Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1910-09-01
| be near the Polar basin, and YET far ~
| the eye could reach was one intsrmin-


huts. or cairns visible. 1t was evident
that the Greenlanders had not pushed
their way so far north. and yet the
famished tribes would have found their
reward in coming. for the country
abounded In game. Bears were fire.
quently seen. and numerous herds Of
musk-o oxen and deer. -
On the goth Bell killed fox and AL |
lamont a musk-ox. These supplies OF
fresh food were very acceptable, and
even the doctor surveyed, with consid-
cradle satisfaction. the launches of
meat they managed to procure from
time to time.
Don't let us stint ourselves" he
used to say on these occasions; food
is no unimportant matter in sxpedi-
lions like ours"
Especially" said Johnson. whom
meal depends on a lucky shot"
You're right, Johnson; q man does
not think 30 much about dinner when
he knows the soup-pot Ia simmering
by the kitchen fire."
On the S0th they came to district
which seemed to have been upturned
by some volcanic convulsion, 80 COW
cred was II with cones and sharp, lofty
peaks.
strong breeze from the southeast
was blowing. which soon increased to
hurricane. sweeping over the rocks
covered with snow and the huge mass
es of Ice. which took the forms of Ice
bergs and hummocks. though on dry
| land.
On all sides nothing could be heard
| a. LII To- ox,6 - i
ing avalanches.
The travellers had to be very careful
In avoiding hills. and even in speaking
aloud. for the slightest agitation In
the air might have caused q catastro-
phe. Indeed, tho suddenness is the pc
culiar feature In arctic avalanches, dis
tinguishing them from those Of Swift
zerland and Norway.
Often the dislodgement of a block OF
ice is instantaneous, and not even a
cannon ball or thunderbolt could be
more rapid in it's descent. The loosen
ing, the fall and the crash happen al
most simultaneously.
Happily, however. no accident befel
any of the party, and three days after
wards they came to smooth. leve
ground again.
On the Fourth OF July there wal
such an exceedingly dense fog that i
was very difficult to keep tho straish
course for the north. No misadven
ture. however. befel the party during
tho darkness, except the loss of Bell
snowshoes.
At Bells suggestion torches wer
contrived. made of tow stepped in spir
it's of wine and fastened on the end o
a stick. and these served somewhat t
help them on. though they made bu
small progress: for, on the 9Th, afte
the fog had cleared off, the doctor too
their bearings, and found that the
. had only been marching at the rate Q
eight miles a day.
! Determined to mako UP for los
t time. they rose next morning very ear
] ly and started off, Bell and Altamon
i as usual going ahead of the rest an
= acting as scouts. Johnson and the 9th
ers kept beside the sledge, and wer
;, soon nearly two miles behind tn
guides; but the weather was SO dr.
and clear that all their movement
y could be distinctly observed.
d Storms blew up again and the ter
was pitched in a ravine for shelter @
the sky was dark and threatening
and a violent north wind was blowing
q I'm afraid wei have a bad night
q said Johnson.
e "A pretty noisy one, I expect" n
d piled the doctor, but not cold. "
10 had better take every precaution. AT
% fasten down our tent with good b
stones"
10 You are right, Mr.. Clawbonny.
e the hurricane swept away on. tent,
vt don't know where we should find
lie again."
7 The tent held fast. but sleep was in
,e possible. for the tempest was led loo
and ragged with tremendous violenc
le TT seems to me-" said the doctc
lg during a brief lull in the deafeniI
Id roar, 'as II l could hear the sound
ut collisions between icebegs and 1
fields. II we were near the sea.
In could really believe there was a ge
ly eral break up in the ice."
D. IT can't explain the noises any 9th
way" said Johnson.
ig Can we have reached the coast r
g. wonder?" asked Hatteras-
ir TT IL not impossible" replied Cla'
10. bonny. 'Listenl Do you hear tn
lg crash7 That is certainly the sound
icebergs falling. We cannot be We
80 far from tho ocean"
as We'll. IL 1t turns out to be so. sh
10, push right on over the Ice fields"
as "Oh. they'll all be broken up AFT
O. such q storm as this. We shall Z
to what tomorrow brings: but all I c
as say is. II any poor fellows are wand'
ing about in a night like this. I p
ad them"
he Ito be continued.)