The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-09-07

1t was inevitable that the position of the
Peary party In Greenland should be made
a topic for the sensational writers; and il
is not at all surprising that the return of the
Kite has been the occasion for many circum-
stantial accounts of the present perils and
future calamities supposedly attendant
upon the expedition. These accounts are of
course very disquieting to the friends of
Lieutenant Peary, many of whom live in
Maine. Although they know that Peary has
made an exhaustive study of the subject of
Arctic exploration, that he has himself tried
travel on the Ice fields, that his plans have
been approved by the geographical society,
and that nothing can have occurred to
thwart his plans unless some supplies have
been lost, or unless the climate of Green
land has changed greatly since last visited
by explorers, these stories of course give
some natural uneasiness. The broken leg
will not necessarily interfere with the expe-
dtioD. since Peary expected anyway to stay
at Whale Sound more months than will be
required to make the leg all right; and this
alone Is not cause for great uneasiness.
As for the other alleged troubles of the
party. there is good opinion to counterfeit
the prophets Of calamity. A gentleman
whose name is not given, but who is youched
for by the Boston Herald as the official as
tronomer of the preliminary Arctic expedi-
tlon OF 1887 and In charge of the scientific
department Of the second expedition In 1880,
has made some statements that will be re-
assuring to Peary's friends. he says the
published bulletin of the geographical So.
ciety rebuts the assertion that the exped,ssIson
was ill-advised and poorlye asIpbed. Both
Peary and Nansen have Shown that travel
over the Ice fielfy is perfectly practicable.
VI Ihe spot on which the party have en-
camped the scientist has this to say:
There are few Arctic regions concerning which
we are better informed than that around McCor.
same KaVes wneTeS
in 1860, and a little farther south Sanders win.
tered in l849. Other expeditions, also have
ship has coasted in this region. Thirty mileslfrom
i Mccormick bay Is the camping ground Of one
tribe q Arctic higbianders, and % miles above,
Kane and Hayes attested. Besides. it is probable
that in every Inlet are scattered families Of Eski
around a white mans settlement, attracted both
by the tood and the opportunity for barter, These
people make their settlements where the game is
kinds which the season affords, As for
the short supply Of coal it's far from pr OBJ
comparatively small hut holding people is soon
much too warm. The interior OF an Eskimo hut is
frequently 500 or 800, when the outside is 300 be-
low zero. There Is also an abundant supply of
native fuel in the shape OF a resinous moss which
is commonly used by the Eskimos.
As for the return after the objects of the
expedition shall have been accomplished, the
scientist thinks that relief expedition may
be wise and cautious measure: Int he
thinks the proposal to return in whale
boat is not such wild cat scheme as 1t is
represented to be. 1t is nothing more than
what Kane did after longer sojourn In the
North. The ;presence of Mrs. Peary does
not necessarily constitute an encumbrance
to the expedition. As both Mrs. Peary and
Lieutenant Peary knew before they started,
the wives of Danish officials spend the win
ters within the Arctic Circle. and the fami-
lies live with books, music and other acces-
sories of culture and refinement. No one
supposed that the expedition would be like a
Raymond excursion, or that 1t would be ex-
empt from the perils that always accompany
travels to new regions. By dwelling upon
those foreseen but not inevitable perils 1t is of
course possible to get up narrowing picture
of the situation. But those were known be-
fore Peary started. Since he started moth
ing has occurred to change the outlook, I'M
less 1t be the broken leg. With regard to
that we have the assurance of the surgeon of
the expedition that there was nothing to pre-
vent satisfactory healing. 1t is too early
yet to get into panic over the situation of
Lieutenant Peary,