Evening star., 1922-09-10

safely negotiated the narrow pas
sage. passed Mouse and Burnt and
the we'll known Squirrel. shot across
for the passage between Fisherman's
island and Linekin neck and within
three hours were tied up at the boat
yard at East Boothbay. After COM
pleting our furnishing for the trip
William Hodgdon Of the shipbuild-
ing company expressed desire to go
with US as far as Battle Harbor, Lab
rador.
Married Men Handicapped.
As we swung away from the dock
at $50 am. on Monday the Bowdoin
grounded upon bank twenty yards
distant and there she remained till
7:05. The superstitious would have re-
garded this as an i'll omen, but such
incidents or accidents have never had
with me the slightest connection with
good or bad luck. although in this
case ones premonition of attendant
i'll luck might have strengthened, for
l instantly recall to mind the steamer
Fox. commanded by Mr.. McClintock,
bound for the arctic region in search
of Sir John Franklyn. was aground
within a few minutes after leaving
her anchorage at Aberdeen Arriving
In the Arctic, she was imprisoned in
the pack and drifted, held in its grip
for eight months. 1900 miles to the
north.
But we eventually got unueT way.
"As homesickness was expected to
have some relation to the failure of
former expeditions, none but unmar
ried persons were admitted as men,
bers."
The Barentc expedition of 326
years ago was not SO tragic as you
were led to believe. for I infer from
the above policy Of selecting the men
that they were all bachelors. divorced
or widowers. 1t was and still remains
wise plan, for men are apparently
more susceptible today to feeling of
children. than during the adventurous
days of the sixteenth century.
One commander of an arctic expedi-
tion announced that no man with
black eyes would be accepted as a
member of the crew. Why?l To avoid
the possibility of snow binding
them Blue eyes and gray eyes were
considered to be more resisting to
the penetrating rays of bright
spring sun on an arctic snow field.
has deemed it wise to endow her
children of snow and ice-the Eski-
mos-universally with a dark, dark
chocolate colored eye.
Picking the Right Crew.
Considering that many of the expe-
ditions of the last century consisted
of more than 100 men, and that dur
ing the long winter months their life
was mostly below decks. very care
full selection of the personnel was
quite necessary il we would bring
back all the men and have harmony
and happiness among the crew.
Naturally. man should be young
and vigorous and energetic. and
should have love for the out-of-
doors. and unmindful Of wind and
weather. He should have a sound
heart. he should have sound lungs,
for energy and stamina depend so
much upon the reoxygeneration of
the blood and stomach capable of
digesting anything but a mineral
But beyond all other qualifications
comes the great one. a good iispcsi-
ton Around this often centers the
success or failure of the expedition.
for the spirit of one man can worm
eat a strong, carefully built structure.
Apparently popular with their as
sociates, men upon their arrival in
the northland occasionally suffer a
complete transformation in their
mental makeup. This is one of the
inexplicable mysteries of arctic work.
Kane. Hayes. Hall, Greely. Baldwin.
Peary-every American explorer--has
had vast deal more trouble than
can be read between the lines of their
narratives In the arctic we cannot
get away from each other. We must