THE WELLMAN POLAR EXPEDITION 



Mr Walter Wellman on his arrival in England has issued a brief state- 

 ment of the experiences of his party in Franz Josef Land during the 

 past twelve months. The expedition, it will be remembered, left Tromso 

 June 2(3, 1898, but, owing to the large amount of ice barring the way, was 

 unable to gain Cape Tegetthoff, its headquarters, before July 30. Mr 

 Wellman is reported to have said : 



" Desiring to push further north with the greatest speed, I dispatched 

 Mr Baldwin August 5 with the Norwegians, sledges, dogs and boats, my- 

 self and others intending to follow in a few days. Shortly after Bald- 

 win's departure I discovered that, owing to a sudden break-up of the ice, 

 I was unable to proceed, but I sent two Norwegians to inform Baldwin 

 to build his outpost, leave two men in charge of it, and return to my 

 headquarters." Meanwhile Mr Baldwin had pushed on to latitude 81, 

 where he built the outpost, and, leaving the two Norwegians, Bentzen 

 and Bjoervig, in charge, rejoined Mr Wellman at Cape Tegetthoff late in 

 October. Here they all passed the winter in the Harmsworth House, 

 which was completely buriei with snow. On February 18, 1899, Well- 

 man, with the Norwegians, started north, but on reaching the outpost 

 found Bentzen dead. Mr Wellman continues : 



"After a delay often days the party, including Bjoervig, pressed north 

 in sledges, and by March 20 reached 82 degrees, east of Rudolf island. 

 The prospects were most reassuring. We had three months of the best 

 season before us and we were confident of reaching 87 degrees. Though, 

 of course, we had suffered from cold, we were all in fine form. 



" Then a seemingly trivial accident turned the satisfactory advance into 

 a precipitate retreat. While struggling with the sledges in rough ice, my 

 right leg was bruised and sprained by my falling into a snowdddden crev- 

 ice. For two days I went on and, had other circumstances not occurred, 

 I should have pressed onward so far that I should never have been able 

 to return alive. At midnight on March 22 we were awakened by the 

 crashing of the ice under our feet. It swayed and deep crevices yawned 

 about us. Several dogs and sledges were crushed. In the darkness and 

 Storm it was impossible to see a path of safety. Expecting to be over- 

 whelmed at any moment by the ice, we scrambled over the field of ice 

 and saved most of our equipment except the dog food, reaching a place 

 of safety in half an hour; Our brave Norwegian comrades did not ex- 

 press the slightest fear. While it was possible to go on for a time, my 

 leg now demanded a retreat. For two or three days I stumbled along 

 until 1 fell. There was nothing to do then but get on a sledge and be 

 dragged back to headquarters by the men and dogs. Forced marches by 

 my devoted comrades saved my life. 



"The point at which we turned back was twenty-five miles northwest 

 of the Freedom islands, where Dr Nansen landed in L895. North of these 



