Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-09-30
THE veRHoesF MYSTERY
Some Think Mis- Leaving the Psary Party Very
Peculiar.

Nrw YonN. sept. e9.--Thc disappear
ancp of John NJ. Nerhoef, the inadequate
explanations given by the members of
rcary's expedition regarding his absence
and the grief of his sister have cast u gloom
over the Arctic expedition that can only he
eitaced by proofs of his death or an explain
alton that will account for his sudden de-
sire to leave the party when preparations
were being made for their return To Phila-
delphia
From st. Johns, New foun,lland, rumors
have reached here that there was disseEsion
ia the Pcary camp. and then the wiseacres
suggested that Mrs. Pesry was undoubtedly
the cause of any unfricndliness that might
have sprung up between Peary and his men.
Whether these rumors were true or false.
the fact still remains thai no one is willing
To explain away the clouded mystery that
surrounds Nerhoef's absence, and silence
rather more suggestive of dissension than Of
any desire on Verhoci,'s part TO desert his
comradc.
None of the sailors ON board the Kite,
which is still lying at the foot of Washing
ton avenue, Philadelphia. believes that
Young Ncrhocii Is dead Capt. Pike how
ever, does. The foremost hands have
picked up scrap of information here and
another scrap there, until they have pieeed
out erazy-quilf theory of their own, 10
the effect that Nerhocff has joined the
| Fsquimaux and is pursuing little tour OF
discovery on his own account. They think
he will come back one Of these days with
II great big story that will entirely
eclipse in point of interest that told by
| Lieut.. Peary They do not attempt to ac-
count for his leaving the camp In the man
ner he did, except To say that he was stub
bora, and that he felt piqucd because Lieut..
/ Prary had given him no chance to distin-
| guish himself. The latter part Of their
theory is shared by Capt. Pike. but he
thinks it utterly impossible for Verhoeh to
have survived the rigorous weather which
set in just after his departure from camp.
| II have no idea" said the bluff old cap
tain, ''that Vcrhoef is alive. When he
I left camp he was thinly clad and had raiions
! for only three days. lie took no furs what
| ever with him, and before he hal been out
very long, we had terrible spell of bitter
cold weather, so that even il he had not
I fallen into the hole in the ice, as has been
supposed. he would have frozen or starved
\ To death
| Mr.. Lang,lon Gibson speaking Of the
searching party sent out ~ lead them
over the route that he had taken, so far ~
| we could ascertain Il was difficult To trace
| him us the surface is lev. Once we found
some minerals which we were sure hal
/ droppcd from his pockets while he was
looking for his knife or match safe. We
! came across these about 20 miles from the
shore where had landed him three ,lays
/ before. There, too, we found about 10
| footprints in a tract of snow.
| Then we climbed the glaciers and let
! one another down in crevesses. We worked
| for three days and three nights but found
no trace of him. TO say that we made q
thorough search would be false, for an
| army of soldiers could not do this.
| Lieut.. Rober, u. Peary, the Arctic eI-
! pIorer. says respecting the stories that
I have been circulated concerning the mystic
rious disappearance of John Verhocff the
mincralogist of ,hr party Permit me to
say. the statement that have treated Miss
( verhoen unkindly. that Mr.. Verhoeff con
tributed $1,000 toward the expenses OF the
| North Greenland expedition on condition
that he should accompany me on the long
journey north and that | quarrelled with