The Lamar register. [volume] (Lamar, Colo.) 1889-1952, 1909-09-15
FINDING THE NORTH POLE.

covered with hard snow.
During the last few miles I walked
beside him or in advance. He was SOL
| emn and anxious to go further. but the
| program was for him to go back from
here in command of the fourth sup
| porting party. and there were no sup
| plies for an Increase in the main party.
In this march we encountered a high
| wind for the first time since the three
| days after we left Cape Columbia. 1t
was dead In our faces. bitter and in
sistent. but I had no reason to COM
plain, II was better than an easterly
or southeriy wind. either OF which
| would have set us adrift In open wa
ter. while this was closing up every
lead behind
This furnished another advantage of
my supporting parties. True. by SO
doing 1t was pressing to the south the
Ice over which we Travelled. and so rob-
bling us of a hundred miles of advan-
tage.
EIghty-Four 10 Passed.
We concluded we were on or near
the eighty eighth parallel. unless the
north wind had lost us several miles.
The wind blew all night and all next
day.
At this camp, in the morning, Bart
lett started to walk Ave or six miles to
the north to make sure of reaching the
eighty eighth parallel. While he was
gone 1 selected the 40 best dogs in the
picked out five of the best sledges
and assigned them expressly to the
captains party. / broke up the sew
enth for material with which to repair
the others and set Eskimos at this
work.
Bartlett returned in time to take q
satisfactory observation for latitude In
clear weather. and obtained for our po-
sition s7.4s. and that showed that the
continued north wind had robbed us
~ ~ mil NJ n a.
distance
Bartlett took the observation there
as had Marvin 1--WE camps back. partly
to save my eyes. but largely to give
an Independent record and determine
tion of our advance.
The observations completed and two
copies made. one for him and the other
for me. Bartlett started on the back
trail in command of my fourth sup
porting party. with two Eskimos. one
sledEe and Is dogs.
Bartlett Did Good Work.
When he left I felt for a moment
pangs of regret he disappeared in
the distance. but II was only momen-
tary. My work was still ahead. not in
the rear.
Bartlett had done good work and had
been a great help to me. Circumstances
had thrust the brunt of the pioneering
upon him instead of dividing II among
several. as had planned.
He had reason to take pride in the
fact that he had bettered the Italian
had covered n distance equal to the
entire distance of the Italian expedi-
ton from Franz Josers land to Cagni's
farthest north.
/ had given Bartlett this position and
post of honor In command of my
fourth and last supporting party. and
Tor two reasons: frst. because of his
ma gnificent handling of the Roosevelt;
second. because he had cheerfully stood
between me and many trifiing annoy
ances on the expeditions.
Then there was a third reason. II
seemed to me appropriate In view of
the magnificent British record of arc
tic work. covering three centuries, that
II should be n British subject who
could boast that. next to an American
he had been nearest the pole.
Last Struggle At Hand.
with the disappearance of Bartlett l
turned to the problem before me- This
was that for which I had worked for q
years. for which I had lived the simple
life; for which I had conserved all my
energy on the upward trip: for which
! had trained myself ms for q race crush
Ing down every worry about success.
In spite Of my years. I felt in trim
ut for the demands of the coming days
and eager TO be on the trail.
As for my party. my equipment. and
my supplies. l was In shape beyond my
most sanguine dreams of earliest years.
My party might be regarded rs an
Ideal. which had now come to realization
As loyal and responsive to my will as
the fingers of my right hand.
Party Ideal for Effort.
-Four of them possess the technique of
dogs. siedges. ice. and cold as their heri-
tage. Two of them. Hansen and Ootam.
were my companions to the farthest point
three years before. Two others. Eginwuk
and sigloo. were In ciark's division.
which had such narrow escape at that
time. and now were willing to go any
where with my immediate party, and
willing to risk themselves again in my
supporting party.
The NTH was n young man who had
never served before In any expedition,
but who was. II possible. even more
willing and eager than the others for
the princely gifts-a boat. a rife. a shot
gun. ammunition. knives. etc. which I
had promised to each of them who
reached the pole with me: for he knew
that these riches would enable him to
wrest from stubborn father the girl
whose image nIled his hot young heart.
Had Confidence In Him.
All had blino confidence so long as
] was with them. and gave no thought
for the morrow. sure that whatever hap
pened should somehoy get them back
to land. But dealt with the party
equally recognized that all its i'm
petus centered In me. ana that whatever
pace / set 1t would make good. II any
one played out. I would stop for a short
time.
had no fault to ind with the condI-
tons. My dogs were the best. the pick
Of IL with which ne left Columbia. Al
mosto all were powerful males. hard as
nails. In good flesh. but without q super
nuous ounce. and. what was better yet.
they weresall In good spirits ~
My sledges. now that the repairs were
completed. were In good condition. My
supplies we're ample for 30 days. and.
with the reserve represented by the dogs
themselves. could be made to last 50.
q. His Program Planned.
Pacing back and forth In tn ice of the
pressure ridge where the igioos were
built. while my men got their loads
ready for the next marches. l settled on
my program. I decided should strain
every nerve to make five marches of Is
miles each. crowding these marches In
such way as to bring us to the end of
the nth long enough before noon to per-
init the immediate taking of an observa-
ton for latitude.
Weather and leads permitting. I be-
lieved I 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.