The bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-10-27


to patch up the vessel, and fuel and
provisions were running low.
Crossing the Cumberland gulf in DC.
tober she was hit by another gale, and
her jury rudder was carried away. Cap
tain Bartlett swung, a beam from the
boom to steer by and ran before the
gale four days, finally making the
northern tip of Labrador where coal,
provisions, water and wood were OBJ
tanned. The vessel got to Hebrun, a
Moravian settlement, where enough
supplies were obtained to take her to
Main. There food was obtained. And
SO, getting small supplies of food and
fuel, the vessel finally reached Nova
Scotia.
Again the Roosevelt, with Captain
Bartlett in command, went to Cape
Sheridan In 1906, and Peary and Bart.
lett started for the North Pole. Cap
tain Bartlett was taken to the SSth
parallel, and ordered to remain there
while Peary went on with Matt Hen
sen, Il negro. That was when Peary
discovered the North Pole.
In 1913 Captain Bartlett was captain
Of the Karluk. in which Vilhjalmui
Stefunsson went to the Arctic ocean
through Boring strait. After Stefans-
son was landed the vessel was caught
in the ice AMI carried from Point Bar.
row toward the Siberian shore. On
In nv, VIII hn Il ri 1l- (
about 125 miles off Wrangell island
near which is Herald island. she was
crushed in the ice. Captain Bartlett
had foreseen such q disaster and had
put provisions for two years on the
ice. Eight of his men insisted upon
going in what they thought would be Il
shorter direction to reach land. They
We're lost.
The Rescue From Wran9eIl Island.
Captain Bartlett, with II men OF
the expedition, two Eskimo men, one
Eskimo woman and two children
reached Wrangell island March ID
There he established camp, and then
with an Eskimo boy eighteen years
old, one sledge and seven dogs start
ed over the ice to the Siberian coast
more than one hundred miles away
He Travelled over broken ice, ferried
open lanes on pieces of ice and reached
the coast in the first week in April
He followed the coast for thousand
miles, and finally received assistance
from Baron Kleist at Emma harhor
The baron sent him to st. Michaels
Alaska, where he found the United
States revenue cutter, Bear, and went
north in her to Wrangell island for
his men,. He found them all safe, and
they were brought back to the United
States.
That was Captain Bartlett's last trip
to the arctic regions. Now he wants
to 60 back again and see little more
excitement. The life here pals upon
him. He became so Disguised in Oc
tober, 1915, with inaction that he went
to work as steve1Ore at Pier No. Z
Hudson river. He did not have tC
make living that way, but he liked
active work.
DR.. r. A. Harris of the United States
coast and geodetic survey, Washing
ton, Is enthusiastic over Captain Bart.
lett's proposed expedition, and has sug.
gested that the following subjects will
indicate the nature Of the work Of such
a project:
The distribution of land and water
including the extent and character OF
land yet uDdiscovered; depths Pr
spundings OF the waters; tidal observa.
tons; currents and ice drifting; ice
conditions; temperature, salinity and
chemical composition of water ut vari.
Gus depths; character of the sea bot
tom; marine life in the Arctic ocean
other arctic, life; geology of arctic
land; arctic meteorology, temperature
atmospheric pressure, Winds, precipita'
ton, ETC.. magnetic observations; pen
dulum observations feasibility Of the
Northwest passage; feasibility Of 9th
er possible routes.
Scientific Value Of Trip.
From these items" says Doctor
Harris, lit is evident that certain
physical sciences must remain incom
plete until observations have been
made in the regions now designated as
unexplored, viz: meteorology, ocean
circulation, the tides, terrestrial mag
netism and geodesy.
1.-THE probable value Of drifting
in arctic ice depends upon the length
of time for which the protector of the
expedition has made provision. A long
period of drifting generally means long
distances covered and SO unknown wa
tiers traversed, new positions attained
and greater likelihood Of making geo
graphical discoveries. For instance
the drifting of the Jeanette proved
that very shallow. water, less than 1Ot
fathoms in depth, extends 300 geo
graphical miles northward from the
coast of eastern Siberia, while the
drifting Of the Fran upset the pre-
viously entertained notions by proving
that ocean depths occurred in high
ATTITUDES where the waters were sup
posed to be comparatively shallow"
Some idea of the estimation in which
Captain Bartlett is held by geograpll
ers may be obtained from the fact
that he has received medals from geo
graphic societies in America, England
and Italy. But he is too modest tc
talk about such things. He cares moth
ing about past performances now. All
he wants is chance to get far into
the Arctic circle again and live the life
he knows so well and enjoys SO thor