The Mercury Theater on the air. Oh, The Columbia Broadcasting System

Welcome to the 14th program in its weekly series featuring Orson Wells and the Mercury Theater on the air.

Tonight this brilliant Broadway company turned from their cycle of dramatized literary

classics to relive for us a stirring adventure of recent history. It is Orson Well's own adaptation of

Hell On Ice by Commander Edward Ellsberg, the gripping story of the disastrous early expedition to the North Pole.

My name is Melville.

As a retired chief engineer of our Navy,

their share of honors come my way.

The engines and boilers would still the Oregon 12,000 miles

and the force draft to take a place in the battle line at San Diego were my creation.

Since then I've designed the engines for half the warships that show the American flag.

But now as I look back over my life, I can only humbly hope that the name of George Melville may be a little remembered as one who served under Captain Delong on the last voyage of the steamship unit.

I still read and reread my log of that trip, though the ink's been dry near 30 years. Here's the first entry. July 8th, 1879, 340 p.m. Pacific time.

Jeanette Wade anchor. Destination for North Pole.

Already below.

Already below, Captain de Long!

Green anchor! All right to go low, Captain Alon. What did I go?

Ready, Jake?

Ready, Captain?

That steam in the harbor?

Yes, sir.

The Navy had done a thorough job on the Janette.

...