Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-20
NOT AFTER THE POLE.
Lieutenant Peary Only Hunting for
Greenland's Northern Point.
AN EXPEDITION OF DISCOVERY.
Which Promises to Be Very Valuable tc
Geography and Science.
MANY YOUNG ENTHUSIASTS VOLUNTEER

and adventure comes up again WIFI
fthe trip Lieutenant Robert Peary
is about to undertake to. the north.
srn edge of Greenland. Lieutenant
Peary proposes to discover what is the
northern extremity Of Greenland, something
that geographers and scientists have long
wanted to know, But as matter of fact
this discovery will probably include a jour-
nev further northward than has ever been
reached betore-a new record in high latl-
tudes, in fact-and very possibly visit to
the pole ITSELF
At first Lieutenant Peary had an idea
tina. he could start upon such an enterprise
without attracting any public attention and
purposed to defray all expenses himself
To this end he had embarked all his private
means and all the pay he will receive from
the Navy Department while he is on his
year and half leave of absence. Various
scientific societies took the matter up and
insisted upon bearing a share of the cost of
an exploration SO valuable to geography.
First of these is the Philadelphia Academy
of Science, which has pledged one-half of
the sum necessary for the expedition. The
American Geographical Society and the Ma
tonal Academy of Science also took great
interest in the project as soon as they heard
of it.
Not Searching for the Pole.
Lieutenant Peary's interest in his journey
is entirely scientific, and when 1 saw him at
his home here to-day he had little DISPOSE
tion to talk about what he expected to do ex-
cept as it might be valuable to science.
1.-THE discovery of the North Pole" said
Lieutenant Peary, ''or the making of a
record of northern exploration is mere
geographical ieat. However interesting
these performances might be to the world,
they would not amount to much from
purely scientific point of view. 1 have not
fixed upon either as my object and l shall
not be at all disappointed if do not get
any further north than others have gone.
"The whole northern part of Greenland
is practically unknown to geography.
What am after is to learn something
about it. I want to find out whether it is
an island with its northernmost point about
at Cane Lincoln, or whether it extends fur
ther north, perhaps even beyond the pole"
According to his present plans Lieuten-
ant Peary will leave Philadelphia on May
1. To get as far north as possible by ships
he will take passage on one of the Arctic
whaling vessels and to do that he will prob
ably have to go to Dundee There are no
American whalers now that go as far up as
he wants to go, but the Dundee men circle
the ice in Melville Sound every year. A
few Danish ships occasionally come to the
United States from Greenland with kind
of mineral used in the manufacture of soda,
and one of these would be available for the
Lieutenant's use ii it should get around
here in time; but that is uncertain.
The Landing Place in Greenland.
The vessel lie sails in, whatever it is, will
be hired to land Lieutenant Peary and his
party on the shore at Whale Sound, which
is somewhat further north than the whalers
usually 60, and on the western coast of
Greenland. If you will look at a recent
map of that interesting country, you will
find that Whale Sound is not far south-on
the map, anywsy-of Cape Lincoln, and
Cape Lincoln is the northernmost point yet
attained by man, SO far as We have record,
SO that Lieutenant Peary will begin with an
excellent start rorthward.
The landing place at Whale Sound should
be reached, as the Lieutenant has figured it
out, by the last of June or the first o. July.
The short summer season will then be Just
beginning. For the next IL months or so
the party will stay about where they land,
preparing supplies for the journey, laying
in game and getting their sledges ready.
At the beginning of the following spring
they will start north over the inland ice.
Now, about the inland ice. The coasts of
Greenland, so far as discovered, are high,
precipitous mountains, breaking off at the
edge of the sea in sheer cliffs 5000 or 1000
&. ,,l,%
but are broken up by innumerable hords,
where the slopes to the sea are gentle and
permit an ascent, such as it is. Even at
best climbing up the face of the ice-every-
thing is piled high with ice, of course-is
the hardest kind of work. The ice is broken
into high pinnacles and crevasseS, and it is
necessary ior the Arctic traveller to lift his
sledge up one side of these and let it down
the other side, perhaps 80 times day. His
progress is painfully slow. Sometimes
whole day of the hardest work will not ad.
vance him more than 200 or 800 feet. This
is where the great danger, and as Lieutenant
Peary views it the only danger, comes in.
A Plain for Those Who Know 1t.
But once away from the coast the ice is
solid plain, comparatively level and not
hard to travei-for those who know how.
Lieutenant PearY knows how, because he
mas been there before. In 1886 he went to
Greenland alone and on his own motion,
and journeyed inland on a straight line east
from the coast 200 or 800 miles. He was
then not as far north as he expects to be this
time, but far enough to learn a great deal
about the country, the climate and the ways
of getting about. .
1t is his idea, from what he saw then and
has learned from Others that where he will
IL IL 81 II =
very much easier than it is further south, so
he expects little trouble from that source.
He intends to get upon the plateau and then
walk north, dragging his supply sledges with
him until he finds what he wants.
Travelling upon the ice plateau is so easy
that he thinks he can COM
plete his work during the summer and fall,
and start on his return before the next WIN
ter sets in. A IS to how he will get back he
says frankly that he doesn't know. He
may return to civilization by the way of
or ST. Johns, n. F., or come
out by Siberia or some other way, only he |
ieels sure that he will get out somehow and |
with his objects attained. Cape Lincoln is |
ard, of the unlucky Greedy party, and is
known colloquialIy as Lock woods |
furthest." 1t is in latitude $50 "a north. |
North of that absolutely nothing is known |
about the coast of Greenland, and it is not |
even sure that Cape Lincoln is a part of |
at all. 1t may be, an island by |
itself, and the shore OF the continent may |
then trend back to the east and the south. |
On the other hand, it is quite as likely that |
the cape is merely promontory on the main |
land, which stretches thence clear beyond |
the Pole. These are some of the points that |
the Lieutenant wants to settle.
To Study the Physical Geography.
The physical geography of the country
will also engage his attention. When he |
was up there before he made drawings rep |
ha af af fha -, |