, 1909-09-04

heights of EIlesmere Sound to the Pacific
slope, the temperature sank to eighty three
degrees below zero Fahrenheit, several dogs
were frozen and the men suffered severely,
but we soon found game trails, along which
an easy way was forced through to Nathcn
Sound to the Lands End. During March
we procured q hundred and one musk oxen,
seven bears and three hundred and thirty
hVe hares. On March eighteenth SIX Eskj-
mos returned, leaving me with four men
and forty Six dogs for moving supplies for
eighty days, and on March twenty first the
crossing of the C~ircumpolar pack began.
Two more EskimOs then returned and the
trains were now reduced by the survival Of
the fttest to myself and two E-kimos
named Stucksbook and Ahwelsh, with twenty
SIX dogs, when the final dash was begun, and
before rs was an unknown line Of four
hundred aud sixty miles to our goal. Until
March thirtieth overcast skies prevented
our taking observations. We now found
we were in eighty four degrees seventeen
minutes latitude and eighty six degrees thir-
ty six minutes longitude. We discovered new
land, but the urgent need of o rapid advance
on our main mission would not permit of a
detour to explore the coast. Here the last
signs of solid earth were seen. We
"N INV 0tCbNiiiN OfCI Il luOuOJOIf VI
moving sea ice and found ourselves beyond
the range of all life, neither footprints
Of bears nor blowholos Of seals, even the mi
croscopic creatures Of the deep were no long
er under US, and the maddening influence OF
a shifting desert Of frost was almost unen-
durable in our daily routine. The surface
pack offered loss trouble as the weather i'm
proved, but the life sqpping wind remained.
nrlVJuD I@Gpo1r IN III InutaIf lanE1 Tho
night of April seventh was made notable
by the swing of the sun at midnight over
the northern ice and now sunburn aud
frostbite were experienced on the same day.
Observations on April eighth put US in Ia
titude eighty-six tAirty-six, longitude nine
ty-four two, on April fourteenth latitude
lightweight twonty-one, longitude ninety
five fifty two. The formation of the leo had
changed since passing the eighty seventh
degree and it was now q glacial surface with
out the sea ice lines OF domarcation, with no
hummocks or deep c~revices, apparently land
and ice but no positive sign OF either land
or sea. At camping time we no longer
had sufficient energy to erect a snow shelter.
On April twenty first our first corrected
altitude OF the sun gave eighty nine degrees
fifty nine minutes forty SIX seconds, we adj
yanced the fourteen seconds, made supple
m%entary observations and prepared to stay
long enough to permit a double round of
observations Stucksbook and Ahwelsh wore
told we had reached "Ne < Nail" aud they
sought to celebrate it by q dance Of savage
JOY. From midnight to midday the latitude
was ninety, temp.rature thirty eight.
barometer twenty nine eighty three,
north, east, and west had vanished, it
was south in every direction, but the com
pass pointed to the magnetic pole, as useful
rs ever. What Il cherries spot, an endless
field Of purple SHOWS, no life, no land, no
spot to relieve the monotony Of the frost, we
the only pulsating creatures in u dead world
of ice. We began our long return march
on April twenty third, encounterjng starya-
ton and fortunes from the cold and over
taken by the long winter night, we were
forced to encamp We reached Annotok
April fifteenth 1909, and Upernayik May
twenty first.
A Copenhagen despatch says the explorer
is due to arrive there tomorrow, and a fotiIla
of torpedo boats will escort his steamer up
the harbour.
London, Sept. 3rd-Adyices from Batavia
state that disastrous foods have overwhelm-
cd southeastern Java. Six hundred deaths
are reported, and many railway bridges have
been swept away, while the damage to pro-