Daily Mail 10 March 1910 – The violent climate of the Arctic has claimed the first victims of the Race to the Pole, with the French entrant Clarion unable to begin the next leg of the race after landing at Vadsø in Norway. The Russian Krimskaya Borzaya also withdrew from the race, despite making considerable headway against the frontrunners after leaving Berlin.
Even though it arrived in Vadsø second, tomorrow the Royal Sky Fleet Indefatigable will leave the Norwegian town first, striking a serious blow against the French hubris that has dominated commentary of the Race for the past few days. In fact, should you see a Frenchman, show him exactly what you think of the Clarion by giving him a bugle call he’ll not soon forget!
The withdrawal of the two vessels means that the Indefatigable’s only remaining competitors are the damnably persistent German Flugboot, and the famed American explorer. One of the boys at Whale Island gave us an inside look at the Indefatigable, and I have to say, I think Old Blighty has this one in the bag.
The three remaining entrants will leave tomorrow for the Norwegian settlement at Svalbard, a segment that is expected to take considerably longer to travel than any previous leg. Svalbard will be the last stop before the competitors make the final dash for the Pole, with the hope of gaining the glory that goes with achieving that goal!
Will it be the German? The American explorer? Or will the Royal Sky Fleet once again prove why Britannia once ruled the waves and now rules the skies?
