Ziegler, who two years before had funded the 1901 Baldwin–Ziegler North Pole Expedition, selected Anthony Fiala, who was a photographer on the previous mission, to lead his second polar expedition.
Ziegler, som i 1901 havde startet Baldwin-Zieglers nordpolsekspedition, valgte Anthony Fiala, fotograf under den tidligere ekspedition til at lede hans anden polarekspedition.