The log cabin Democrat., 1909-09-16

The following morning. March 15. sent Hansen with his division north to pio- neer trail for five marches, and pr. Goodsell, according to the program, start ed back to Cape Columbia.
 McMilan Turns Back.
 At night Marvin and Borup came spin ming in with their men and dogs steam ing in the bitter air like a squadron of battleships. Their arrival relieved me of all anxiety as to our oil supply.
 In the morning I discovered that Mac Millan's foot was badly frost bitten. The mshap had occurred two or three days before, but MacMillan had said nothing about 1t in the hope that 1t would come out all right
 A glance at the injury showed me that the only thing was to send him back to Cape Columbia at once. The arrival of Marvin and Borup enabled me to spare sufficient men and dogs to go back with him.
 Loss Is Serious One.
 This early loss of MacMillan was seri- ously disappointing to me. He had sledge all the way from Cape Columbia, and with his enthusiasm and the powers and physique of the trained athlete I had confidence in him for at least the seth parallel. but there was no alterna- tive.
 The best sledges and dogs were select
 
 the standard. The sounding gave a depth of 325 fathoms.
 We were over the continual shelf, and. as I had surmised, the successive leads crossed in the fifth and sixth marches composed the big lead and marked the continual shelf.
 On leaving the camp the expedition comprised 16 men, F sedges and 100 dogs. The next march was satisfactory as re- gards distance and the character of the going. In the latter part there were pronounced movements in the ice, both visible and audible.
 Some leads were crossed. in one of which Borup and his team took bath, and we were finally stopped by an inn practicable lead opening in front of us. We camped in a temperature of 5o de- grees below.
 At the end of two short marches we came upon Hansen and his party in camp, mending their sledges. We de- voted the remainder of the day to over hauling and mending sledges and break Ing up our damaged ones for material.
 Make Forced Marches.
 The next morning I put Marvin in the lead to pioneer the trail. with instruc- tions to make two forced marches to bring up our average which had been cut down by the last two short ones. Marvin carried out his instructions inn plicitly. A considerable amount of young ice assisted in this.
 At the end of the tenth march. latitude S5.23. Borup turned back in command of the second supporting party. having trav- eled a distance equivalent to Nansen's distance from this far to his farthest north.
 l was sorry to lose this young Yale runner, with his enthusiasm and pluck. He had led his heavy sledge over the foes in a way that commanded every ones admiration and would have made his fathers eyes glsten.
 Changes His Plan.
 From this point the expedition com prised 20 men, 10 sledges, and 70 dogs. It was necessary for Marvin to take sledge from here, and I put Bartlett and his division in advance to pioneer the trail.
 The continual daylight enabled me to make moderation here that brought my advance and main parties closer together and reduced the likelihood of their be- ing separated by open leads.
 After Bartlett left camp with Tender son and their division. Marvin and l re- mained with our division 20 hours long Bartletts camp he broke out and went on and we turned in By this arrange ment the advance party was traveling while the main party w~3 asleep. and vice versa, and 1 was in tNlch with my advance party every 24 hours.
 Moves Expeditiously.
 I had no reason to complain of the going for the next two marches. though for less experienced party, less adapt able sledges, or less perfect equipment it would have been an impossibility.
 At our position at the end of the sec- ond march. Marvin obtained satisfac- tory sight for latitude in clear weather which placed us at S54S The result agreed satisfactorily with the dead reck- oning of Marvin Bartlett and myself.
 Up to this time. the slight altitude of the sun had made 1t not worth while to waste time in observations.
 On the next two marches the going im- proved and we covered good distances. In one of these marches a lead delayed us few hours. We finally ferried across the ice cakes.
 Makes Record Run.
 The next day Bartlett let himself out. evidently. for record, and reeled off 20 miles. Here Marvin obtained another satisfactory sight on latitude. which gave the position as S6 3S Cor beyond the farth- est north of Nansen and AbruzzD, and showed that we had covered 50 minutes of latitude in three marches.
 In these three marches -e had passed the Norwegian record of SEA- by Nan sen, and the Italian record of S6.34, by Cagni.
 From this point Marvin turned back in command of the third supporting party. My last words to him were: Be care ful of the leads, my boy"
 The party from this point comprised nine men. seven sledges, and 60 dogs The conditions at this camp and the ap- parently unbroken eXpanse of fairly level ice in every direction reminded me of Cagni's description of his farthest north.
 Danger Is Encountered.
 But I was not deceived by the appar- entity favorable outlook, for available conditions never continue for any dis tance or any length of time in the arc tic regions.
 The next march was over good gc- ing, but for the first time since leaving land we experienced that condition, ire quent over these ice fields, of hazy at mosphere. in which the light is equal everywhere. All relief is destroyed, and 1t is impossible to see for any distance We were obliged in this march to make a detour around an open lead In the next march we encountered the heaviest and deepest snow of the Journey. through a thick. smothering mantle lying in the depressons of heavy rubble ice.
 Temporarily Discouraged.
 I came upon Bartlett and his party, fagged out and temporarily discouraged by the heartracking work of making