Dr. Antone Varicle, prime mover in the proposed Yukon-Polar expedition, will, as soon as he reaches Dawson, for which town he sails from Seattle tonight, take steps to organize an expedition for the relief of the whalers imprisoned in the ice in the vicinity of Herschel island. The expedition to be led by Dr. Varicle will probably travel in company with the detachment of the Northwest mounted police which is to start for Herschel island and Fort McPherson December 15.
Dr. Varicle has a two fold object in making the trip which he contemplates, the foremost being a desire to relieve whatever necessity may exist among
the imprisoned whalers, and the other the experience which will result and which he believes will be invaluable in perfecting plans for the polar expedition - P-I., Nov. 14.
Dr. Varicle is now in Whitehorse on his way to Dawson where he will arrange to dispatch a relief expedition to the imprisoned whalers.
The doctor's idea is to take five or six men and the same number of dog
teams, both men and teams being the pick of the Yukon country. On the sledges he will take mail and as large amounts of supplies of a certain character as is possible. These supplies will consist of things which will be luxuries to the imprisoned men, and will make the long vigil of the whalers less arduous.
The distance from Dawson to Herschel Inland is approximately 800 miles,
and Dr. Varicle expects that it will take from 35 to 40 days to make the trip. While in San Francisco Dr. Varicle was told by the owners of the whalers which are in the ice that Dawson was the only point from which a relief expedition could start with the hope of success.
