The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-08-27
CROCKERLAND
Continued from First Pnge.)

CONTINUED from First Pnge.)
said. provisions were plentiful, and
there was plenty Of game and eggs
to be secured. but l am glad Bartlett
lin command OF the relief expedition)
came along. We were getting pretty
low and might not have lasted another
winter"
No Crocker Land.
Touching on crocker Land. Macmillan
said.
"Peary was deceived by mirage due
10 layers Of air OF different densitles
suspended close to the tee. Peary sight
ed this supposed land from cliff 400
feet high. We. mounted the same cliff
and for four days were deceived. Finally
when the sun shifted, 1t was no longer
there. 1t was but a mirage. but so clear
that you could see green hills covered
with vegetation rising high above the
water. 1t was supposed to be 12o miles
northwest from Cape Thomas Hubbard.
but he sailed ISL miles northwest. pass
ing over the supposed Crocker Land.
ut was @ wonderful image. It de-
ceived the whole party and Small (Jona-
than c. Small, mechanic and general
aidc) insisted for a long time that
Crocker Land was somewhere near but
finally We had to admit that Peary was
mistaken Don't think. however. that
Peary was fading. 1t would deceive any
man. no matter who he was
Endured Hardxh1ps.
."rhe expedition was carried through
without the loss Of q man, and notwith-
standing disaster at the very start The
explorers left North Sidney in July.
1918. on the steamer Diana, but were
wrecked on Borges Point on the Labador
coast. Nothing daunted. tho explorers
returned TO St Johns, Newfoundland. and
were transferred to the steamer Entc
which landed tho party at their base.
Etah. August 20.
I'VE had some hardships. Of course.
due to the cold. but we had no sickness
whatever" said Macmillan. THE only
thing that saved us from scurvF was our
fresh meat supply. The men always
rot fresh meat until near the last when
Small and I lived on dog biscuits and
duck eggs.
ct tell you, Bartlett was welcomed by
ma. When Bob arrived. Small and were
the only two members Of the expedition
at Etah. We were living with Eskimos
and had planned to stay all winter with
them. but a taste Of real bread was GER
tainly welcome after eating dog biscuits
for two or three months.
HAD war Arguments.
.sEskirnos had brought US WORD that
the war was on but we knew practically
notb,np about II until Bartlett arrived
With papers and put an end to the argu-
ments Small and I had been having on
whether the Germans had reached
Paris
The relief of MacMillen and Small by
r.n+o,n Robert Bartlett IN the etaunch
sailing steamer Neptune enhances tns
ventilation Bartlett. has earned as one OIL
The toremast Arctic naviGators.
CAPTAIN Bartlett left St Johns n F.
fonr DAYS after DR.. Edmund o. HaveF.
-, Tho American Museum Of Natural
LJ,story had started In the steamer Dan-
nark from Disco Island. off tho soulH-
crIy coast Of Greenland. on an unSuC-
ccssful attempt TO relieve tne Mect"ii.a'
cpedition, for which considcraote aiN
icty Ind been felt. the Daii'''0' ''
fast In the ice. however
Captain Bart1tt Talks.
.1po,n1s. said II would meet the rate
-, mo Danmark." Captain Bartlett
p,-+iett stated tonight but I had TOO
-onch reltance on he Neptune. the queen
- the sailing fleet. to believe them. AZ
tho aame time. in all my trips win
paav have never seen such ice'
d,d not spare the ship. however we
s,,osted through the heavy Ice OF Mel
I'm. Rav and passed the Danmark stuck
cost in an ice field in North Satr pay
Aa Disco we. made three hour stop
and affected some repairs FlnalIy W."
reached Etah after hard passage got
Macmillan and his party and. after stay
inc four days, started back The ice
wes as bad as ever and We were forced
N turn back several times.
"Fventually we had to go around Will
son sound to Herbert island and Work
down, the coast slowly down Parry
sound across Melville bay to Devils
thumb. We did mt sec the Danmark on
the return and got into Disco on AL
rust IT. Just escaping terrific hurri-
cans. Tho rest OF the trip until we
dropped here this morning was un-
evcntful. The trip up took US % days
and the home voyage four days less.
Neptune Hears Scar1.
TIM Neptune bears out Captain Bart
1ett's story Of unprecedented Ice con-
ditions. Her bows are sr"v" In. her
stem Is split and sho is leaking badly.
she has a cargo Of skins scientific spec
tnens, and tho usual amount OF baggage
accumulated by an exploring party that
has been working tndustriously for four
years.
When Macmillan greeted newspaper
man on her decks no was clad IN rough
clothes adm wore the shoes used IN
packing" over the fec, flannel shirt and
sonl cap He looked the picture Of
health.
Captain Rartletts relief expedition
was the third one sent out. nr. Gren-
fclls' Labrador Missionary schooner tho
George B. Cluett, was fitte din July
ls, 1915, TO 70 to Eta. The ship wns
built especially for rough work In the
Ice, but was unable to get through tho
heavy flocs. Then DIR. Horey filled
out tho Denmark which met with no bet
ter success.