Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-09-22
Story of Their Long Sojounn on
the Frozen Shores of Me
Cormick's Bay.
Loss of Mr.. VerhOff in a Glacier
While Searching for Geo
logical Specimens.
Visits With the Natives, Who
Were Merry Creatures, AnX-
iOuS to Please.

| MIS-. Josephine D1eDlIScn Poary, VIE
Of, the explorer, in telegraph to the
| New York Herald from st. Johns, n. f.,
under date Of Sept. II, 1892, says:
| The Kite at 4:30 this afternoon
steamed through the NarroWs. and after
twelve months in the Arctic region,
among the most isolated people in the
world, the Peary North Greenland expe-
dttion has returned safe and well, with
one exception.
The Kite left us on the south shore of
Mccormick Bay on July 80, 1891, and
| two days afterward we left the shelter
of our little tent, which the wind was
threatening to demolish and through
which the water was rushing in a per-
feet river, for that of our house, which
was now under roof.
A bed was made on a pile of boxes,
the corner farthest away from the open
ings left for doors and windows, and on
this Mr.. Peary was placed, and from
here he directed the work so cheerfulIy
| and rapidly carried on by our boys.
Ten days later, the shell of the house
being completed and Mr.. Peary able
| consisting of Gibson, AStrup. DR.. Cook
and VerhOeff, was sent to Northumber-
land and Hahluyt islands to visit the
! natives on these islands. At the end
of q week they returned with load of
birds and an EsQuimau hunter, with his
family and tent, kayak dog sledge and
household goods.
| 'Thpn hpO1n orr SpI.inS of lloa+
all Of which were enjoyed. We saw
| the first herd of deer on September 4
and got three at the head of McCor-
| mick Bay, where we went to start the
party to place a depot on Humboldt
| Glacier This party, consisting of AS
trup, Gibson and VerhOeff, We're batl1ed
| by storms and returned in four DAYS.
Astrup and Gibson started again on
September % and made about thirty
miles, but were forced back on account
! of deep, soft snow.
During one of our hunting trips we
had narrow escape from drowning
by having our boat crushed by a herd
of angry walruses, many of them
wounded by us, but we killed seven and
escaped without a scratch.
| The winter, although we had a hun
Ared days of darkness, with tempera-
| ture ranging from 80 to so degrees be
low zero, passed pleasantly. Every day
we took long walks on snow shoes, and
often | INDUCED in a sledge ride, drawn
| by one of my Newfoundland and one
Esquimau dog, and yet cannot boast of
a single frost bite
! We received numerous visits from the
natives, all of whom We're bright, mer-
ry, willing creatures, anxious to please.
They enjoyed our coffee and biscuit but
cared little for our sweets. The women
were especially interesting to me, and
many hours were spent in Watching
| them at their work
Mr.. Peary, with Astrup and DR.. Cook,
went on The ice cap on February IA to
watch the sun rise, and for two days
following we had the most terrible wind
and rain storm / ever witnessed. For
a time l feared our house. which we
called Red Cliff. would be washed away,
but we were not seriously damaged.
| The party on the ice Jared still worse
and were glad to get back to Red Cliff.
On April IS, there being constant day
light, Mr.. PeaTy took me with him on
4 tour Of Whale Sound and Inglefield
Gulf. We Travelled by night and slept
by day. Our sledges, sixteen and fifteen
feet long, were drawn by thirteen fine
| Esquimau dogs. Our driver, a native.
handled the team as only an native can.
We slept without shelter. and our bed
was the snow after pulling ourselves
into deerslin bag, which was fastened
tightly about the neck.
We repeatedly made forty miles in a
single march, and it was a fine sight to
see these thirteen beauties, with heads
up and tails waving over their backs,
dashirg over the ice. We visited all
the settlements, and once I was in
weighed into spending a night in one of
their snow igloos, but declined all fur
Their invitation.
We returned to Red Cliff at the end
of week and the inland ice party at
once began preparations to leave.
| Mr.. Peary left on May 3, no one re
naming at Red Cliff but Mr.. Ve1hoeff
and myself. Matt retuned on May s,
and on June the supporting party, DR..
| Cook and Gibson, returned.
They parted from Nj. Peary and AS
trup at Humboldt Glacier, whence the
latter continued on their way north.
By this time many Esquinau had pitch
ed their tents around Red Cliff, and the
settlement presented quite the appear
ance of iOu1ishing village.
During the summer various hunting
and exploring trips were made, and on
July La pitched my tent at the side of
McCormicks Bay, expecting to remain
until the return of Mr.. Peary.
Although the angakoks of the tribe
had told me that they had been in
| formed during their seance that Peary
would never return, at 5 o'clock on the
morning Of July a I heard a peculiar
noise outside of my tent, and on calling
! out in Esquimau, who is there?'' was
answered that a ship had come, and a
black head was thrust into the tent and
a bundle of letters handed me.
The Kite had come and my mail had
been sent me. The following day [ was
visited by Professor Heilprin and on
the day following I returned to Red
Cliff. On August 4 I again went to the
head Of the bay, this time on the Kite,
and on August 5 Professor Heilprin
and party left to make reconnOiss-
ance of the inland ice and at o'clock
| on the morning of August 6, while lying