Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1909-11-23

nearly always incascd in mask of
icicles from the breath-a necessary
part of our hard lot in life. and we
learned to take the torture philoso-
phically. "From ice it comes. to ice
1t goes" like the other elements of
the body. when the good preacher pro-
nounces the last words "from dust to
dust"
From the eighty-seventh to the
eighty-eighth parallel we passed for
two days over old ice without pressure
lines or hummocks. There was no dis
cernible line of demarcation for the
fields. and it was quite impossible to
determine if we were on land or sea
ice. The barometer indicated no Gle
walton. but the ice had the hard. wav-
ing surface of glacial ice. with only
superficial crevasses. The water OBJ
tanned from this was not salty. but all
of the upper surface of the ice of the
polar sea makes similar water. The
nautical observations did not seem to
indicate a drift. but nevertheless the
combined tabulations do not warrant
the positive assertion of either land or
sea for this area.
An Air Line Course.
This ice gave cheering prospect. A
plain of purple and blue ran in easy
undulations to the limits of vision
without the usual barriers of uplifted
I>l ,;,,l
was possible. Progress. however. was
quite as difficult as over the irregular
pack. The snow was crusted with
large crystals. An increased friction
reduced the speed. while the surface,
too hard for snowshoes. was also too
weak to give secure footing. The
loneliness, the monotony. the hardship
keenly felt.
1t is not often that mans horsepow-
err is put to the test as ours was. We
were compelled to develop working
energy to the limit of animal capacity.
Day after day we had pushed along
ut the same steady pace over plains of
frost and through mental desert.
|
icy slumber the fire WAS lighted little
by little. the stomach was filled with
LIQUIDS and solids. mostly cold-enough
to last for the day. for there could be
no halt or waste of fuel for midday
feeding We next got into harness
and paced off the days pull under the
lash of duty We worked until stand
ing became impossible-longer in light
winds, shorter in strong winds, but al
ways until the feet became numb and
heavy.
Then came the arduous task of build
ing snow house. In this the eyes. nc
longer able to wink. closed but soon
the empty stomach complained, and it
was filled up again-not with things
that pleased the palate, only hard fuel
to feed the inner fires. while the ear
sought the soft side of ice to dispel
fatigue; no pleasure in mental recre-
alton. nothing to arouse the soul from
its icy Enclosure.
To eat. TO sleep, to press one foot
ahead of the other, was our steady vo-
cation, like the horse to the cart.
but we had not his advantage of an
agreeable climate and comfortable
stable at night.
Where Madness Sits.
Words and pictures cannot adequate
ly describe the maddening influence
of this sameness of polar glitter. COM
bined with bitter winds. extreme cold
and an overworked body. 10 me there
was always the inspiration of antici-
patton of the outcome of ultimate sue
less. but for my young savage com
panions it was a torment almost be-
yond endurance. Their WEAKNESS was
made evident by a lax use of the whip
and an Indifferent urging of the dogs.
They We're. however. brave and faith
selfish ambitions or uncomfortable
passions seriously to interfere with the
main effort of the expedition.
On the morning of April Is a strain
of agitating torment reached break
ing point. For days there had been a
steady cutting wind from the west
which drove despair to its lowest
to renew its soul despairing blast. The
sun was screened with ugly vapors
and the path was as cheerless as tho
arctic night.
No torment could be worse than thai
] never ceasing rush of icy air. ALIVE
e ah bent over his sled and refused tt
: move His dogs turned and looked in
5 quirngly. walked over and stoot
9 by his side. Etukishuk came near ant
$ stood motionless, staring blankly at the
/ southern skies. Large tears fell from
Ahwelah's eyes and piled little fros
p of sadness in the blue of his own shad
= ow for several minutes. Not wore
!; was uttered. but knew that each fel
o that the time had come to free the fet
$ ters of human passions. Slowly Alive
p lah said, "Unne sinig pa-oo-ah-toni'
$ i-o-doria CIT is well to die-beyond il
/. impossible").