The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-09-22

er, on March 21. During the first
days we made long marches. The
cold persisted and there we're strong
winds.
II lived as the Eskimos did and
managed to get some comfort by
sleeping in snow houses which we
dug out, eating tallow and drinking
tea. The sky during these days was
overcast by smoky mist, so that no
observation could be taken, but on
March 80 an observation gave out
position as latitude S4.47. We had
covered, therefore, more than 130
miles in nine days.
Beyond this point we encoun-
tered merely desert of ice. There
was no life. Tracks of animals and
blowholes of seals were absent.
Nor was there trace of vegeta-
tion.
DAY after day, from then on, we
progressed monotonously. The sur
face of the ice grew smoother and
more level. 1t was still cold, and
there was a bitter wind. l recorded
daily our position and the incidents
of the march, but one day, was
much like another.
april Z was worthy of especial
note, because the sun at midnight
appeared over the edge of the north
ern ice. The next day | made an
observation which placed our posi-
ton at latitude $3.50. Our speed
had increased slightly. We had
traversed more than 250 miles in
seventeen days.
I'VE were then a tritle more than
200 miles from the Pole. We were
sunlurned and frostbitten on the
same day, but the light enabled us
to advance more easily.
Beyond the eighty-eighth par
allcl the crevices became fewer ana
narrower. and between the eighty
seventh and eighty-ninth parallels
| was surprised to find indications
Of land ice. For two days we tray
oiled over ice that looked like q
glacial surface. But there was no
pcrccptible elevation and, therefore,
it was impossible to tell whether we
were on land or sea.
On April 1ith we reached latitude
SS.21, and were within little bit
less than one hundred miles OF the
Pole. We no longer had energy to
make snowhouses and slept in a
silk tent which we carried.
"In the days that followed we saw
mirages, inverted mountains and
queer objects that seemed to dance
about. The horizon itself seemed
to dance. But | made careful as
Economical observations and always
knew our position.
"On April - my observation-cor-
rccted-showed that we had reach
ed latitude 50 degrees, 50 minutes
and 46 seconds. and were therefore
within o stones throw, almost, OF
the ninetieth parallel. We advanc-
ed the II seconds-approXim a
quarter of a mile-and there | made
a double round OF observations which
confirmed our position.
This was at noon of April 21,
1908. My observations showed that
the latitude was precisely so de-
Sf9GS. Inc temperature was &C uS-
grees below zero. The barometer
stood at 29.S3 degrees. There was
no land in sight-nothing but a de-
pressing waste of ice and snow,
which appeared purple in the light.
"The Eskimos, told that at last
they had reached the Big Nail and
were the first of their race ever
to have set foot there, celebrated
with savage joy, I raised the flag
of the United States of America to
the breeze.
81 studied the local conditions as
much as possible and took observa-
tions from various points within
walking distance. | was unable to
take any soundings of the sea
through crevices l found because /
| had lost my sounding line.
Until early in the day of April
| %, 1908, we remained at the Pole.
Then, realizing that the tlag would
be torn to pieces within few days,
| took it down as we were about to
depart and placed it in brass tube,
together with signed report of my
march from Etah. This ! buried
! in the ice, exactly at the North
| Pole"