The Siege and Conquest of the North PoleBryce, George
History
The Siege and Conquest of the North Pole
Bryce, George
Arctic regions; North Pole; Scientific expeditions
On the 25th March a hurricane was experienced, and during the storm the
temperature rose to minus 26° F. The ice cracked with thundering noise,
and Dr. Cook sank into a crevasse which formed under the floor of the
snow-house where he was lying in his sleeping-bag. He was, however,
quickly pulled out by the Eskimo.
During the next three marches it was estimated that 53 geographical
miles were travelled. A cold wind was blowing from the west, and added
much to the misery of the party by forming icicles on every hair about
the face.
On the night of 28th March a violent storm swept away the dome of their
snow-house and buried them under a considerable quantity of snow, from
which they extricated themselves with difficulty.
Next day the weather improved, and on the 30th March the clear
atmosphere enabled them to discover land some distance to the west,
extending parallel to the line of their route. The position at this time
was found to be 84° 50′, and longitude 95° 36′. This land gave the
impression that it probably consisted of two islands, and was named by
Dr. Cook “Bradley Land.” It was seen to extend from about 83° 20′ to
about 85° 11′ near to the 102nd meridian. It was buried under snow, and
resembled the high lands of Heiberg Island.
Dr. Cook has stated that from latitude 83° 31′ a glimpse was obtained of
what was believed to be Crocker Land away to the west. He now states
that Bradley Land extends as far south as 83° 20′. If this is correct,
Bradley Land must include Crocker Land.
The weather again changed on the 31st March, and hid the land from view.
Strong winds made progress rather slow for several days. On 7th April
the sun was first observed above the horizon at midnight. The journey
had now lasted from the time the sun first appeared above the horizon at
midday until it did not set during the twenty-four hours.
On 8th April the position was ascertained to be 86° 36′, longitude 94°
2′. In nine days 106 miles had been covered, in a temperature ranging
from 36° to 46° F. below zero. Dr. Cook at this time remarked that in
dreams Heaven was hot, and the other place was cold.
On 11th April the latitude was 87° 20′, and the longitude 95° 19′. Ice
conditions now improved, and good distances were made. For two days the
march was over old ice without pressure-lines or hummocks. The winds,
however, were still bitterly cold, and on 13th April Ahwelah nearly
collapsed. The position on the 14th was 99 miles from the Pole. Some of
the dogs had already been killed to feed the others, but a sufficient
number remained to enable the party to make a determined effort to cover
the remaining distance to the Pole.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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