Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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lhe Conquest + By Dr. FREDERICK A. COOK Copyright. 1909. by the NowYrk +Herald Company, Registered In 4L Canada In Accordance With Copy 0 'right Act. Copyright In Mex. ico Under Laws of the Repuhlic + of Mexico. All Rights Reserved S TORMS now came up with such force and frequency that it was not safe to vgnture out in kay aks. A few walruses were cap tured from boats: then sea hunting was ronfined to the quest of seal throug-h the young ice. A similar qnest was being followed at every village from Annootok to Cape York. But ali sea activity would) . .....'..~. .......... .~-*~*~*\ . ............ ...A %....%.. SCEN~E AT THE NORTH POLE, now soon be limited to a few~ opea s,paces near prominent headlands. The scene of the real hunt changed: from the sea to the land. We had as yet no caribou meat. The little auks gathered in nets during the summer and eider duck bagged later disap peared fast when used as steady diet. We must procure hare, ptarmigan and! reindeer, for we had not yet learned to eat with ai relish the fishy. liver-like subs'tance which is characteristic of all marine mammals.. Guns and ammunition were distrib uted, and when the winds were easy1 enough to allow one to venture out every man sought the neighboring hills. Francke also took his exercise with a gun on his shoulder. The combined results gave a long! line of ptarmigan. two reindeer and sixteen hares. As snow covered th upper slopes the game was forced dlown near the sea, where we. could still hope to hunt in the -feeble light of the early part of the night. - No Anxiety For Winter. With .a larder fAirly stocked .and gobd prospects for other tasty meats we were spared the usual anxidty of~ a winter without winter supplies, and Francke was just the man to use this game to good effect, for he- had a way of preparing- our primitive pro visions that - made our dinners seem equal to a Holland House spread. In the middle of October foxskinis were prime, and then new steel traps -were distributed and set near the manpy caches. By this time the Eski -mos had all abandoned their sealskini tents and were snugly settled in their winter .igloos. The ground was coy 'ered with snow, and the sea was near ly frozen over everywhere. Everybody was busy preparing for the-coming cold and night. The temn perature was about 20 degrees below zero. Sev-ere storms were becoming less frequent, and the air, though colder, was less humid and less disa greeable. An ice fort was formed. and the winter sledging was begun by' short excursions to bait the fox traps and gather the foxes. All these purstiits, with the work of building and repairing sleds, making dog harness and shaping new winter clothing. kept up a lively interest while the great crust which was to hold down the unruly deep for so many months thickened and closed. Last Glimpse of the Dying Day. During the last days of brief sun shine the weather cleared, and at uioor on Oct. 24 everybody sought the freedom of the open for a last glimpse of the dying day. There wa a charm of color and glitter, but no one seem ed quite happy as the sun sank under the southern ice, for it ws.3 not to rise again for 118 days. The Eskimos took this as a signal to enter a trance of sadness, in which the bereavement of each family and the discomforts of the year are enact ed in dramatic chants or dances. But to us the sunset of 1907 was in spiration for the final work in direct ing the shaping of the outfit with which to begin the conquest of the pole at sunrise of 1908. Most expedi tions have had the advantage or the liberal hand of a goernmnent or of :un ample privaIte fund. We were denied both favors. But we were not incumbered v-ith a caro of misfits devised b.y bome o. t!he_Pole I 0 Wading Sun Warns. Ex- I + plorer of Coming Long + + Arctic Winter-Prepar- 9 + ing Sled and Boat > [FOURTH ARTICLE] *+.+e++++e+4+e4e+++4 dreamers, nor was the project bandi capped by the usual army of novices, for white men at best must be regard ed as amateurs compared with the ex pert efficiency of the Eskimo in his own environment. Our food suoiy contained only the prime factors ef primitive nourishment. Special foods and laboratory concoctions did not till an important space in our larder. ? T RAP ED B . COK .............. * ...'... .. X N .M. X. . . . . ~~~ ...... N~L4 '? S R ?IIOTOGRAPIIED B~Y DR. COOK Nor had we balloons, - automobiles. motor sleds cr other freak devices. We did, however, have an abundance of 'the best hickory, suitable metal and all the raw material for the sled and its accessories, which were henceforthi to be linked with our destiny. The sled was evolved as the result of careful study of local environmenti and of the anticipated ice s1rfa:-e northward. We did not copy the Mc-. Cintock sled, with its wide runners. which has been used by most expkr ers for frfty ye:1rs. Nor did we aba:i d'n the e!03 fnsbi: 'd ireon shoes for Germ:in Si!ver' strips. W>:-t P::r SI:d Should Ge. Ti:.' cong.i ions which a polar S.led !mUi T2'-t ;nre too complex to outline Iea. !n a broead sense it .soemed that he ! --t mii of the, best wood Sea sied couki .be combined with the k :at timless of the Eskimo craft. wh; au: lti-kury liber and sealski 1 .::.: :.i i:mine el.s. j- joinlts. Withtj pe: ;f e ativn iagenluity to foresee POLAR BEAR AND ESKIMO0(O snd provide for the strain of adaptabil ty and endurance, the possibilities of ur sled factory were very good. For dog harness the Eskimo pattern was adopted, but canine economy Is mch that when rations are reduced to . vorkabe limits the leather strips dis ppear as food. To overcome this dis-! tster the shoulder straps were made f folds of strong canvas, while the :races were cut from cotton log line. A boat is an important adjunct to very sledge expeditio . w bich hopes :o venture far from its base of opler ition. It is a matter of necessity eveni ruen following the new coast hune, as .s shown by the mishnp of Mylius Erickson. for if he badl hadl a boat lhe voul himself have r ('turne)4d to' te&H several months for a chance use in thw last stages of the return: but. since food supplies dre necessarily limited. delay is fatal. Therefore when open water prevents progress a boat be corws in the nature of a life pre server. Foolish indeed Is the explorer who Ignores this detail of the problem. Transport of a boat, however. offers many serious obiections. Narsen in troduced the kayak, and most explor ers since have adopted the same de vice. The Eskimo canoe serves the purpose very well, but to carry It for three months without hopeless destruc tion requires an amount of energy which stamps the polar ventre with failure. Selecting a Boat. Sectional boats, aluminium boats. skin floats and other devices have been tried, but to all there is the same fatal objection of impossible transportation. It seems rather odd that the ordinary folding canvas boat has not been press ed into this service. We found It to fit the situation ex-. actly, selecting a twelve foot Eureka shaped boat with wooden frame. The slats, spreaders and floor pieces were utilized as parts of sleds. The can vas cover served as a floor cloth for our sleeping bags. Thus the boat did useful service -or a hundred days and was never in evidence as a cumber some device. When at last the craft was spread and covered, in it we carried the sled. in it we camped. in it we sought game. the meat of which took the place of exhausted supplies. Without it we. too, would not have returned. Preparation of the staple food sup ply is of even.greater importance than means -of locomotion. To the c'ceess of a prolonged arctic enterprise in transit successive experience is bound to dictate a wise choice.of equipment. but it does not often educate the stomach. From the published accounts of are tic travelers it is impossible to select a satisfactory menu for future explor ers, and I hasten to add that perhaps our experience will be equally unsatis factory to subsequent victims. Nor is it safe to listen to scientific advice, for the stomach is the one or gan of the body which stands as the autocrat over every other human sense and passion and will not easily yield to foreign dictates. The problem differs with every man. It differ.; with every expedition, and it is radically different with every na tion. Thus when De -Gerlache forced Norwegian food into French stonmachs he learned that there was a nationality in gastronomics. Depending on Eskimo Food. In this respect, as in others, I was helped very much by the people who were to line up my, forces. The Eski mo is ever hungry, but his taste is normal. Things of. doubtful value ini nutrition form no part in his dietary. Animal food, meat and fat, is entirely satisfactory as a steady diet without other adjuncts. His food -requires nei ther salt nor sugar, nor is ooiga matter of necessity. Quantity is important. but quality applies only to the relative proportionI of fat. With this key to the gastro-1 nomics of our lockers, pemmican was selected as the staple food, which also served equally well for the dogs. We had an ample supply of pem mican, made by Armo"r, of pounded dried beef, sprinkled with a few raisins, some currants and a small quantity of sugar. This mixture was ON THE JOHN R. BRADLEY, emented together with heated beef allow and run into tin cans containing six pounds each. This combination was invented by n American Indian. It has been used :efore as part of the long list of food stuffs in arctic products, but with us t was the whole bill of fare when away from game haunts. Only a few palate surprises were carried, and these will be indicated i the narrative of camp life.' The entire winter and night were spent with busy hands, under direction of Eskimo and Caucasian ingenuity. in working out the clothing and camp comforts with ut which we could not invade the for bidden mystery of the polar basi. Although we did not follow closely either the routes or methods of our >redecessors, we are nevertheless dou :ly indebted to them, for their experi nces. including their failures, were 01W stt~pfling stones to success. lhe (onquest 0 + By Dr. FREDERICK A. COOK + Copyright. 1909, by the New York + Hferald Company. Regi.-red In 0 Canada In Accordance With Copy. 0 right Act. Copyright In Mex. ico Under Laws of the Republic +. of Mexico. All Rights Reserved 0 ALLY in January of 190S the campaign opened. A few sleds were sent to the American shores to explore a route and to advance supplies. Clouds and storms made the moon light days dark. and therefore these advance expeditious were only partly successful. On Feb. 19. 1908. the main expedi tion started for the Oole. Eleven men. driving 103 dogs and moving 11 hear ily loaded sleds. left the Greenland shore and pushed westward over the troublesome ice of Smith sounv' to Cape Sabine. The gle-m of the long winter night was but little relieved by a few hours of daylight. and the temperature was very low. Eighty-three Degrees Below. Passing through a valley between Ellesmere Land and Grinnell Land from the head of Flagler bay. in cross ing to the Pacific slopes. the tempera ture fell to 83 degrees F. below zero. In Baj fiord many musk oxei were secured. and. though the winter frost .............. . .. .... ESKINO BELLES 0.L 2 was at its lowest, there was little wind, and with an abundance of fresh meat and also fat for fuel the life in the snow house proved fairly comfortable. The ice in Eureka and Nansen sounds proved fairly smooth. and long marches were made. With an abun dance of game-musk oxen, bears and bares-we found it quite unnecessary to use the supplies taken from Green land. Caches of food and ammunition were left along Heiberg island for the return. Wilting Savage Hands. Thus we managed to keep in game trails and in excellent fighting trim to the end of known lands. Camping in the chill of the frowning cliffs of the nort-ernmost coast (Svartevogi. we looked out over the heavy ice of the polar seas through eyes which had been hardened to the worst of polar environments. There was at hand an abundance of supplies, with willing- savage bands and a superabundance of brute force in overted pelts, b>ut for a greater cer tainty of aetiVn over the unknown re gions beyonid I resolved to reduce the force to the smallest numbers con sistent with the execution of the prob lem in hanud. We had traveled nearly 400) miles in twenty-eight das There remained a line of 320 miles of unknowable tron ble to b)e overcome before our goal could be reachedl. F-or this final task we were provided wit Ii every conceiv able device to ease t is hard lot; but. in additioni to a rdu-ed party. I now definitely rs'solved toi simplify the en tire equipment. At svartevog a big cache was made. In this caene fr-esh meat. todnu, pemmic-an and much oth er food. together- with all discarded articles of equipment. were left. In the northward adv-ance every: factor of the dog train ,had been care fully watched atid studied to provide a perfect working force for the final ralc-h ov-er the polar sea. Etukishnk and Ahwebib. two young Eskimios, each t wenty years old.-had been chosen as best fitted to be' my sole c*omlpan ions in the long run of destiny. Twen ty-si.x dogs were pic-ked, and upon two sleds were loaded all our needs for a stay of eighty days. All For Progress To have increased this p.s.ty would not have enabled us to carry suplies for a greater imnber' of. hiys. T1he sles imight have beeun !ond~e.! moore heavily. but this wouhil! retluce the im portant progress of thei tirst diay. WVith the chiaracter oIf ice which we~ ad before us advan rce stationts were imp iossible. A Ia r.e expIed it ion and a beavy equlItCi ien tIen i:.prudtenit. We mut wi 'or !Pse in a pr'olotiged aer a high nesure. nn therefore 0 of the Pole e I Eighty-Three Degrees Be lo + + low-Willing Savage Hands. + Marching Over the Polar * 00 + Seas > . > + [ IFIFTH ARTICLE] + absolute control and ease of adapta bility to a changing environment must be assured. It is impossible to adequately con trol the complex human temperament of unknown men in the polar wilder ness. but the two Eskimo boys could be trusted. to follow to the limit of my own endeavors, and our sleds were burdened only with absolute necessi ties. Cutting Down Weight. Because of the importance of a light and efficient equipment much care was taken to eliminate every ounce of weight. The sleds were made of hick ory. the lightest wood consistent with great endurance. but every needless fiber was gouged out. The iron shoes were ground thin, and in every way the weight of nearly everything was re duced even after leaving headquar ters. The little train. therefore, which fol lowed me into the farther mystery was composed of two sleds, each carrying 600 pounds. drawn by 13 dogs, under the lash of an expert X.4 ............. PE JOV , JRADLEY. driver. The -combined freight was as follows: Pemmican. 805 pounds; musk ox tenderloin, 50 pounds; todnu. 25 pounds; tea. 2 pounds; coffee, 1 pound: sugar, 25 pounds; condensed milk. 4) pounds; milk biscuits. 60 pounds; pea soup. powdered and compressed. 10 pounds; surprises. 5 pounds; pet ro leum. 40 pounds; wood alcohol. 2 pounds; candles. 3 pounds; matches, 1 pound. . The 'Camp Equipment. The camp equipment included the following articles: One blow tire lamp (Jeuelh, 3 aluminium pails. 3 alumini um cups. 3 aluminium teaspoons, 1 ta blespoon. 3 tin plates, 6 pocketknives, 2' butcher knives (10) inches), 1 saw knife (13 inches., ~I long knife (15 inch es), I rifle (Sharpe>. 1 ritle (Winchester, 22). 110 cartridges. I hatchet, 1 Alpine ax. extra line and lashings. 3 personal bags. The sled equipment was 2 sleds weighing 52 pounds each. 12 foot fold ing canvas boat, 34 pounds; 1 silk tent. 2 canvas sled covers. 2 sleeping bags (reindeer skinm, floor furs, extrav wood for sled repairs, screws, nails and rir ets. The instruments were as follows: Three compasses, I sextant. 1 artificial horizon (glass,, I pedometer, 3 pocket chronometers. I watch, charts, map making material and instruments. 3 thermometers. I aneroid barometer. 1 eamera and films. notebooks and pen cils. The personal bags contained four ex tra pairs of kamiiks, with fur stockings. a woolen shirt, three pairs of sealskin mittens. two pairs 9f fur mittens. a piece of blanket, a dealskin coat (net shai. a repair kit for mending clothing and dog har'mess, tra fox tails. On. the march we w.ore snow goggles, blue fox coats (kapitahs), bird.skin shirts, woolen dra wers. bearskin pants. kamiks and bareskin stockings. We' fastened a baind of fox tails under the kr.ee and about the waist. Helping the Advance. On the morning of March 18 prepara tions were made to divide the party. The advance must be helped over the rough ice of the pack- edge, and for this purpose Koolootingwah and Inu gito were selected. The other six Es kimos prepared to return. One sled was left with the cnche to insure a good vehicle for our return in case the two sleds were badly broken en route. A half gale was blowing into Nan sen sound from the northwest, but this did not interfere with the starting of those homne going Eskimos. With abuldant game for the return they re quired little bitt ammunition to sup ply tbeir wants. WVhen the word was given to start. the dogs were gnthered and the sleds were spanned with a jump. Soon they disappeared in the rush of driving snow. The crack of the whips and the rebound of cheering voices were the last which we heard of the faithful savage supporters. They had followed not for pay, but for a real desire to be helpful, from the dark days of the ending of night to the bright nights of the coming double days, and their parting enforced a pang of loneliness. Another Sleep Before the Start. With a snow charged blast in our faces it was quite Impossible for us to start. so we withdrew to the snow Igloo. entered our bags and slept a few hours longer. At noon the horizon cleared. The wind veered to the south west and came with an endurable force. The dogs had been doubly fed the night before. They were not to be fed again for two days. The 1,200 pounds of freight were packed on our sleds, and quickly we slipped around deep grooves in the great poliocrystic floes. The snow had been swept from the ice by the force of the, preceding storms, and the speed attained by the dogs through even rough ice was such that it was difficult to keep far enough ahead to get a good course. The evasses and pressure lines gave little trouble at first. but the hard ir regularity of the bared ice offered a dangerous surface for the life of our sleds. passing through blue gorges among miniature mountains of sea ice. On a course slightly west of north we soon sank the bold headlznd which raises the northern point of Heiberg island. Camp Is Pitched. After'a run of twenty-six miles we pitched camp on a floe berg of unusual height. There were many big hum mocks about, to the lee of which were great banks of hardened snow. Away from land it is always more difficult to find snow suitable for cutting build ing blocks, but here was an abundance conveniently placed. In the course of an hour a comfortable palace of crys tal was erected, and into it we crept out of the Diercing wind. The first day's march over the circumpolar sea was closed with a good record.. The dogs curled up aad went to sleep without a call, as if tbey knew there would be no food until the morrow. My wild' companions covered their faces with their convenient long hair and sank. quietly into a comfortable slumber. but for me sleep was qiite impossible. Letters must .be written. The whole problem of our campaign must be again carefully studied and final plans must be made not only- to reach our ultimate destination, but for the returning parties and for the secu rity of the things at Annootok. Impossible to Foretell Return. * It was diffcult at this time to even guess at the probable line of our re turn to land. Much depended upon conditions encountered in the nor ward route. Thpugh we had- left aches of supplied. with the object of returning along Nansen sound into Cannon fiord and over. Arthur Land. I entertained grave doubts of our abil ity to return this way. If the ice drifted strongly to the east we might not be given the choice of working out our own return. In that event we would be carried perhaps helplessly to Greenland and must seek a return , either along the east coast or the west coast This drift did not offer a dangerous hardship. for the musk dxen wrould keep us alive to the 'west. nd to the east it seemed .possible to reach Shan non island, where the Baldwin-Ziegler expedition had abandoned a large ache of supplies. It appeared not im probable also that a large land exten sion might offer a safe return much: farther west. Franeke's. Instructions. Because of this uncertainty Francke was instructed to wait until June 5. 1908, and If we' did not return he was told to place Koolootingwah in charge' and go home either by the whalers or by the Danish ships to the south. No relief which he could offer would help us, and to wait for an indefinite time alone would have inflicted a need less hardship. ThIs and many other instructions were prepared for Koo lootingwah and Inugito to rake back. In the morning the frost in crystals ad been swept fro.m the air. but there remained a humid ebill which pierced to the bones. .Thie temperature was minus 56 F. A light air came from the west, and the sun burned in a. freezing blue. After a few hours' march the ice hanged in chlarae'ter. The extensive9 thick fields gave place to moderate ized floes. The floes were separated by zones of trouh!esome crushed ice hrown into high pres.sure lines. -which o&ered serious barriers. but with the Ice ax.and Eskimo ingenuity we man ged to make fair progress., The second run on the polar sea was with twenty-one miles to our credit. [ had expected to send .the supporting arty back from here. but progress* had not been as good as expected. We ' ould hardly spare the food to feed their dogs. so they volunteered to push along another day without dog food. Return of the Help rs. On the next day, with Increasing dif ficulties in some troublesome ice, we amped after makIng . only sixteen : miles. Here a small snow house was built, and from here, after disposing of t pot of steaming musk of loins and broth. followed by a double: brew of tea, our last helpers returned. With empty sleds and hungry dogs hey hoped to reach land in one long day's tr-avel. But this would make the fourth day without food for their dogs. and in case of storm or moving ice other days of famine might easily fall o their lot. They had, however, an bundance of dogs and might sacrifice few for the benefit of the others, e's we must often do.