The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-09-11
Continued from Page one.,

fore the end of the long winter night
we were ready for the enterprise.
Plans were matured to force new
route over Grinnell Land and north
ward along its west coast out of the
Polar Sea.
Soon after the polar midnight the
campaign opened. A few scouting par
ties were sent over to the American
shores to explore a way to seek game
hannts.
Their mission was only partly sue
eessful because fogs darkened the
January moon.
At sunrise of 1908 february 19). the
main expedition embarked for the pole.
Eleven men and 103 dogs, drawing
eleven heavilyladen sledges, left the
Greenland shore and pushed westward
over the troubled ice of Smith Sound.
Few Hours of Daylight.
The gloom of the long night was re-
Eeved by only few hours of daylight.
The chill of winter was felt at its worst
As we crossed the heights of Ellesmere
Sound to the Pacific slope the tempera-
tnre sank to SO degrees Fahrenheit
Several dogs were frozen and the men
suffered severely, but we soon found
game trails along which an easy way
was Sound through Nansen Sound to
the land IS end.
In this march were procured 101 musk
oxen, seven bears and 335 hares, and
then we pushed out into the Polar Sea
from the southern point of Heiberg
Island.
On March 10, six Eskinnos returned
from here, with four men and fortysix
dogs, moving supplies for eighty days.
The crossing of the circumpolar pack
was begun three days later, the other
Eskimos forming the last supporting
party returned The trains had been
reduced by the survival of the fittest.
Etukeshooke and Aswelab, the two
best men, and twenty-six dogs. were
picked for the final dash. There was
before us an unknown line of 400 miles
to our goal. The first days permitted
long marches, and with encouraging
progress, the big lead which separated
the land ice from the central pack was
crossed with little delay.
Low temperature and persistent winds
made life torture, but, cooped in snow
houses, eating dried beef and tallow
and drinking hot tea, some animal com
forts We're occasionally to be gained.
Discovers New Land.
For several days after the site of
known land was lost overcast skies
prevented an accurate determination
of our positions.
On March 80 the horizon was partly
cleared of its smoky agitation and over
the western mist was discovered
new land
The observation gave our position
latitude 81 deg. min. 81 sec. Longi
tude Sc deg. min. SO see.
The Urgent need of rapid advance
on our main mission did not permit
detour to explore the coast.
Here were seen the last signs of
solid earth. Beyond there was moth
ing staple and even on scaling nothing
was noted to mark the terrestrial polar
solidity.
We advanced steadily over the
monotony of moving sea OF ice. We
now found ourselves beyond the range
of all life. Neither the footprints of
bears nor the blowholes of seals were
detected. Even the microscopic Great
ures of the deep were no longer under
US.
The maddening influence of the shift
ing desert of frost became almost I'M
endurable in the daily routine The
surface of the pack offered less and
less trouble. The weather improved,
but still there remained a light, life
sapping wind which drove despair to
its lowest recess.
Under the lash of duty. however,
interest was forced, while the merei,
less drive of extreme cold enforced
physical action. Thus, day after day,
the weary legs were spread over big
distances
The incidents and the positions were
recorded, but the adventure was
promptly forgotten in the mental
bleach of the next days efforts.
The night of April was made no.
table by the swing of the sun at mid
night over the northern lee. Sunburns
and frost bites were now recorded on
the same day, but the double DAYS of
glitter infused quite an incentive into
our life Of shivers.
Observations on April placed our
camp at Latitude Sc dogs. So sec. Lon.
gItude, "a degs. 2 sec.
IN spite of what seemed like long
marches, We advanced but a little
more than loo miles in nine DAYS