Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1892-10-06
WHERE Is ~yERHoEFFe
Possibly He Stayed Behind on Purpose to
Explore Further.

A dispatch from Philadelphia con-
tains the following: On boarding
the Kite, Miss Hattie VerhoefI walked
straight up to where Lieut.. Peary
stood on the quarter deck and asked
abruptly:
What have you to tell me about
my brother"
81 am sorry he is not on board"
began the explorer.
SIS that all you can tell me?" she
inquired warmly.
Friends persuaded the anxious girl
to await a more favorable opportun-
ity for privately questioning the
lieutenant. The latter with tears in
his eyes, had already assured Mr..
Kelvin and Mr.. Elliott that he had
done everything in his power, and
rehearsed the story OF the disappear
ance and search for Verhoeff already
told.
The following are the facts SUI
rounding the disappearance of Yerhoeff
as far as could be learned from differ
ent members of the expedition: Yer
hoef was last seen alive by Landon
Gibson on Aug. IS, the latter being
encamped at the head of Mccormick
bay, shooting birds to add to his
collection. Nerhoeff told Gibson he
vas going to take a trip to Keckern,
Esquimaux settlement, and might
not be back for two or three days.
Gibson told him that the settlement
was deserted and advised him not to
go, but Verhoeff insisted. He did
not return, and Gibson went to the
appointed place and after a search
was unable to find him and returned
and reported the matter to Peary and
plans were at once begun for search
ing for him. Peary secured a number
of Es~quiniaux to assist in the search,
as they can see an object at 10 times
the distance that a white man a
distinguish it, and promised them
each a knife, the n thing priced by
the ESQuimaux. All the glaciers
around we're searched and the hunt
ing kept up continually for about
seven days and nights, bit no trace
of the missing man beyond footprints
and a pile-of stones could be found.
The search was then abandoned as
hopeless as he had only taken five
days pfovisiors With him and was
thinly clad. Verhoefrs actions from
the time the party reached Greenland
are described as peculiar and as point
ing to an intention 10 stas aud live
with the Esquimaux. 1t is said that
he continuary wore American trousers
and the sgantiest kind of clothing,
and that almost every day he would
go into the water naked where holes
had been cut in the ice. He would
protest that he was not cold, and did
everything in his power to inure him
self to the hardships Of the climate,
and went around with his shoes torn
and his bare feet touching the ground.
These facts taken in connection with
his mysterious feelers put out during
the winter as TO the probability Of
Lieut.. Peary letting him stay up
north, led some of the party and
Others OF the crew who knew verhoef
to the conclusion that he may have
taken a notion to rstay with the
EsquimauS in the hope of making a
Journey to the furthest north poiht
yet discovered, and so win fame. In
speaking Of the fate of Verhoeff,
Lieut.. Peary said he had no right to
indulge in surmises, but he gave the
impression that he believed Verhoeff
was dead.
The lieutenant pointed out that
the most important work accom-
pllshed bg the expedition was the dis
covery of the great bay named hide
pendence bay, on the northeast coast
of Greenland, and the practical out
lining of the entire northern coast Of
Greenland, settling the yexed ques- !
tion as to whether Greenland stretched
across the pole in a frozen continental
mass or not. Greenland, as the map
will now show, is a great island,
reaching from its present known
position to a little above the SD par.
allel of latitude.
The upper part of Greenland he
said, sis very much like the southern
end, the ice ends south of Victoria
ford and the mainland mass does
not stretch very much farther north.
The north and northeastern is bord-
cred with the island until you come
to the great bay l discovered in lati-
tude So degrees, 81 minutes. OF
course it will take me some time to
correctly map the coast, but there is
no question as to the northern
boundary of Greenland and its extent.
Independence bay is a very large bay, /
on its southern shore a great glacier
.protrudes, and after running to the
northeast the north Atlantic coast
runs to the northwest.
Lieut.. Peary was asked what he
thought about pushing farther north.
He said:
That, OF course, is not a Ques-
ton for me TO answer, although there
is no doubt in my mind but that it
could be done. L am quite willing to
make another trip and feel confident
that i can push much farther north.D