Evening star., 1909-09-02
we had reached the "Neig Nall and they
sought to celebrate by an advance of saw
age joys.
Flag Hoisted on North Pole.

Flag Hoisted on North Pole.
Al last we had pierced the boreal CEN
ter and the flag had been raised TO the
coveted breezes of the north pole.
The day was April 21 1908 The sun in
dicated local noon, but time was a mega
tive problem. for here all meridians meet.
With a step it was possible to go from
one part of the globe to the opposite side
From the hour of midnight to that OF
midday the latitude was 80, the tempera-
ture 3S and the barometer 29.S.
North. east and west had vanished. II
was south in every direction, but the com
pass pointing to the magnetic pole was as
useful as ever.
Though overjcyed at the success of the
conquest, our spirits began to descend on
the following day. After all the observa-
tions had been taken with careful study
of the local conditions a sense of intense
| loneliness came with the further scrutiny
x .he horizon.
What a cherries spot to have aroused
the ambition of man for SO many ages!
An endless field of purple SHOWS No
life. No land No spot to relieve the
monotony of frost. We We're the only
pulsating creatures in a dead world OF
ice.
We turned our backs to the pole April
D and began the long return march.
Counting on a continued easterly drift.
the course was forced further west.
With fair weather. good ice and the in
spiration Of the home run long distances
were at first quickly covered.
Below the 81 III parallel the character o
the ice changed very much. and it be
4 hn xxroc alt mr.
ing rapidly.
With a good deal of anxiety We watched
the daily reduction of the food supply.
1t now became evident that the crucial
stage of the campaign was to be trans
ferred from the taking OF the pole to
final battle for life against famine ana
frost.
The clear blue of the skies changed to
steady, d small gray. Several days OF
icy despair followed each other in rapid
successor.
Battle With Famine.
There were some violent gales, but
usually the wind did not rise to the full
force of a storm.
With starvation as the alternative, we
could not wait for batter weather.
Some advance was made nearly every
day. but the cost of the desperate effort
pressed life to the verge of extinction.
On May "A the sky cleared long enough
TO give US "a set of observations.
We had reached the eighty-fourth par
allel near the ninety-seventh meridian
The ice was much broken and drfted
eastward. leaving many open spaces Of
water.
enough food to reach our caches on Nan
sen Sound unless we averaged fifteen
miles daily. With the disrupted 'Ialack"
and reduced strength we were hardly
equal to ten miles daily.
Off for the Return.
Trying to make the best of our hard
lot, a straight course was set for the
musk OK lands of the inner crossing.
At the eighty-third parallel we found
ourselves to the west of a large tract,
extending southwark. The ice changed
to small fields. The temperature rose
to zero and a persistent mist obscured
the heavens.
The events of the folliwing day were
pressed into desperate action.
With few lines on paper to register
the life of suffering, the food Tor man
and dog was reduced TO a three-quarter
ration, while the difficulties OF ice
travel rose to disheartening heights.
At the end OF struggle of twenty
days through thick fog the sky cleared
! and we found ourselves far down in
Crown Pr nee Gustav sea, with open
water and impossible small ice as a
barrier between US and Heiberg Island.
In the next few days bears came along
as life savers. The empty stomachs
were spread and the horizon, for time.
was cleared OF trouble.
With the return to Annootok rendered
ff1cult by the unfortunate westerly
drlIt we now sought to follow the ice
movement south to Lancaster sound
where we hoped to reach a Scottish
yhaler.
Early in July farther southwark prog
ress became impossible. and in quest of
food we crossed the firth of Devon into
EfDcS sounC.
Battling for Life.
TIE dogs were here gwen the freedom
of their wolf propensities, and by folding