Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1913-05-17
Hopes to Grow Vegetables.

In addition TO the wireless, Mr.. Mac
MILAN has several other innovations in
arctic work he will put into operation
on his Croker Land search.
He hopes to grow fresh vegetables
in hothouses by tie aid Of burning
glasses which will be brought to focus
ON the sheltered plants during the sum
mer season. when the sun is visible
Scurvy is one of the chief enemies
he expects to enc0nni {, and he hopes
that if he is successful in raising fresh
vegetables during the period while the
sun is up he will be able to hold at
bay this grim visaged speeter of the
deep arctic silences.
Then too, he may take witt. him
Great South bay scooter, the first of
her genus to invade the arctic circle.
The scooter is an amphibious craft,
native Of the Great South bay of Long
Island. She is built like a boat, but
equipped with runners ON the bottom,
and goes as well ON the water as on
fee. Or smooth ice the scooter sails at
the speed Of sixty miles an hour and
In the water at the speed of a regula-
ton sailboat
The trip Macmillan and six comrades
will make is believed to he one OF the
most perious that could have been Sc
Iected. The safety ef the expedition
depends wholly upon the consistency
and duration of the winter ice in the
polar sea, and those who have spent
much of their lives in the far north
have learned that polar sea ice is an
uncertain quantity on which TO pin life.
Briefly, the plan of the expedition is
TO push north. with several stops for
the last supplies. until Cape York..
Greenland. is reached about Aug. H.
From there the party viii proceed to-
Flagler bay, Ellesmere Land, where the
headquarters camp will be built
The ship will return TO New York.
aud the seven members of the explor
ing party win set about preparing for
the long. dark winter.
Some Of tile party will then push
north through the mountains of Files
mere Land into Eureka sound and
through Nansen strait to Cape Thomas
Hubbard. the poinhsfrom which Peary
saw the dim outline of Croker Land
northwestward across the polar sea.
Moon Will Help.
eve hope TO reach the cape before
the winter night shuts us in" Mr.. Mac
MILAN said recently. "All along the
300 mile trail between our headquarters
and the cape we will have made caches
of food for our return journey. Then
when the night sets in we will wait for
the moon, and with its help we will re.
turn to headquarters on Flagler bay
where we will wait for spring and the
time for us to start on our dash for
Croker Land
"Al winter in camp, while we are
waiting for this time to arrive/we ex
pect to be comfortable, for we will have
electric lights from a power plant spe
cially constructed, and we win be busy
collecting food for the next two or
three years work Then there will be
the wireless TO occupy us and the gar
dening with the rejecting glasses,
which hope to experiment with,
1T is my belief that we can grow
radishes ana some few other vegeta
bes, such perhaps as Swiss chard. I'm
der glass that is heated with rejecting
glasses, though | am by no means GER
tain The first year we win be in no
danger Of scurvy. but after that it is
always we'll to prepare for inroads by
the disease. | do not think we shall
be troubled however for fresh merit is
a preventive. The Eskimos who have
plenty of fresh meat, never have
scurry, and we expect to kill plenty
Of polar bear and musk OK"