The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-06-01
CAPT. bob FAILS TO
GET PROMISED CASH
Bartlett Prepared for Arctic
Trip When Aero Club
Pledged Help.
POLE FLIGHT PLANNED
All in Readiness Except the
Money, Of Which There
Is No Sign.

Capt. Bob Bartlett. commander OF the
Roosevelt on Admiral Peary's success
fui polar dash, is still as eager as ever
to ny over tho North Pole. He is not.
however, quite so hopeful ABOUT doing
Il this year.
The Aero Club OF America announced
in all the papers last December that II
had decided on a very complete aerial
exploration OF the unknown regions OF
tho North by airplanes. The details as
given out by Henry Woodhouse, gov
ernor OF the club. included investigation
o. air. land, water and land beneath
the waters. Capt. Bartlett was told to
20 ahead with his preparations. for the
expedition would be OF from New York
early in June.
Captain Bob was mighty happy about
being placed in charge OF such an expe-
dition. Captain Bob himself, II must be
admitted, doesn't like New York a bit
1t is too COMPOUNDED warm for him even
IN winter, the air doesn't taste right
and the city cramps him. All he wanted
was to get up north. anywhere north of
30 degrees was good enough for him.
There he could do some real work in
the world. work for which he knew him.
self particularly suited. He could
search for land in the polar basin where
he IS sure that land must be. He could
sound the unknown depth Of the polar
sea and learn what sort Of fora and
fauna and minerals were there. He
could study ocean and air currents He
knew that such details were greatly
needed by the scientists of the whole
world who had not been brought up in
the ways OF the north and would die
II they went after them themselves
Capt. bob Well Pleased,
But the thipg that tickled Captain Bob
most OF all was that he had absolutely
nothing to do with financial matters.
Captain Bob doesn't know or care any
thing about money. He has never made
or tried to mako any money out of his
Arctic wandering. 1t was n decided
nuisance. however, in Captain Bob's opin-
ion, that lack OF money should stand in
mans way when he wanted to go up
north and investigate conditions for the
advancement of knowledge throughout
the civilized world. 1t was big relief
when the Aero Club people told him
that they would see that some ono SUD-
Piled all the money, some scientific or
geographical society possibly, aiding
wealthy members Of the club in the
undertaking. The actual exploration
work. with death by freezing, starvation
or other calamity near, was the part
OF the expedition Captain Bob was
undertaking.
Captain Bob went ahead and made his
plans. He picked out with great care
ten men. mostly young, whom he knew,
TO be his companions in the expedition,
he spent a good many hours Sizing I'D
tnese young men, some of whom had
no"n seapianes for the navy in Euro
pean waters. You have to be mighty
careful about whom you take with you
north Of the Arctic Circle where every
mans life depends upon the strength
ana courage OF each man. But Captain
BOD had seen how men turned out in
ptnches hundreds Of miles from ciyiliza-
tion In a wilderness of ice and snow.
And he had ten good men ready to start.
Captain Bob also had every little de-
tail OF the ship he needed decided upon
her great dredge. the scientific instru-
ments for her laboratory, the kind of
seaplanes needed for the polar dash after
the ship had reached Cape Columbia,
and all the innumerable details which
only he could understand. And then,
as winter turned to spring and spring
brought perspiration to the brow of
Captain Bob. nothing happened.
skipper Waits I'm Vain.
No ship was chartered for the start
and nothing else much was done. Cap
tain Bob, who had forgotten all about
financial details. was suddenly reminded
OF the dominance of money over the at
fairs of men, even of Arctic explorers.
Nobody. he learned, had come forward
with money to finance the trip
I'VE may be able to do 1t yet" he
said yesterday at the Aero Club when
asked about the status Of preparations.
There's still little time left We could
start any time up to the middle of June
and get up there in time to start the
work during the summer months"
There was still hope In Captain BoD's
voice. but there was a lot Of discour-
agement also, and II Is not often that
encouragement creeps into Captain
Bob Bartletts voice II didn't on tina,
last dash to the Pole. But although he
didn't say SO 1t was easy to see--for
Captain Bob Bartlett must be a vsly
bad poker player-that Captain Bob was
wondering where all those geographical
and scientific societies and wealthy men
were that Mr.. Woodhouse and the other
men Of the Aero Club had promised
would support the expedition. But Cap