Norwich bulletin., 1909-10-05
Soul Terrifying Blasts Of Wind are
Renewed.
AMAZING SENSATIONS
hat Came to Or. Cook and His Two Comrades in the
Last Days-Drift Ice Throws the Expedition to the
asst which Causes Much Anxiety, but Ultimate Sue
cess is Now Certainly within Crasp-Torment Almost
Passing Endurance.

I sunbeams seemed to make the frost
Of the air pierce with a more painful
sting.
There was a weird play of orgies
seemingly most impressive at this
time-clouds of steam rose from the
frozen seas. In marching over the
| golden glitter snow scalds the face
| while the nose is bleached with frost
| The sun rose into zones of fire and
| set into burning fields of ice, but with
pain we breathe the chill of death.
In camp a grip of the knife left pain
| full burns from cold metal. To the
| frozen finger 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 SEEM
ed to be nearing the chilled fame of a
new Hades. In our shard life there
was nothing genuinely warm. The
congenial appearances We're all decep-
ton, but death offered only cold com
fort. There was no advantage in sui
Gre.
We should have enjoyed this curious
experience, but with endless bodily dis
comforts, combined in aching muscles
and an overbearing languor, there
could be no real joy from the glories
Of nature The pleasure was reserved
III a ldLGl IGlIOSDGEl.
We now changed our working hours
from day to night, beginning usually
at ten and ending at seven. The big
marches and prolonged hours of travel
with which fortune favored us earlier
were no longer possible. Weather
conditions were more important in de-
term1ning the days run than the
hands of the thermometers.
When the storms threatened the
start dRlaUnd nd rk,- IL
the march was shortened. but in one
way or another we usually found a
few hours in each turn of the dial dur
ing which march could be forced be-
tween winds. 1t mattered little wheth-
er we Travelled night or day-all hours
and all days were alike to us-for we
had no accustomed time of rest, no
sundays, no holiday, no landmarks or
mile posts to pass. To advance and
expend the energy accumulated dur
ing one sleep at the cost of our pound
life. 49,
The observations of April II gave
latitude 81 deg. 20 min. Longitude a.
min. 19 sec. The pack disturbance of
Bradley Land was less and less noted
in the northward movement. The
helds became heavier, larger and less
crevassed. Fewer troublesome foes
and less new crushed new ice were
encountered. With the improved con-
ditions, the fire of a racing spirit
came for brief spell
We had now passed the highest
reaches of all our predecessors and
gained the inspiration of the farthest
north for ourselves. The time was at
hano, however, to consider seriously
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 were much reduced in numbers
A hard necessity had forced the cruel
law OF the survival of the fittest. for
the less useful dogs were fed to the
working survivors: Owing to the food
limits and the advancing season. we
could not prudently continue the out
ward march a fortnight longer.
we had dragged ourselves 900 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 $50 miles before our ambitions
advance which we had made on the
pack would take us to the pole in thir-
teen days. There was food and fuel
enough to risk this adventure.
With usual luck the prize seemed
within grasp, but prolonged storm
a deep snowfall or an active pack with
open water would make our effort a
failure.
In the diary of the succeeding DAVIS
doings there appear numerous tabuia-
tons of work and observations. In
the new cracks the thickness Of the
ice was measured. The water was ex-
ahmed for life. The technical details
for the making and breaking of ice