io CONQUERING THE ARCTIC ICE 



hitherto unexplored mountains. Mr. Leffingwell was born in 

 Knoxville, 111., in 1876, and was educated there. He then came 

 to Chicago, where he studied mathematics and physics at the 

 University. In 1901 he was a member of the Baldwin-Ziegler 

 Polar Expedition, and on his return began the study of geology, 

 on which subject he has done much work, especially in the 



State of Washington. For a short 



time he was superintendent of a boys' 



school, but eventually devoted him- 



^^ self to the more attractive occupation 



^ of geological fieldwork, and in 1906 



we started together. 



Mr. Ejnar Ditlevsen, zoologist and 

 artist, my only compatriot on board 

 the Duchess of Bedford, was a highly 

 valued member of our little company. 

 He was born in Denmark in 1869, 

 and passed through the high school, 

 a^^ but his artistic tendencies soon in- 



duced him to conclude his studies, 

 and he went through the art school 

 in Copenhagen. He was chiefly inte- 

 rested in animals, and took courses 

 j^^ in zoology. He had travelled much 



for the purpose of studying animals 

 in their natural surroundings, and in 

 1900 he was a member of the Amdrup 

 Expedition to the east coast of Green- 



DR. GEORGE p. HOWE, M.o. land, where I met him. Since that 



time and until he joined the present 



expedition he was inspector at a technical school, which 

 position he sacrificed in order to join the expedition. 



Unfortunately he became ill, as will be seen in the following 

 pages, and had to be sent home, leaving an empty place in our 

 mess, while the serious nature of his illness caused us much 

 anxiety as to the final outcome. 



Dr. George P. Howe, M.D., was born in Boston, U.S.A., in 

 1879, and educated at St. Paul's School. He graduated at 

 Harvard College in 1900 and at the Harvard Medical School 

 in 1904. He then served two years in the Boston City Hospital 



