The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1909-09-17

| the march we rushed across a lead 100
yards wide. which buckled under our
| sledges and finally broke as the last
sledge left IL.
We stopped in sight OF the eighty
ninth parallel in temperature of 40
| degrees below Again a scant sleep
and we were on our way once more
and across the eighty-ninth parallel.
This march duplicated the previous
! one as to weather and going. The last
| few hours il was on young ice and oc-
casionally the dogs were gallopng.
| We made twenty-five miles or more.
the air, the sky. and the bitter wind
| burning the face till IL cracked. 1t was
| like the great interior ice gap of
| Greenland. Even the natives COM
planned of the bitter air. 1t was as
keen as frozen steel.
A little longer sleep than the previ-
Gus one had to be taken here. as we
| were all in need of IL. Then on again.
| Up to this time, with each successive
march, our fear of an impossible lead
had Increased. AT every inequality OF
| the Ice l found myself hurrying breath
| lessly forward, fearing that II marked q
lead, and when 1 arrived at the summit
would catch my breath with relief-only
! to find myself hurrying on in the same
] way at the next one.
But on this march, by some strange
| SnlTt OF 1eeHnB, THIS rear 1ell from me
completely. The weather was thick, but
| il gave me no uneasiness.
Before / turned I'm / took an observa-
| ton which indicated our position as SO
degrees Is minutes.
A dense. lifeless pail hung overhead.
| The horizon was black and the ice be-
meath was a CHASTITY, chalky white, with
no relief-a striking contrast to the glim-
| mering sunlit fields of 1t over which we
had been travelling for the previous four
days.
Weather Becomes Mildcr.
The going was even better, and there
was scarcely any snow on the hard,
| granular last summers surface of the
old foes, dotted with the sapphire ice
! OF the previous summers lakes.
a rise in temperature to Is degrees be-
| low reduced the friction of the sledges
and gave the dogs the appearance of
! having caught the spirits of the party.
| The more sprightly ones. as they went
! along with tightly curled tails frequent
ly tossed their heads. with short, sharp
| barks and yelps.
In Il hours we had made 40 miles
| There was no sign of a lead in the
| march.
Arrival at the Pole.
/ had now made my five marches and
was in time for hasty noon observation
| through a temporary break in the clouds,
| which indicated our position as S957. 1
| quote an entry from my journal some
| hours later:
| centuries, my dream and goal for 20
| years mine at last. l cannot bring my
| self to realize II.
| 1t all seems so simple and common
| place. AS Bartlett said when turning
back. when speaking of his being in
| these exclusive regions, which no mortal
has ever penetrated before: 1T is just
| like every day"
OF course 1 had my sensations that
made sleep impossible for hours despite
my utter fatigue-the sensations of life
time; but have no room for them here.
The first 80 hours at the pole were
spent in taking observations; in going
some ten miles beyond our camp and
some eight miles TO the right of it; in
taking photographs. planting my flags.
depositing my records, studying the hori-
Zon with my telescope for possible land.
and searching for a practicable place to
make a sounding.
Plan for Return Trip.
Ten hours after our arrival the clouds
cleared before a light breeze from our
left and from that time until our depar-
ture in the afternoon OF April the
weather was cloudless and flawless.
The minimum temperature during the
30 hours was 80 below. the maximum l2.
We had reached the goal. but the re-
turn was still before US. 1t was essential
that we reach the land before the next
spring tide, and we must strain every
nerve to do this.
/ had brief talk with my men. From
now on IT was to be big travel, little
sleep and a hustle every minute.
We would try, 1 told them. to double
march on the return-tbat is. TO start
and cover one of our northward
marches, make tea and eat our luncheon
in the igloos, then cover another march.
eat and sleep a few hours. and repeat
this daily.
Speed Nearly Doubled.
AS n matter of fact, we nearly did
this, covering regularly on our return
journey FIVE outward marches in three
return marches.
Just as long as we could hold the
trail we could double our speed. and
we need waste no time In building
new igloos every day. so that the time
we gained on the return lessened the
chances of q gale destroying the track
Just above the eighty-seventh paral-
lei was a region some fifty miles wide
which caused me considerable uneasi-
ness. Twelve hours of strong easterly
westerly. or northerly wind would
make this region an open sea.
In the afternoon of the eth we start
ed on our return. having double fed
the dogs, repaired the sledges for the
last time. and discarded all our spare
clothing to tighten the loads.
Tries to Sound Sea.
Five miles from tho pole a narrow
crack filled with recent ice through
which we were able to work a hole
with a pickax, enabled me to make a
sounding. All my wire, 1900 fathoms
was sent down. but there was no bot
tom.
In pulling up the wire parted a few
fathoms from the surface and lead and
wire went to the bottom. or went reel
and handle. Tightening the sledges still
further. We had no more use for them
now.
Three marches brought us back to
the igloos where the captain turned
back. The last march was in the wild
sweep of a northerly gale. with drift
ing snow and the ice rocking under as
we dashed over IL.
Not Delayed by Leads.
South of where Marvin had turned
back we came to where his party had
built several igloos while delayed by
open leads. Still further south we
found where the captain had been held
up by an open lead and obliged to
camn