICE SURFACE.
Again there was a few hours sleel
and we hit the trail before midnight
The weather and going were eve1
better. The surface. except as inter
rupted by infrequent ridges. was a
level as the glacial fringe from Heel
to Columbia, and harder.
We marched something over te
hours, the dogs being often on tn
: trot, and made 20 miles. Near tn
end of the march we rushed across
lead 100 yards wide, which buckle
under our sledges and finally brok
as the last sledge left it.
We stopped in sight Of the eight!
ninth parallel in temperature OF
degrees below. Again a scant slice
and we were on our way once NOR
: and across the eighty-ninth parable
l This march duplicated the previou
! one as to weather and going. The Las
few hours it was on young Ice an
: occasionally the dogs were gallopinl
We made twenty-five miles or NOR
the air. the sky. and the bitter win
! burning the face till it cracked.
4 was like the great interior ice gap I
Greenland. Even the natives cor
planned of the bitter air. 1t was 4
keen as frozen steel.
! A little longer sleep than the prev
, Gus one had to be taken here, as v
l. were all in need Of It Then on agai
Up to this time. with each succe
l. sive march. our fear Of an impassab
i lead had increased. At every /
+ equality of the ice found myself hu
e ryfnE breathlessly forward. fearir
t that It marked lead. and when I q
: rived at the summit would catch n
|. breath with relief-only to find N
j. self hurrying on in the same way
l. the next one.
1. Att. nv anne afran,