Dewey County advocate. [volume] (Timber Lake, S.D.) 1910-1913, 1911-09-01
MORT
rctic circle carried provisions

Nc
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 a
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 or
the expedition. has reserved all but
the briefest summary for his personal
report to DR.. Bumpus. A brief ten
pages suficed for him to announce the
results Of the two years journey, as
we'll 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 a 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 10 of this year.
IAN Eskimo (the same Jimmy Me-
na-ran-na who accompanied Captain
Amundsen in 1866 from Herschel
island to the Yukon)," wrote Mr.. Ste
fansson, has come here from Baillie
island and intends starting tomorrow
for the Mackenzie delta. am giving
him this letter, hoping 1t may get into
the July mail at Macpherson"
Just think of it-grave doubts as to
whether a letter will reach mail
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 lot. While they have
agreed to accompany me, / can never
tell on what night they may have
dream which they will construe as a
warning not to go and l 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 adventursr.
That he made the trip, secured his
specimens and is now safely on his
return is all that those who are most
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 at
length of his two years trip. He too
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 by DR..
Anderson for his party. From there
he wrote his report, which by its very
simplicity and directness is one OF the
most remarkable documents ever sent
through the mails Of the United States.