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ROUND THE TOWN(By THE MAN ON THE STREET)—r p *The two dashes for the North Pole in a week, both successful, are a reminder that it lias not been so many years ago that Quincy fitted oiH part of the paraphernalia intended for an expedition to explore the regions, then deemed practically inaccessible, but now withinu day’s reach of civilization.East Sunday Capt. Richard Evelyn Byrd, of the Vnited States navy, flew from Spitsbergen to the Pole and back, heading off Captain Amundsen, the Norwegian explorer, who had sailed from Italy in a dirigible, and who passed over the Pole Tuesday night or early Wednesdaymorning. Neatly twenty years ego Admiral Pcarv, after a long struggle and untold hardships, reached there in .ships and sledges.Parenthetically speaking. Dr. Koch claimed to have reached the Pole, but his claims were discredited and it was proved later he was a fraud. Koch, by the way, i? now doing a stretch in the Texas penitentiary for perpetrating frauds in the sale of oil stock.About, twenty years ago Evelyn Baldwin, who had attained some fame as a daring explorer, induced Ziegler, the baking powder king, to back an expedition which he organized that was to try for the Pel?.Baldwin, who was no relative of Tom and Sam Baldwin, but a close friend, eamS to Quincy for a conference with the local aeronauts legarding the manufacture of a number of balloons and other apparatus which he was to u?e in his flight. The result was he left a large oider here for balloons, buoys, parachutes and oiher articles he was to take with him.Much interest was developed here in the man who was to try where others had failed up to that time to discover that mysterious land, and Baldwin park, where his* outfit was nv'inu-f-.ctured. was the Mecca for the curious.A number of fine balloons were nuinufac* •end for the explorer by the Quincy men, and 1 lie brass foundries here turned out the little buoys with which he intended marking his trail after he got into the frozen regions. This was tlt; guard against getting lost and to make sure• f Ins *xit. There were also tanks for making gas for the balloon? and the material was furnished for the manufacture of the gas. this to b« used in the buoys..nlt;* well as the balloons. Altogether, the outfit made here was rather expensive, but the bill was paid by the New York millionaire without a whimper.A ship had also been provided, fully rigged and provisioned, and it Bft. Nev.- York with nun h cr lat. However, it. seems that Baldwin, when },o reached the frigid zone got cold feet or something. At any rate, ho «i|lt;l not proceedM»y great dictanof- into the much sought country when it became apparent to the commanderof th«* ship that he was totally unqualified to undertake suHi an expedition. All but mutiny 1 n.lvo out when Baldwin attempted to takelt;-oinm-i nd.'Ua- fails wen- lt;(,mmunbatrd to Ziegler, who• * -iIbd th*- ship. paid off the men, and “fired * l.ildwin. That was about the last heard of him. except that he Threatened to sue ZPgley, hot it proved to b‘- a bluff.It w;i« fining out this expedition whbh first. lt;-ii'-».-d the interest of lt;^uin« yans in tlie dis• \ej y of •; he Nofh pole. Eater, when Peary• • • o:»j!v lt;!:lt;’ f.fal !t at 1 reruriu-d 1 j*■*i** , this in\\;i *- a ijgment ed. Tiit-n, a. few yearswa id. Id. h. olt;)j , a me lien* and lectured onhis ' dist ov ej “ diawihg a large audienro-1 ■ i -1 what good fibs N«*rth Pole is to am body* »‘ : ;«;.v t.!i‘:o|- has !iot \ »•? been disrlosed. Pl'oh-;:biv V. j’hifi ;h- 11 e v * few ,\K| is, with th* ad-f'tiit r:I of ;* t:lt; e. ,} may possible to: it to some ;»lt;count.I’ntfi that period arrives. gi\ e u*- the “good - id summer tiin«- ’wpimvi:
Newspaper Details
Quincy Morning Whig Journal
Quincy, Illinois, US
Fri, May 14, 1926
Page 13
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
DE 02 Oct 2022
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