The Columbian. (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, October 21, 1909, Page 2, Image 2

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    THE COLUMBIAN. BLOOMSBURQ, I'A-
o
HE MUEST
o
o
o
o
o
o
By Or. FREDERICK A. COOK
Copyright, 1909, by the Nw York
o Herald Company, Registered In
Canada In Accordance With Copy
right Act. Copyright In Mex-
ico Under Lowe of the Republic
of Mexico. All Rights Reserved
Joooco$o$ooooooo
THK nl)Hi!rv:illonx of April II g;ive
l.itiunle HS ili'pwH 21 minutes,
longitude 'Xi ih-fjns-s .VJ minutes.
We were but tun milt's lnihi
tllO polt, lUll tlKTC WHS nothing to IV-
llc-ve the nii'iitiil Klniln of the ley
Hjmlr. Tilt1 wind i-uine Willi the sniuc
njiliinic cut from the west. There li,ul
liccii little ilrlfl, but tin- Ice hcfolo in
displayed signs of recent nctlvlty. It
vns more liTcguliir, with nn open crnck
here illnl tliere. lull the sleds glided
with less frlcttidi, and t hi" dreary dogs
maintained it better speed under rising
tails.
With teeth set and newly sharpened
resolutions, wo set out for that last PHI
miles. Some dos had gone Into thi!
stomachs oT their hungry companions.
Put there still remained n sullli'lcnt
pull of well tried lirule force for each
sled, and. though their imlsy vigor had
lieen lost in the long dray;, they still
broke the frigid silence with an occa
sional outburst. A little fresh enlhilsl
nsm from the drivers was quickly fol
lowed by canine activity.
Wp were in pood trim to cover dis
tance economically. The sledges were
llulil; our bodies were thin. All the
muscles had shriveled, but the does
retained much of their strength. Thus
stripped for the last lap. one lioii.on
after another was lifted.
In the forced effort which followed
we were fivipionily overheated. The
temperature was steady at 4 1 decrees
below zero F.. but perspiration came
with ease and a certain amount of
pleasure. Later, however, there fol
lowed a train of suffering for main
days. The delight of the birdskin
shirt was changed for the chill of the
wot blanket.
Fortunately, at this time the sun
was warm enough to dry the furs in
nbotit three days if lashed to the sun
ny side of the sled. In these last days
wo felt more keenly the pangs of per
spiration than In all our earlier ad
ventures. The limber colored goggles wore per
sistently used, mid they afforded n
protection to the eyes which was quite
a revelation, but in spite of every pre
caution our distorted, frozen, burned
nnd withered faces lined n map of th'
hardships on route.
Wo were curious looking savages.
The perpetual glitter Induced n squint
which distorted the face In n reniark
nble manner. The strong light rellect
f;d from tiie crystal surface throw the
muscles about the eye Into n state of
chronic contraction. The pupil was
reduced to a mere pinhole.
There was no end of trouble nt hand
Jn endeavoring to keep the windows
Of the soul open, and all of the effect
was run together In a set expression
of hardship anil wrinkles which should
be called the boreal squint.
This boreal squint Is a part of the
russet bronze physiognomy which falls
to the lot of every arctic explorer. The
early winds, with a piercing tempera
ture, start a flush of scarlet, while
JOHN II. BBAliI.EY, AFTEtt WHOM DtlAV
LEV LAND WAS NAMED.
frequent frostbites leave figure In
black. Later the burning sun browns
the skin; subsequently strong winds
Hop the moisture, harden the skin and
leave open fissures.
The hard work and reduced nourish
ment contract the muscles, dispel the
fat nnd leave the skin to shrivel up In
folds. The Imprint of the goggles, the
net expression of hard lines and the
mental blank of the environment have
removed all spiritual animation. We
have the color and the lines of old
russet apples and would easily puss
for .prehistoric progenitors of man.
In tho enforced effort to spread out
the stiffened lugs over tho last reaches
there was no longer sufficient energy
at camping times to erect a snow shel
ter. Tho Bilk tent wits pressed into
use. Though, the temperature was
vwy low when the sun was high, Its
congenial rays pierced the silk fabric
and rested softly on our brows closed
in heavy slumber. In strong winds it
was still necessary to erect a shelter
tug wall to shield the tent.
feigns of land were still seen every
day, but they were deceptive optical Il
lusions And a mere verdict of fancy.
'
Pole
OF THE
o
Final Dash For the Pole.
The "Big Nail" Reached at t
Lest and "Old Glory" Un- o
. furled Endless Fields of
Purple Snows No North,
t No East, No West -o- -o-
o
It seemed that something must hap
pen, some line must cross our horizon,
to mark the Important area Into which
we wore pressing.
When the sun was low the eye ran
over moving plains in brilliant waves
of color to dancing horizons. The mi
rages turned things topsy turvy. in
verted lands and queer objects ever
rose and fell In shrouds of mystery,
but all of this was duo to the atmos
pheric magic of tho midnight sun.
Willi a lucky series of dally astro
nomical observations our position was
How accurately fixed for each stage of
progress. As we noarod the polo the
Imagination quickened, and a restless,
almost hysteric excitement came over
us. The boys fancied they saw beaver
and seals, and 1 had a new laud under
observation frequently, but with n
change In the direction of light or an
altered trend In our temperament the
horizon cleared and we became eager
only to push farther Into the mystery.
From the eighty-eighth to the eighty
ninth the Ice was In very largo Holds
and the surface was less Irregular, but
In other respects It was about the
same as below the eighty-seventh. Wo
noticed here also an extension of tho
range- of vision. Wo seemed to see
longer distances and the loo along tho
horizon had a loss angular outline.
'I he color of the sky and tho Ice also
changed to deeper purple blues. We
had no way of chocking those Impres
sions by other observations. The ea-
ertiess to tied something unusual may
have tired the imagination, but since
the earth Is llattencd at the polo per
haps a w idened horizon should be de
tected. i S o'clock on the morning of April
lit we camped on a picturesque old
field with convenient hummocks, to
which we could easily ri.-o for the fre
quent outlook which we now inalntalie
ed. The tent was pitched. Tho dogs
were silenced by blocks of pemmiean.
In ns new enthusiasm was aroused by
a liberal pot of pea soup and a few
chips of frozen meat, and then wo
bathed In life giving sunbeams, screen
ed from the piercing air by silk
strands, it was a beautiful day, and
had our sense of appreciation not been
blunted by accumulated fatigue we
would have greatly enjoyed the play
of light and color in the ever changing
scene of sparkle.
The Eskimos wort soon lost in n pro
found sleep, the only comfort In their
hard lives, but I remained awake, as
had boon my habit on succeeding days,
to get nautical observations. The lon
gitude calculations lined us nt 111 de
grees 3 minutes. At noon the sun's al
titude was can-fully set on the sextant,
and the latitude quickly reduced gave
8fl degrees !H minutes t wonty-nlno
miles from the pole.
My heart jumped for Joy. and the un
conscious commotion which I was cre
ating nwakened Ktuklshuk. I told him
that in two average marches we would
reach the "llgl shu" (the big nail).
Ahwclah was awakened with n kick,
and together tliey went out to a hum
mock and through glasses sought for
n mark to locate so Important a place
as the terrestrial axis. If but one
sleep beyond it must be seen.
I tried to explain that the pole w.is
not visible to the eye; that Its position
wns located only by a repeated use of
the various Instruments. This entirely
satisfied their curiosity, and they burst
out "In hurrahs of Joy. For two hours
they chanted and danced the passions
of wild life.
It was the first real sign of pleasure
or rational emotion which they had
shown for several weeks. For some
time I had entertained the fear that
we no longer possessed the strength to
return to land, but the unbridled flow
of vigor dispelled that idea.
More sleep was quite impossible. We
brewed an extra pot of tea, prepared a
favorite broth of pemmiean, dug up a
surprise of fancy biscuits and filled up
on good things to the limit of the al
lowance for our final feast days. The
dogs, which had Joined the chorus of
gladness, were given an extra lump of
pemmiean. A few hours more were
agreeably spent In tho tent, and then
we started with a new spirit for the
uttermost north.
We were excited to a fever heat.
The feet were light on this run. Even
the dogs caught the infectious enthusi
asm nnd rushed along at a pace which
made It difficult for me to keep a suffi
cient advance to set a good course.
The horizon was still searched for
something to mark tho approaching
boreal center, but nothing unusual was
seen. It was the same expanse of
moving seas of Ice on which we had
lived for 500 miles.
But, looking through gladdened eyes,
the scene assumed n new glory. There
were plains of gold fenced In purple
walls, with gilded crests. It was one
of the few days on tho stormy pack
when nil nature smiled with cheering
lights.
As the do advanced nnd the splen
dor of tiumnwr night Was run into the
continued day the beams of gold on
the surface Rnows thickened, whllo tho
shadows of hummocks and ridges
spread a line of violet barriers through
which a way must be sought.
From my position a few hundred
yards ahead if tin- suds I could not
resist the temptation to turn frequently
to see the movement of the dog train
with Its new lire. In this direction
the color scheme wa k eversod. The
ley walls were in gold nnd burning col
ors, while the plains represented every
shade, of purple nnd blue.
Through this sou of color the dogs
enme with a splrUed trend, noses down,
tails tip and shoulders braced to the
straps like chariot horses. The young
Kskimo.-i, chanting songs of love, came
with easy step. The long whip was
swung with a brisk crack, and oil ovim
there rose a cloud of frosted breath.
Camp was pitched early in the morn
ing of April -2(1. The sun was north
cast; the pack glowed In tones of lilac;
the normal .westerly air of shivers
brushed our frosty faces. The surpris
ing burst of enthusiasm had been
nursed to Its limit, and under It n long
march was made over average ice
with the Usual result of overbearing
fatigue. Too tired and sleepy to wait
for a cup of tea, incited snows were
poured down, and the pemmiean was
pounded with the ax to ease the task
of the Jaws. Tho eyes closed before
the meal was finished, and the world
was lost to us for eight hours. Tho
observation gave latitude SO degrees
-Id.." nilmitcs, longitude il degrees W
minutes.
With the boys singing and the dogs
howling wo started on after midnight
on April 21. The dogs looked large
and noble as they came along that
day. while- Ktuklshuk nnd Ahwolah,
mS4
"copy Gtii -?oi aV 'r vo'' --wo -ro."
Aj.1 bight nt:tivs
IHt. COOKS ESKIMOS l'lIOTOIillAl-ll EI BY
II I M AT THE 1-OI.E.
though thin and ragged, had a dignity
as heroes of the greatest human bat
tle which had ever been fought with
remarkable success.
Wo were all lifted to the paradise of
winners as wo stepped over the snows
of a destiny for which wo had risked
life and willingly suffered the tortures
of an Icy hell.
The Ice under us seemed almost sa
cred. When the pedometer registered
fourteen and a half miles we camped
nnd calmly went to sleep, fooling that
wo were turning on the earth's axis.
Tho observations, however, gave Si)
degrees ."! minutes 4." seconds. We
therefore had the pole, or the exact
spot whore it should be. within sight.
We advanced the fifteen seconds,
made supplementary observations,
pitched the tent, built n snow Igloo
nnd prepared to make ourselves com
fortable for a stay long enough for two
rounds of observations.
Our position wns thus doubly assur
ed, and o necessary day of rest was
gained. Etukishuk and Ahwolah en
Joyed the day In quiet repose, but I
slept very little. My goal was reach
ed; the ambition of my life had boon
fulfilled. How could I sleep nwoy
such overwhelming moments of ela
tion? At Inst we had reached the boreal
center. The dream of nations had been
realized. The race of centuries was
ours. The flag was pinned to the cov
eted pole. The year was 1008, the day
April 21.
The sun indicated local noon, but
time wns n negative problem, for here
all meridians meet. With a step it was
possible to go from oiie pnrt of tho
globe to the opposite side from the
hour of midnight to that of midday.
Here there are but one day nnd one
night In ench year. The latitude was
00 degrees, the temperature 3S.7, the
atmospheric pressure 20.83. North,
east and west hod vanished. It was
south in every direction, but the com
pass, pointing to the magnetic pole,
was ns useful as ever.
Though overjoyed with the success
of the conquest our spirits began to
change on tho next doy after all the
observations had been taken and the
local conditions were studied. A sense
of Intense loneliness come with a care
ful scrutiny of the horizon. What a
cheerless spot to hnve aroused the nm
bltlon of man for so many ngesl End
less fields of purple snows! No life, no
lnnd, no spot, to relieve the -monotony
of frost! We were the only pulsating
creatures In a dead world of Ice.
On April 23, 1908, Dr. Took besan the
lomr return march. With fair weather.
good ice and the Inspiration of the home
run long dlHtanceg were at first quickly
covered.
With a good deal of anxiety Cook
watched the dally reduction of the food
supply. It now became evident that the
crucial stage of the campaign was to be
transferred from the taking of the pole
to a final battle for life against famine
and frost. Early In July farther south
ward progress became Impossible, and in
quest of food he crossed the Firth of
Devon into Jones sound. On Feb. 18, 1909,
the start was made for,Annootok. With
a newly prepared equipment the Green
land shores were reached on April 15.
Here Dr. Cook was greeted by Harry
Whitney and anxious Ksklmo friends. To
facilitate an early return he moved south
ward to the Danish settlement and reach
ed Upemavlk on May 24. 1900. The Dan
ish ship Hans Kgede took him from
Upernavlk to Denmark.
I
UJJf bLAH PUiiLU.
Ctrlna Can Ce Taken Out, Though It
Looks Impossible.
Years of line having failed to dim
the popularity of tho Teddy hear, n
Tennessee man has adopted the loy
to a new use by making n puzzlu
which will give tlm average, person
plenty of exorcise for his or her wits.
Of course, like any other puzzle, once
solved It Is quite easy. The puzzle
consists of a Teddy bear, In a sittins
posture, with its forelegs cuitsii etch
ed. There Is a hole In his nose rnd
in each forcpaw, and throiiKh theae
a double cord is passed. The eadj
of the cord pass through tho paws t-.tij
on each end are metal rings, much
too large 10 puss through the lio'.i a.
lly making the proper use of the loops
in the cord, hoAt-ver, the latter may
ho removed from the bear anil re
placed with case. The basic prliii l.ilu
of the puzzle, that of making the fc
cret In the proper manipulation of
the loops, Is not strictly new, bet ,Ikj
ndaptatlon of this principle to the
Teddy bear will Insure its popularity
as a puz.lo.
CHEAP FIRELESS COOKErt.
By Edward Thorpe.
A cheap nnd efficient lireles5; rri';
er was made by the writer follo w.:
A box measuring ?.i 2 inches lure.;,
12 Inches wide anil Iti inches deep in
side measure was bought from tlu
grocer. Alter lining It well with
newspapers lapped at the corcers a: d
tacked in plate, a bed of ne Wopai ei m
A was placed on the bottom to a depth
of 4 inches. The false bottom 11 was
tlu a nailed above them, nud n sheet
of asbestos placed upon it.
Three pieces of sheet zinc, TxL'C 1-2
poidcrcd at the J.-nnt. Taese oylim ors
were then soldered to a sheet of z:no,
Cross Section Through One of the
Zinc Cylinders.
D, cut to lit the false bottom, II, the
cylinders being spaced 10 Inches be
tween centers. To facilitate the sol
dering of the cylinders E to the zinc
plate D, BinnU ears may be left In tho
cutting and bent outwardly.
Three holes the diameter of the oat-
side of the cylinders, 10 Inches be
tween centers, were made In a board
F 34 1-4 inches long and 8 1-2 inches
wide, and nailed In place around the
cylinders, the cylinders being nailed
to the board F. A strip of asbeBtos
was then wrapped around each cylin
der and tied In place with string.
A Cheaply-Constructed Flreless
Cooker.
The spare around the cylinders was
now well pocked with sawdust, K, and
tl'.e smull strips of wood, f, were in
perted and nailed to the box to com
plete the shelf F. Three half bricks,
('., and three enameled-ware palls Sx
6 1-2 Inches covered by an old feather
pillow, II, which in turn was pressed
llruily over the pails by a hinged lid,
L, held closed by a suitable fastening,
completes the cooker. To Improve the
uppearance of tho box the outblde,
with the exception of tho bottom, was
padded with' paper tacked In place and
covered with cretonne. Handles
plpced at the ends were found useless
as well as ornamental. The novelty
and efficiency of this cooker lies In the
use of the half-bricks, O, which being
placed around the gas burner, or on
the stove with the pall resting on
them, while bringing the contents of
the pail to the boiling point, absorb
considerable heat (the hotter they get
the better). They are then used as
shown in the illustrations. Sclentlflo
American.
Bismarck's Measure.
Bismarck Is credited with drinking
one gallon of French brandy In a one
night session. Bismarck claimed that
so long as alcohol wasted, its effect
upon the brain in keeping up sprightly
thought and conversation it bad little
effect on the rest of the system.
r.
i:.;r,c,.;lilj;ij;,ii"IT,;Tlli:'l'ill'-iJ'h""'ji
ii ii
tmm
AS'cgclable Prcparalionror As
similating thcFoodandRcgtila
ling the Stomachs and Dowels of
Tromotcs Digcstion.Chrcrfi
ness and Hcst.Cont.iins neiilH-r
Ophim.Morplunc norliiu:raL
'OT7"iAnCOTIC.
Mix Smn
HMktlU SJM-
AprrTorl Remedy forConstipfl
Tion. Sour Stomach, Diarrhoea
Worms .Convulsions .Feverish
ncss nnd Loss OF SLEEP.
Facsimile Sijjnnlure cf
NEW VOTIK.
EXACT COPY OF WRAPPER. iSll Q j
B
G OFF
To All Our
The
ICAN FAB
Indianapolis. Indiana.
The Leading Agricultural Journal ot the
Nation. Edited by an Able Corps
of Writers.
The American Farmer is the only Literary Farm Journal pub
lished. It fills a position of its own and has taken the leading
place in the homes of rural people in every section of the United
States. It gives t;.e farmer and his family something to think
about aside from the humdrum of routine duties.
Every Issue Contains an Original Poem by SOLON GOODE
WE MAKE THE EXCEPTIONAL OFFER OF
Two for the Price of One: THE COLUMBIAN
The Oldest County Paper and THE AMERICAN FARMER
BOTH ONE YEAR FOR $I.OO
This unnarallplprl oflffr i
via,, ft ill(UW IV hi 11 UVYV OUUOWlLVA
all old ones who pay all arrears and renew within thirty days.
Samnle pnnips frpp AAAraca.
4 ' .kUUIVtl
THE COLUMBIAN,
Between theajjosof fifteen and forty
five, the time when womanhood begins
and motherhood ends, It U estimated
that the aggregate term of woman's
guttering ii ten years. Ten years out
of thirty! One third of the best oart of
a woman's life saerlllued! Think of
the enormous Iom of time! But time
is 'lot all that is lost. These years of
Buttering steal the bloom from lite
cheeks the brightness from the eyes,
the fairness from the form. Tney
write their record in many a crease
and wrinkle. What a boon then to
woman, is Dr. Pierce's favorite Pre
scription. It promotes perfect regular
ity, dries up debilitating drains, heals
lllf-prut.tnn Pllraj f.t . t u I ....... I...
establishes the delicate womanly or
gan in vigorous and permanent health.
Jno other medicine can do tor woman
what is done by Dr. Pierce's Favorite
Prescription.
A college professor says that ev
ery one should eat the bkin of fruit
as well as the fruit itself. Some
one please pass him the pineapple,
says The Springfield Republican,
.
CASTOR I A
Tor Infants and Children.
llie Kind You Have Always Bought
Bears the
Signature of
Hun
For Infants and Children.
The Kind You Have
Always Bought
Bears the
Signature
of
In
Use
For Over
Thirty Years
TMS eCNTAUK . NCW VOM CITT.
Subscribers
Great
mnA t
Bloonislmrcr, Pa.
A Turkish World's Fair.
According to consular reports
from Constantinople the new Turks
have been seized by the World's
Fair idea. They believe that a
great exposition revealing or sug
gesting the immense possibilities of
their laud would give a marked
impetus to development in the roan-
uiacturing industries ana to com
merce. In both these lines Turkey
lags sadly now, being almost pure
ly an agricultural ana pastoral
country. The resources of general
progress and prosperity exist. Iu
spiration, training and a new ac
tivity are required to bring them
out. The processes of this Turkish
awakening will be of interest to all
nations and of intimate concern to
the Old World's preseut commer
cial powers.
Can you hklievk your senses.
When two of them, taste and smell,
having been Impaired if not utterly de
stroyed, by Nasal Catarrh, are fully re
stored by Ely' Cream Balm, can
doubt that this remedy deserves all
that has been said of it by the thou
sands who have used it? It i applltni
directly to the alTeoted alr-passagi
and begins its healing work at oi ce.
Why not get It to-dayr All druggists or
mailed by Ely Bros., 60 Warren street,
New York, ou receipt of 50 cento,
vis.
M