Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1909-09-16

oAApA NIANN "a~efN - N%ttN 1850 49,
encouraged again.
During the next march We travelled
through thick haze drifting over the
ice before biting air from the north.
east. At the end OF the march We
came upon the captain camped beside
a wide open lead with q dense black
water sky northwest. north and north
east.
Ice Break Threatens Death.
We built our igloos and turned In,
but before l had fallen asleep ] was
reused out by movement Of the Ice
and found startling condition Of af-
fairs--a rapidly widening road Of
black water ran only few feet from
our igloos.
One OF my teams of dogs had es-
capped by only a few feet from being
dragged by the movement Of the ice
into The water.
Another team had an equally mar
row escape from being crushed by
the ice blocks piled over them. The
ice on the north side Of the lead was
moving around eastward. The small
floor on which were the captains ig-
loos was drifting eastward In the
open water, and the side Of our igloos
threatened to follow suit.
Quick Dash to Safety.
Kicking out the door Of the igluos |
called to the captains men to pack
their s1edges and be ready. for a quick
dash when a favorable chance arrived.
We hurried our things on our
sledges, hitched the dogs, and moved
on to q large ice foe west Of us.
~s4c, leaving one man tor look out for
the dogs anu sledges, we hurried . fer
to assist the captains party to join
US.
A corner Of their raft implnged on
the ice on our side. For the rest Of
the night and during the next day the
ice suffered the torment Of the
damned, surging together, opening out,
groaning, and grinding, while the open
water belched black smoke like q
prairie fire.
Strike An Easy Stretch.
Then the motion ceased, the open
water closed, the atmosphere to the
north was cleared, and we rushed
across before the ice should open
again.
A succession OF laterally open leads
were crossed, and after them some
heavy old ice, and then we came to a
layer of young ice, some Of which
buckled under our sledges, and this
gave us a straightway OF six miles to
the north.
Then came more heavy old foes,
covered with snow. This was good
long march.
The next march was also a long
one. It was Bartlett's last hit. He let
himself out over a series Of large old
foes, steadily increasing in diameter
and covered with hard snow.
High Wind Aids safety. ..
During the last few miles ! walked
beside him or in advance. He was
solemn and anxious to go further, but
the program was for him to go back
from here in command Of the fourth
supporting party, and there were no
supplies 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 Column
bia. It was dead In our faces, bitter
and insistent, but / had no reason to
complain, 1t was better than an east
erly or southerly wind, either Of which
would have set US adrift in open
water, while this was closing up every
lead behind.
This furnished another advantage Of
my supporting parties. True, by SO
doing it was pressing to the south
the ice over which we travelled, and
so robbing US Of hundred miles of
advantage.
Pass Eighty-Fourth Parallel.
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 five or six miles
to the north to make sure of reaching
the eighty-eighth parallel. While he
was gone / selected the forty best
dogs in the outfit and had them
doubled.
/ picked out five of the best sledges
and assigned them expressly to the
captains party, broke up the seventh
for material with which to repair the
others and set Eskimos at this work.
Bartlett returned in time to take
satisfactory observation for latitude
in clear weather, and obtained for our
position 87.48, and that showed that
the continued north wind had robbed
us Of number Of miles Of hard
earned distance,
Bartlett took the observation here,
as had Marvin five camps back, part
ly to save my eyes, but largely to give
an independent record and determi-
nation of our advance.
The observations completed and the
two copies made, one for him and the
other for me, Bartlett started on the
back trail in command Of my fourth
supporting party, with two EskimoS,
one sledge, and Is dogs.
Great Honors for Bartlett.
When he left felt for moment
pangs of regret as he disappeared in
the distance, but It was only mo-
mentary My work was still ahead,
not in the rear.
Bartlett had done good work and had
haau a oraot haIn IN mo HirQuUn.