The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1914-06-08
WRITES or LIFE
IN The ARCTIC
Macmillan Says Party Built a
palace" at Etah
LEFT THERE LAST FEBRUARY

of 1000 Miles In Temperature of
From 80 to 20 Degrees Below Zero.
Hopeful of Finding New Continent,
but Apprehensive of Disaster.
Reports from the Croker Land ex- !,
petition have been received by the
American Museum of Natural History,
through President Osborn and DIR. Ed
mund Otis Hovey, four months after
the documents were prepared. Knud
Rasmussen, the Danish explorer, |
brought the letters out of the frozen
north, and they were forwarded by
him from Copenhagen.
In his letter to President Osborn
Donald b. Macmillan, head Of the ex-
petition, tells of attempts to reach
civilization by wireless and of how In
the spring kites would be used in the
hope of some time finding conditions
right. He tells of the contemplated
trip of more than 1000 miles to Crock
er Land, with a temperature ranging
from 30 to 20 degrees below zero.
The letter to DIR. Hovey. director of
the expedition, sets forth that the dash
across the polar sea from Cape Thorn
as Hubbard to Croker Land is to be
made by Macmillan, Elmer Ekblaw
and Fitzhugh Green. with eight Eski-
mos.
Provisions Will Last Two Years.
The party, it is thought, is now we'll
on its way back to the base at Etah.
an electrically lighted palace" as
Macmillan calls it. In the fall the
world will know if Croker Land is a
great continent, as Admiral Peary
thought when he saw it from Cape
Thomas Hubbard in 1906.
Macmillan says he has provisions
only for two years instead of three.
To President Osborn he says:
will do my best to do all the work
as planned, do it well and bring every
man back"
A letter TO DR.. Hovey says:
president Osborn's Christmas din
ner was a great treat. My, but that
chicken tasted good!"
The letter from Macmillan to Presi-
dent Osborn, dated Etah, North Green
land, Jan. 10, 1914, says:
"The midnight of the long arctic win
ter is over. with every one in good
health and eager for the big work
ahead of us. Apparently the darkness
and absence of the sur have had no
effect at all upon the boys. They are
just as happy as ever and singing most
of the time.
1.-THE day after the ship left us we
began ~excavating with picks and dyna
mite for our house. selecting a wei
sheltered spot in the midst Of the Els
kimo igloos. The work went on day
md night. and on Sept. II we moved
into a large, comfortable home, "a by
"a, eight rooms on the ground floor and
a large attic for n storeroom.
81 am quite sure we have the mos
palatial residence ever put up in the
arctic. with our electric lights and tel
ephone to two Eskimo igloos. Have
tried to make the boys just as com
Portable as possible as an inducemen
to good work. giving them good. warn
rooms and good, warm clothing.
i 81 have succeeded in establishin,
W provision stations on the line o.
march to Croker Land. one at Anori
tok, about twenty-five miles north o
here, and the other across Smith sound
over in Ellesmere Land, at the entrance
of Buchanan bay.
Peary's Best Man In the Party.
81 have secured some of the yer.
best men I'm the north. They are In
terested i'm this new land out OF tn
Polar sea and want to see it. ] hav'
Pee-ah-wah-to, Sipsoo and Eisayoo o
the worlds record OF 1906; Ootah, o
north pole fame; Peary's best mar
Apellah, and I~-took-ah-shoe. who KEEP
DIR. Cook alive on his long trip; ais
eight other good men who have beel
with Peary on various trips. They ar
confident that IL the land is there W
shall have no trouble getting it.
"But | am looking for trouble ant
) am guarding against it In every posi-
/ bic way. We have owe 1000 miles {
go In a temperature ranging from 3
to 20 below. The evil spirit OF the arc
tic is always watching and can chang
; success into misfortune and failur
within a few hours.
! I'VE have ample provision for tw
years, but not for three. but we coul
: easily stay there. living as the Eskimo
do. We shall leave the house here 70
Croker Land about Feb 20. with twer
ty-one men and 100 dogs. Will renal
On tho 0thar cida inst a. lnur as w