Daily Arizona silver belt. (Globe, Gila County, Ariz.) 1906-1929, 1909-09-02
.1There was urgent need Of rapid ad !.

.'Ihere Was urgent need of rapid ad.
-'ain mission did not PERM,
49,. Narpose of exploring
the coast Ife..1re saw the last signs
of solid earth. !eyond, there was
nothing stable TO oe seen.
'We advanced steadily over the
monotony Of moving sea of ice, and
now found ourselves beyond the range
Of all life--neither footprints of bears
nor the blow hole Of seals were de.
tected. Even the microscopic creatures
of the deep were no longer under us.
The maddening influence Of the shift
ing desert of frost became almost I'M
cndurable in the daily routine, The
surf of the pack offered less and less
trouble and the weather improved, but
there still remained the life sapping
wind which drove despair to IFS low
est recess. Extreme cold compelled
physical action. Thus, day after day
our weary legs spread over big dis.
tances. Incidents and positions were
recorded. but adventure was promptly
forgotten in the next days efforts
The night of April was made notable
by the swinging Of the sun Mt midnight
over the northern ice. SunburDs and
frost bites now were recorded on the
same day, but the double days glitter
infused quite an incentive into one s
life of shivers.
"Our observations on April placed
the camp in latitude SO degrees 80
minutes, longitude "a degrees 2 min
utes.
''In spite of what seemed long
marches we advanced but little over n
hundred miles. Much of our work was
lost in circuitous twists around trouble
some ice pressure lines and high ir,eg.
ular fields.
"A very old ice drift, too, was dry
ing eastward with sufficient force to
give some anxiety Although still
equal to about fifteen miles daily, the
extended marches aud the long hours
for travelling with which fortune favor.
ed us earlier were no longer possible.
Party Lived ON Dog Meat
1--WE were now about 200 miles from
the pole and sledge loads were reduced.
One dog after another went into the
stomaehs of the hungry survivors M
Ill the teams were considerably dimn-
ished in number, but there seemed to
remain sufficient balance for man and
brute TO push along into the heart Of
the mystery to which we set ourselves.
son April 81, we reached 50 degrees
80 minutes Az seconds. The pole MAS
in sight We covered the remaining
IA seconds and made few final OBJ
servations. told Etukishook and All
welsh (the accompanying Eskimos)
that we had reached the great nail. :
Everywhere we turned was south. With
single step we could pass from one
side of the earth to 1.-The other, from
midday TO midnight.
Crazed With Success
"At last the flag fohted to the
breeze at the pole. 1t was April u,
1908. The temperature was minus IS
centigrade, barometer 29.s3; latitude
go; as for longitude, il was nothing,
as it was but word.
Although crazy with JOY, our spirits
began to undergo feeling of weari-
ness Next day, after taking all our
observations. sentiment of intense
solitude penetrated rs while we looked
AT the horizon. Was il possible that
this desolate region, without path cf
earth. had aroused the ambition of So
many men for so many centuries!
There was no ground, only an i'm
mensity of dazzling white snow, no liz
ing being, no point to break the fright
full monotony
"on April % we started on our re
turn