Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-09-13
A PROBLEM SOLVED.
Peary Accomplishes One Thing
That His Expedition
Tried Hard to Do.
A COAST LINE DISCOVERED
And Long-Disputed Point Is at
Last Settled Beyond Doubt.
MRS. PEARY BREAKS A RECORD.
She Was Many Miles Farther North Than
ANY other White Woman.
MRS. PEARY BREAKS A RECORD.
She Was Many Miles Farther North Than
ANY other White Woman.
PLENTY OF SUPPLIES TAKEN ALONG

from Lieutenant R. E Peary, which THE
DISPATCH printed to-day, gives the only
account that has yet reached the public of
his determination of the northern coast line
OF Greenland Lieutenant Peary says,
"0n June % we were under the 800 par
allel, when the land which had been keep
ing in view to the northwest confronted me
to the north and northeast and then to the
east, DETECTING me to the southeast"
1t is too early to indicate his disc overies
in detail But the above sentence seems to
show that the northern mountains, stretch
ing along the coast, and already described
by Lockwood, suddenly turned toward the
east and southeast still psralleling the end
of the coast This was Peary's first great
discovery there. If lockwood had made a
few miles further east there is little doubt
he would have discovered that he had
about reached the north end of Greenland,
and that the coast then turned to the south
east. Peary found these mountains an eff
fectual barrier in his way. and so his course
was necessarily detected toward the south
east until he saw a large rift, through
which he was able to reach the coast
Coast Line Proved Beyond Doubt
This important discovery shows that the
convergence of the east and west coasts is
much more rapid than was supposed. By
following this coast line for a number of
days, Peary was able to prove beyond
doubt that it continues to hold its south
east coarse. He was travelling on the un-
explored northeast coast line.
The explorer has thus solved the problem
he had in view when he went north, which
was to determine the northern extension
and contour of the island. 1t is probable
that the sledges used by Pearv assisted
him greatly in making his great record in
sledge travelling They were made of timber
that he took with him For two years
before he went North he experimental
with woods to learn what material CON-
bined the greatest toug ghness and lightness
His sledges differ from those generally used
in Arctic work They are far lighter than
those employed by Nansen when he crossed
Greenland, but were expected to carry just
as heavy loads. Peary expected to pack at
least 200 pounds weight on each sledge.
He took three sledges and, with his dog
team, it is probable that the load on each
sledge exceeded 200 pounds.
Astrup Equal to All Emergencies.
Edward Astrup, who accompanied Peary
on this journey of 1,300 miles, is q Young
Norwegian who lived in the United States
only few months when he volunteered for
the expedition. He was skilled in the use
of the skier, as the peculiar snowshoes of
Norway are called. Athletic, enthusiastic,
and possessing great endurance, he proved
to be wholly adequate to the arduous work
OF the long journey. 1t was Peary's opinion
that he could get better service from edu-
Gated men than he could from the sailors
who have formed so large part of the
working force of most Arctic expeditions.
His assistants were all men of intelligence
and education. 1t has been proved that the
superior moral force possessed by men of
cultivation enables them to Withstand hard
ships to which others of less mental train
ing and self-restraint are likely to sue
cumb.
Although Peary reached North Green
land last year, with broken leg, good
luck, on the whole, seems to have been his
portion. 1t was very fortunate that he was
able to procure an abundance of dogs He
took with him on the ice cap 20 of these
animals, bred by the natives of Whale
Sound, and they hauled four sledges as far
as Humboldt glacier, where the return
party went back, and Peary and Astrup,
with 13 dogs and three sledges, kept on their
course
Plenty of Dog Food Prepared.
Peary had killed an abundance of seals
and walrus for dog food during the winter.
A considerable part of his sledge-loads
doubtless consisted. of food for his dogs, and
when he reached the north coast be was
able to replenish these supplies with the
musk oxen he killed there.
Peary travelled in the lightest marching
order Pemmican, pea soup, beans and
biscuit formed his sole provisions. He did
not even take tent to shelter himself and
his comrades from the terrible winds that
prevailed at a lofty elevation Nansen, on
his journey, found tents almost indispen-
sable, but though Peary had no such shelter,
he and Astrup did not suffer from an hours
illness. He was fortunate, also, in not find
ing erevasses. He believed his trip would
not be impeded by these distractions, and
the event proved that he was right
Crevasses have been one of the most serious
obstacles in the way of most of the earlier
attempts to travel on the inland ice.
As Peary had predicted, he found sledg-
ing on this unbroken expanse of ice and
snow easy and devoid OF danger, and the IA
vorable conditions enabled him to make q
great sledging record. When the party was
ready to sail for home it was still well pro-
vided with fuel, and had food enough to
last for several months longer.
No Fears of Famine at ALL
The DISPATCH has frequently as
serted that the supplies Peary took with
tain near his winter quarters, were sufficient
to carry him well through year. The as
sertions of some critics that be did not have
supplies sufficient to enable him to spend
the year in comparative comfort were
wholly unfounded.
The long winter night and the hardships
inevitable under the circumstances pro-
duced no unfayorable effects upon Mrs.
Peary, who battled through the dreary sea-
son of darkness with all the energy shown
by the men OF the party. To her, doubtless,
the party owes much of the comparative
comfort which relieved the monotony of the
winter season. No white woman has been
so far north by several hundred miles as
Mrs Peary. A Danish woman lived for a
long time at Tessuisak, about 40 miles above
U9ernavik. This is hundreds of miles
south of the place where Mrs. Peary has
spent year.
The Eskimo women were particularly in
terested in the white woman who had come
among them, and Mrs Peary was of much
service to her husband in the pursuit of his
chronological researches
John NJ. Verhoef, who unfortunately
lost his life in a crevasse, was q young man
of considerable endurance, but no great
strength. He was the smallest man in the
party. bis only near relatives were q
brother and sister. He was formerly
student of Yale College, but lived for some
time in Louisville, KY, and was much in
terested in meteorological and statistical
studies. His close application to detail
made him a valuable assistant
The Lost Man Valuable Assistant.
During Lieutenant Peary's absence on the
inland ice, Yerhoeff was intrusted with the