The Democrat-sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1906-1935, 1909-09-23


we gained on the return lessened the
chances of gale destroying the
track.
Just above the eighty.seventh paral.
lei was region some fifty miles wide
which caused me considerable uneasi.
ness. Twelve hours of strong easter.
ly, westerly, or northerly wind would
make this region an open sea.
In the afternoon of the 7th we start.
ed on our return, having double fed
the dogs, repaired the sledges for the
last time, and discarded all our spare
clothing to tighten the loads.
NO BOTTOM TO SEA.
Five miles from the pole narrow
crack filled with recent ice, through
which we were able to work a hole
with pickax, enabled me to make a
sounding. All my wire, 1900 fathoms,
was sent down, but there was no bot.
tom.
In pulling up the wire parted few
futhoms from the surface and lead and
wire went to the bottom. OFF went
reel and handle, tightening the sledges
still further. We had no more use for
them now.
Three marches brought us back to
the igloos where the captain turned
back. The last march was in the wild
sweep of northerly gale, with drift
ing snow and the ice rocking under
as we dashed over it.
ICE FAVORED THEM.
South of where Marvin had turned
back we came to where his party had
built several igloos while delayed by
open leads. Still further south we
found where the captain had been
held up by an open lead and obliged
to camp.
Fortunately the movement of these
leads was simply open and shut, and
Ii took considerable water motion to
fault the trail seriously.
While the captain, Marvin, and as
found later. Borup, had been delayed
by open leads, we seemed to bear a
charm and with no single lead were
we delayed more than a couple OF
hours. Sometimes the ice was fast
and firm enough to carry us across
sometimes a short detour, sometimes
brief halt for the lead to close.
sometimes an improvised ferry on an
Ice cake, kept the trail without diff
Guilty down to the tenth outward
march.
MEET SLIGHT HANDICAP.
lgloos there disappeared completely
and the entire region was unrecogniz.
able. Where on the outward journey
had been narrow cracks, there were
now broad leads, one of them over
five miles in width, caught over with
young ice.
Here again fortune favored us, and
no pronounced movement Of the Ice
having taken place since tho captain |
passed. we had his trail to follow
We picked up the old trail again |
north OF the seventh igloos, followed |
it beyond the fifth, and at the big lead |
lost 1t finally
JOY OF THE ESkiMos.
From here we followed the captains |
trail, and on April 23 our sledges
passed up the vertical edge of the |
glacier fringe, a little west of Cape |
Columbia
When the last sledge came up | |
thought my Eskimos had gone crazy. |
They yelled and called and danced |
themselves helpless. AS Ootah sat |
down on his sledge he remarked, in
Eskimo:
"The devil is asleep or having
trouble with his wife, or we never
should have come back so easily"
A few hours later we arrived at |
Crane City, under the bluffs of Cape |
Columbia, and, after putting four
pounds of pemmican into each of the
faithful dogs to keep them quiet, we
nad' at last, our chance to sleep.
AT CAPE COLUMBIA.
Never shall l forget that sleep at
Cape Columbia. 1t was sleep, sleep,
then turn over and sleep again. We |
slept gloriously, with never a thought
Of the morrow or of having to walk
and, too. with no thought that there
was to be never a night more of blind.
ing headache.
Cold water to parched throat Is
nothing compared with sleep to a
numbed, fatigued brain and body.
Two days we spent here in sleeping
and drying our clothes. Then for the
ship. Our dogs, like ourselves, had not
been hungry when we arrived, but sim.
ply lireless with fatigue. They were
lifferent animals now, and the better
ones among them slept on with tightly
'urled tails and uplifted heads and
heir hind legs treading the snow with
pistonlike regularity.
HEARS OF MARVlN'S DEATH.
We reached Hecla in one march and
The Roosevelt in another. When we
got to the Roosevelt was staggered
BY the news of the fatal mishap to
Marvin. He had either been less eau
lion or less fortunate than the rest of
rs. and his death emphasized the risk
% which we all had been subjected,
or there was not one OF us but had
'een in the sledge at some time during
he journey.
The big lead, cheated of its prey
hree years before. had at last gained
is human victim.
The rest can be told quickly. McMil.
an and Borup had started for the
Greenland coast to deposit caches for
ne. Before arrived a flying Eskimo
courier from me overlook them with
that tha cacbas u,a,a No |