The Glenwood post., 1909-09-18

IaIlen asleep | was reused out py
movement of the ice, and found
startling condition of AFFAIRS rap
idly widening road of black water ran
but few feet from our igloos. One OF
my teams of cogs had escaped by only
a few feet from being dragged by the
| movement OF the ices into the water
Another team had an equally mar
| row escape from being crushed by tho
Ice blocks piled over them. The ice on
| the north side of the lead was movins
around eastward. The small floor on
which were the captains igloos were
drifting eastward IN the open water,
and the side of our fgloos threatened
to follow suit. Kicking out the door
or the fgloos l called to the captains
| men to pack their sledges and be
ready for quick dash wnen a favor
able chance arrived.
We hurried our things on our
sledges. hitched the dogs and moved
on to large floe west of us. Then,
leaving one man to look out for the
| dogs and sledges, we hurried over to
assist the captains party to Join us. A
| corner of their raft impinged on the
| ice on our side For the rest of the
night and during the next day the ice
suffered the tormeuts of the damned,
surging together. opening out. groan-
ing and grinding, while the open wa.
| ter belched black smoke like prairie
fire. Then the motion ceased, the
open water closed. the atmosphere to
the north cleared, and we rushed
across before the ice should open
again.
Bartlett Hates to Turn Back to Ship.
| A succession OF iaterally 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 straight way OF six miles to
the north. Then came more heavy old
floes covered with hard snow. This
was a good long march. The next
march was also a long one. 1t was
Bartlett's last lap. He let himself out
over series Of large old floes, stead
lily increasing in diameter, and cov-
cred with hard snow.
| with the disappearance of Bartlett
l turned to the problem before me.
This was that for which | had
worked for thirty-two years; for
which l had lived the simple life; for
which l had conserved all my energy
on the upward trip; for which l had
trained myself as for race; crush
ing down every worry about success"
Peary then goes into details of how
he picked his dogs-powerful males
good sledges and ample provisions.
On and on he pressed into the frozen
zone. sleeping but little. When he
reached the seth parallel the ice floes
were grinding beneath his feet but no
motion was visible. Peary thinks the
ice was settling back into equilibrium
and probably sagging nortnward.
The thermometer was 40 below
zero.
THE going was even better and
there was scarcely any snow on the
hard, granular, last summers sur
face on the old floes, dotted with the
sapphire ice of the previous summers
lakes" says Peary.
"A rise in temperature to IS below
reduced the friction of the sledges,
and gave the dogs the appearance OF
having caught the spirits of the
party. The more sprightIy ones, as
they went along with lightly curled
tails. frequently tossed their heads
with short. sharp barks and yelps.
In twelve hours we made forty
miles. There was no sign of lead
in the march. l had now made my
| llNe Autal Sucop anu WAS III IlIu6 lOT d
hasty noon observation through a
temporary break in the clouds, which
indicated our position as SO degrees
81 minutes. quote an entity from my
journal some hours later:
1.-The pole at last! The prize OF
three centuries, my dream and goal
Ior twenty years!
| mime at last! At last!
81 cannot bring myself to realize
it!
"'It all seems so simple and COM
monplace. AS Bartlett said when
turning back, when speaking OF his be-
ing in these exclusive regions, which
no mortal has ever penetrated before,
LIT is just like every tay!"'"
"Of course. had my sensations that
made sleep impossible for hours, de-
spite my utter fatigue-the sensa-
tions of lifetime; but had no room
for them here.
Big Travel, Little Sleep.
| 1.-THE first thirty hours at the pole
were spent In taking observations, in
going some ten miles beyond our
camp and some eight miles to the
right Of it; in taking photographs, in
planting my flags. depositing my rec
ords, studying the horizon with my
telescope for possible land and search.
ing for practicable place to make q
sounding.
Ten hours after our arrivel the
clouds cleared before a light breeze
from our left, and from that time un.
til our departure in the afternoon OF
April 7th the weather was cloudless
and flawless. The minimum temper
ature during the thirty hours was 80
below; the maximum, 12.
I'VE had reached the goal-but the
return was still before us. 1t was es.
sential that we reach the land before
the next spring tide, and we must
strain every nerve to do SO.
81 had brief talk with my men.
from now on it was to be big travel,
little sleep and hustle every min
..4n Mo sxLoiild fru told fhar, IN