Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1911-09-02

Nor
the arctic circle carried provisions
a-plenty.
Not so with Stefansson and Ander-
SON. Their mission. was the collection
of specimens that would enlighten the
rest of the world as to human, animal
and vegetable life within the arctic
circle. They had no single objective
point. Their wanderings and search
es took them a part of the time out
over the ice of the Arctic ocean and
part of the time across mountain ran
ges that rise thousands of feet In the
air.
Food Stolen by Wild Beasts.
They also had plenty of provisions
when they started. AS though. how
ever, the ordinary perils of the -coun-
try were not sufficient, the real own
ers of the country, polar bears and
wolverines, added to their dangers.
Time after time the daring scientists.
wearied by months of privation. would
seek the stores of food they had hid
den in caches for Just such emergen-
cies, only to find that four-footed ma
RAIDERS had broken in and stolen hun
dreds of pounds Of food
Stefansson, as the actual leader OF
the expedition, has reserved all but
the briefest summary for his personal
report to DR.. Bumpus. A brief ten
pages sufficed for him to announce the
results of the two years journey, as
well as to outline his plan for last
dash into the country of the hostile
Coppernine people, Eskimos who
viewed with jealous eyes any attempt
| on the part of white men to penetrate
| their country
On the map you will find tiny
point of land projecting into the Arc
| tic ocean and named Cape Parry.
Nothing illustrates better, perhaps,
| the uncertainty of the position OF the
| explorers than the very first para
graph of Mr.. Stefansson's letter,
which was written from that place on
March 13 of this year.
"An Eskimo (the same Jimmy Me
na-ran-na who accompanied Captain
Amundsen in 1906 from Herschel
| island to the Yukon)," wrote Mr.. Ste
fansson, has come here from Baiilie
island and intends starting tomorrow
for the Mackenzie delta l am giving
him this letter, hoping it may get into
the July mail at Macpherson"
| Just think of it-grave doubts as to
post in four months time!
my Eskimos,'' he wrote, ARE in
| deadly fear of the Coppernine people,
| who have the reputation of being a
| murderous let While they have
agreed to accompany me, can never
tell on what night they may have a
dream which they will construe as a
| warning not to go and / will be left
| to make the journey alone
Braved Death for Science.
The dangers from the people them
selves were not the greatest obstacles
to this, the climax of his trip, as Mr..
Stefansson limited in his letter. The
trip would require all conditions be-
ing favorable, at least Is days going
and the same time returning, to say
nothing of the time that must be
spent in gathering scientific data Six
days provisions, however, were all
that Mr.. Stefansson had. For the rest
of his food he must depend upon a
country in which even the Esquimaux
found it exceedingly difficult to find
sufficient food to sustain their lives
The possibility of starvation, how
ever did not deter the adventurer
That he made the trip, secured his
specimens and is now safely on his
return IS ali tnal inosS Who 0Ac AioS'
deeply interested in his welfare know
Dr. Anderson, who. shortly after he
set out from the friendly deck of the
little river steamer on the Mackenzie
, | separated from Mr. Stefansson and
headed party of EsQuimaux into the
country, has written little more al
length Of his two years trip He toe
. has found a sentence quite sufficient
to tell of experiences that must have
tried the heart and courage OF every
member of the party
, Baillie island. in the Arctic ocean
was the headquarters chosen Dy Or
Anderson for his party From there
: he wrote his report, which by its yer,
simplicity and directness Is one of ths
, most remarkable documents ever SEN
through the mails of the United States