Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-29
Y CAPT. EuNAR-PAAL LuNDBoRG

faiiS OF tne fcsCHHs
BY CAPT. EINAR-PAAL LUNDRoRG,
Royal swedish Flyias Corps -.
Special Cable DtSpatcn 20 Inc StaI snu t"e
! {t>nnyricht. 1918 hv North American News.
| paper Alliance throushout the world. except
copsTteht IN Scandinavia and Finland ey
stockholm Tidn 1is, tT n pe" rsssryed
STOCKHOLM. Sweden, July 2s-~on
the morning of June 80 the persistent
fog which had discouraged and de-
pressed us, became much lighter.
| Viglieri was able to take our position
with his sextent chronmeter.
/ We then learned that during the
six days Of dense fog and moderate
wind we had drifted about half de-
gree in a South-southeasterly direction.
When ii became still clearer We saw
| in the distance. below low clouds, a
| big island. We also caught glimpse
| of the islands of the northwestern
stony lowlands.
| Gen. Mobile informed lis by wireless
| that two italian planes and one large
/ Swedish plane would come to us with
| so many good things that we would
/ be sorry to leave our ice foe. We
/ cheered Biagi Ee sat for hours. by
! his radio. as the planes we're to be
| directed BIZ our tranSmitter.
The fog began to grow dense again,
| however. and there came new mes
sage from Mobile telling us that al
| though all three machines had been
UP, they had had to turn back at
Cape Leighsmith owing to the fog.
Depression descended once more upon
us. We had really become spoiled, and
bitter words were said of the airmen's
(
The whole management of the relief
expedition was severely criticized
I now began to fear the worst. A
great number of canals were forming
on the south side of the foe. while
towering pack ice began to tumble.
This increased the water hazards from
the foe. / saw land and wanted TO
20 to It, This was desire which
seemed impossible to conquer. real
tied the danger. but only when my
common sense was speaking felt
drawn irresistibly toward land. Per-
faps this condition might be called
mack ice sickness. I can find no bet
Ter word for this terrible feeling. The
missing Maimgren.i who later was to
die. had been as much drawn to Foyn
Island as I now was to the big island
] could see.
Mobile Rejects Plan.
wlrelessed Gen. Mobile describing
the situation and asking whether We
should not start toward land--at least,
all OF us who desired to do so. added
that there we're three of us who would
ike to make the attempt, but I men,
toned no names.
NV first proposal was that the Swed
ish Kansas should drop provisions and
tools at the first opportunity at stated
place on the big island, so that II We
started to march there we need carry
only small burdens We should thus
be able 10 find shelter on the island,
with firm ground undcrfoot. This was
the main thing until the Russian ice
breaker Krassin could pick Us up, or
until a hydroplane was able 70 land In
the opening in the ice near us.
Mobile quickly replied, rejecting my
proposal in decided terms. We remain
ed where we were, and my two proposed
companions may aScribe our rescue to
this. I was feeling well and strong
NY sports training in Sweden probably
equipped me better than my companions
for the march had proposed. But the
always incalculable drift of the ice,
together with the fact that the Ice was
now beginning TO break up, would GER
tatniy have prevented us from ever
reaching land
We now put thought of walking to
land completely out OF mind. The
southeast wind gave us hope that 1t
would carry us closer 10 land and to
the Krassin, which. after all, seemed
our one big chance. The condition OF
the Ice foe, now q foot deep in water
led me TO advise the Finnish Junker
machine against attempting to land on
the foe. I wouldn't for anything in
the world have taken step that might
have brought Us another comrade In
misfortune,
Take the Sun.
With the southeast wind we had ex-
pected the weather to clear. We were
disappointed. But during the remainder
of nv stay on the Ice the clouds re-
manned sufficiently thin from early
morning until aoon for US take our
/ position.
The procedure for this wax as follows
At 5 In the morning, Greenwich time,
there was a brief conversation In
French among viglieri, Behounek and /.
Can the sun be seem"
Yes, family. at intervals"
will YOU. Prof Behounek kindly as
Yes, captain"
very well, then I will go out"
| I'm ready"
Il, too"
Thirty degrees. fourteen minutes.
/ twenty-five minutes, fourteen and one
| fifth seconds"
How many have we now?"
six. Finished"
| Yes. captain"
| A little later on Vigiiert would come
| In after the instruments out there had
been carefully covered, and from q
| torn forlder take out l0garithns and
other tables. w1ereupon he started call
cuiating. That would be about 10
O'Clock / may say here that we were
/ one hour and 81 minutes ahead of
Greenwich mean time. which was care
/ fully taken down at 3 O'Clock every
evening. Al noon we took sight OF
! the sun 10 fix our position, which we
marked carefully on Vigiieri's chart.
! All day long we held monotonoug
| discussions In which various POSSIBLE
| tiles we're considered. About noon on
| the 30th news reached us from Chef
| Capt Tornberg that Swedish sports
| plane was on the way to us Vigiiefi
| and | discussed the landing Of this
machine and decided that light plane
like sports model might come down
without risk. Our spirits rose In con-
sequence only IN be cast down again
/ some hours later when really bad
| weather set in with snow, tfaW and
| sluEh
| No Place 10 Land.
| Deep gloom prevailed among us ail.
| | felt positively suicidal when on the
night between June 80 and July /, as !
Aas walking alone across the foe. |
T! found that in the present state Of the
| Ice no landing could bs thought Of Al
| certain places there WAS more than
| half meter Of water below very thin
| Ice. IL was only by concentrating my
| thoughts on my wife at home that
Wae able to refrain from ending my
life.