Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-10-25

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE p1sPArcH.1
NEW YORK, Oct 24-Lieutenant Peary
has written for THE DISPATCH the follow.
ing account of his expedition to Greenland.
On the last day of April, 1892, in mag.
ni6cent. bracing weather, the cliffs at the
head of Mccormick Bay clear cut as canoes
through the frosty air, DR.. Cook, Gibson,
Astrup, Kioahpadu, Tahwahnah, Koo.
koo and two Eskimo boys, opportune ar
rivals of the night before, left Radcliffe,
our winter camp, with two sledges and
eight dogs dragging the last OF the inland
ice supplies. Now, three days later, the
time had come for me to start.
This was the moment toward which the
studies of six years had tended, the mark to
which every movement of the preceding
year had been directed and made subservi-
emit The countless little things which
always crowd last moments of preparation
were completed, and nv house was put in
prder
1t was s o'clock in the evening when I
sent Matt out to tell my huskies, Kioah-
padu and Tahwahnah, to help him get the
big dog sledge down over the ice foot and
harness the dogs
The Start Made in the Evening.
The start was made in the evening, for
during the next three months the usual
order of things vas to be reversed, and we
were to travel by night and sleep by day.
My team of II great bear dogs, which had
been resting for week since their dash
around Inglefeld Gulf, were full of life and
fire, and I saw by the way they iierked Matt
and the huskies down over the ice foot in
their dash for the sledge. and the relish
with which they pitched into each other
when the different factions met, that Matt,
skillful az he had become in the use of the
whip, would have trouble in getting them
down to work for the first mile or two. So
told him to 60 on and I would overtake
him.
A hearty handshake and goodby to Yer
hoef, who wished me the fullest realiza-
tions of all my hopes, and I turned to say
goodby to my faithful natives, but not one
in the settlement was to be seen. Having
finished helping Matt harness the dogs they
had vanished into their huts
Anger That Could Not Be Dared.
The Kapetausoak was going away, never
to return. Powerful as he was the spirits
of the Sermiksoak, or Great Ice, were more
powerful, and no mortal might dare their
anger and be seen again by human eyes.
They would not say goodby.
Mrs Peary was to accompany me to Mill
Point, and we followed the sledge tracks in
silence for some distance. At, first the
sound of Matt's voice, the crack of his whip,
and the howls of the dogs came clearly
through the freezing air. Then point of
the shore came between and silenced them
Radcliffe disappeared behind hill, and the
sun had already dropped behind the north
ern shore of the bay. We might have been
the sole occupants of the earth. knew
how the brave woman by my side was
struggling with her fears for me, though
hers was to be the harder lot, and I did my
best to cheer her knew by her final good
by that had but partly succeeded A turn
in the shore hid the fur-clad figure, with
beautiful Jack crouched by its side, from
sight, and I heightened the stride of my
snowshoes to overtake the sledge.
scrambling Over the Ice Float.
Four hours later my team was scrambling
over the ice float at the head of the bav.
The place where we reached the shore was
close to the site of our Tuktoo camp of last
year, and our route to the interior led from
here up a steep bluff, some 1000 feet In
height, and then over q succession of ter
races to the edge of the great ice cap, four
miles distant.
A few moments later my inland ice
sledge, which had come up, was lashed on
the big dog sledge which was on nv back,
with Matt following at INV heels with q
couple of 25-pound tins, we began climbing
the bluff. Sharp rocks, with the spaces be-
tween them filled with snow, made travel
ing laborious and slow, and it was about 8
o'clock in the morning when rose over the
edge of the bluff and stumbled upon NV
boys asleep in the snow, with their dogs
picketed near. did not intend to disturb
Them, but as 1 put down my sledge and
turned to descend Dr.. Cook awoke with q
start and very soon all were awake. I found
all OF the supplies had been backed to the
gorge, half a mile above the camp, and
everything was In readiness to start with
the dogs from that point
The Inland Ice on Its Way.
Returning to the ice boat Matt and 1
brought up another load, and then leaving
Matt to get q little sleep with the other
boys, went down to my dogs and turned
in as was, in my furs, In the remains of q
snow hut near the bay. When awoke
few hours later the boys were at the door of |
the igloo, and 1 found on looking up the |
valley that nv old friend, the inland ice, |
was evidently preparing its usual reception |
for me, the leaden gray clouds rapidly foat-
ing above it, giving every indication of m
approaching storm.
curicusly enough, both In 1885, when I |
wept on the inland ice, and twice again this