Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1909-10-18
1radley Land ?assed-Steam
From Frozen Seas-Half the
Food Allowance Used-Mad-
dening Effect of Polar Gilt
ter-Despair of Ahwelah,
Beyond Is Impossible" %.


frozen seas, In marching over the
golden glitter snow scalds the face
while the nose is bleached with frost
In camp n grip Of the knife left pain
full burns from cold metal TO the
frozen finger the water was hot With
wine spirits the fire was lighted. while
oil delighted the stomach. In dreams
heaven was hot. the other place was
cold.
All nature was false We seemed
to be nearing the chilled flame of a
new hades. In our hard life there was
nothing genuinely warm. The congen-
] ial appearances were all deception. but
! death offered only cold comfort. There
was no advantage in suicide.
We should have enjoyed this curious
experience, but with endless bodily dis
comforts. combined in aching muscles
! ana an overbearing languor. there could
be no real joys from the glorics Of ma
later retrospect
We now CHANGED our working hours
, from day to night heginnin" usually
ut 10 and ending at :. The Lie march
es and prolonged hours of travel with
which fortune favored us earlier We're
II" longer possible Weather condi-
| tions wcrc more important in deter
mining the days run than the hands
| of the chronomcters
When tho storms threatened the
start was delayed. and in strong blows
| the march was shortened. but in one
way OF another we usually found n
| few hours in each turn of the dial dur
ing which march could be forced he
| tween winds II mattered little wheth
or we Travelled night or day-all hours
and al days were alike to us-for we
| had nc accus. omed time of rest. no
Sundays. no holiday. no landmarks or
mleposs to pass TO advance and eX
pend the energy accumulated during
one sleep ut the cost of our pound OF
pommcan was the one sole aim in
life
Tie observations OF April II gave
latitude 81 degrees 20 minutes. longi.
tude 95 minutes 10 seconds. The pack
disturbance Of Bradley Land was less
and less noted in the northward move
ment The fields became heavier. lar
ger and less crevassed
We had now passed the highest
reaches of all our predecessors and
had gained the inspiration Of the far
thest north for ourselves. The time
was at hand. however. to consider seri.
ously the necessity of an early return.
Nearly half Of the food allowance
had been used In the long marches
| supplies had been more literally used
! than anticipated. and now our dog
| teams We're much reduced in numbers.
| a hard necessity had forced the cruel
/ law Of the survival of the tittest. for
| the less useful dogs were fed to the
! steady working survivors Owing to
| the food limits and the advancing sea
| son we could not prudently continue
| the outward march fortnight longer.
| We had dragged ourselves 300 miles
| over the polar sea in twenty-four days.
| including delays and detours. this gave
an average Of nearly thirteen miles
| daily on an air line in our course.
| There remained an unknown line of
| 100 miles before our ambitions could
be satisfied The same average ad-
vance which we had made on the pack
| would take us TO the pole in thirteen
days There were food and fuel enough
| TO risk this adventure
| In the diary of the succeeding days
doingS there appear numerous tabu-
| lations of work and observations In
| the new cracks the thickness of the
| ice was measured The water was eX-
amned for life. Atmospheric. surface
water and ice temperatures were tax
en-. the barometer was noted. the
! cloud formations. weather conditions
and ice drifts were tabulated
watched daily for possible signs
| Of dangerous failure i'll strength, for
serious disability nov meant Il fatal
| termination.
a disabled man could neither con-
| tinuc nor return, but every examina-
| ton gave another reason to push hui
man endurance to the limit OF the
strain of every fiber and cell The
hard work which followed. under an
occasional burst of burning sunbeanS,
| brought intense thirst.
! Forcing the habit of the camel, we
| managed to take enough water before
starting to keep sufficient liquid in the
veins for the days march, but it was
difficult to await the melting of the ice
at camping time.
In TWO sittings-evening and morn
| ing-cach took an average of three
! quarts of water daily. This included
| the tea and also the luxury of an oc-
casonal soup There was water about
everywhere in heaps. but it was i'll
crystals, and before the thirst could
| be quenched several ounces OF pre-
cious fuel. which had been carried
| thousands of miles, must be used. And
still this water, so expensive and so
necessary to us. ultimately became the
greatest baue to comfort. 1t escaped
| through the pores of the skin. Satu-
rated the boots. forced Il band of ice
u.Irr the knee ana Il belt of frost
about the waist, while the face was