The Topeka state journal., 1911-09-26

hands were ever busy in preparing for
the one grand effort-to reach the pole
cat sunrise on Feb. 19, 1908, we
were en- route for the pole. We aimed
to enter the American archipelago and
force a new route over the virgin fields
III the triangle between Greenland and
Alaska. The old route along the coast
of Greenland had been tried by many
good men before; all had failed The
bleached bones of pioneers marked the
limits of human endurance.
lone hundred and three splendid
wolf dogs now moved poleward. The
savage howls from long stilled dog
throats echoed from cliff to cliff. In
severe storms and low temperatures
we suffered intensely. AS we ad
vanced the temperature fell stfl lower
to SO degrees below zero. Here, be
yOnd the haunts of man, we expert
enced the joys of zero's lowest The
land was tinted with delicate shades;
the sky burned with golden sunbursts.
TN our northward march we were
invading a new Eden of animal de-
light. From the hills there came the
call of the wolf; before us and behind
US was the polar bear, scores of little
fluffy arctic hares bounded like rubber
balls
'aThen the battle tactics changed. In
a month we had covered 400 miles
had transported our supplies to the
edge of the polar sea- The pole was
Z
as we looked over seas of blue mystery
to our destiny beyond.
'tOn March IS, with four men and
Is dogs, we began the dash; the other
men were sent back. At the end of
three days we had advanced so miles,
Again our party was divided in line
with the law of the survival of the
fittest.
''AhweIoh and Etukishberk. two
boys of twenty, were selected as my
n
best dogs were spanned to two tough
hickory sleds. Each day we walked
until the legs refused to move Then
a snow house was built in about an
hours time We ate dried beef and
tallow and slept on snow cushioned ice,
and our greatest joy was a drink of ice
water to ease the chronic thirst
I'VE did not stop for refreshments
at noon. We covered about 5 miles
day.
'On April 1 we started off to force
the last 800 miles to the pole. The ice
steadily improved. The drift was east
over smoother ice Daily progress was
carefully checked and tabulated by va
a spot where the sun at midday and
midnight was of about the same
height. We were at a place on moving
seas of ice when our shadows were the
same length for each hour of the "a.
The observations gave latitude 80 de-
grees. Here we raised the Stars and
Stripes and claimed the first attain
ment of the pole. We found no foot
prints there. Two days were spent at
the pole. We measured the altitude
of the sun every six hours"
Return Trip Strenuous.
This is DIR. Cooks story in brief of
the dash to the pole, but the return
trip was much more severe. Starva-
ton faced the party of three on sew
eraI occasions and a depression was
unintentiOna1ly made from the route
taken in the dash to the north. Many
months went by before reaching base
of supplies.
81 have never in any way challenged
Peary's climb to the pole,'' continued
the speaker, ''but am challenging the
mans honor.
1.-TWO months after the pole had been
reached two big ships started from
New York for the north with the usual
public bombast. About the same time
Rudolph FRANKIE started south from
the point at which I had left him and
after almost sUperhuman efforts only
to find that the whalers had left and
there would be no other boat for
year. Francke was sick and all used
up. He laid down on the rocks and
expected to Gle, but he was nursed
back to partial health by some of the
kind hearted natives.
'STwo big ships came into the har-
bor- FRANKIE was happy. He stumbled
aboard one of the ships and asked for
a cup of coffee, and he was showed off
the ship. Would you do that for a
beggar? FRANKIE was no beggar.