Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-04-21
LIEUT.. PEARY.
The Brave Explorers Brattle-
bOrO Lectures.

Ing Gnmpses of Life Amid the Fields
of Eternal Ice--- Reception at GOV.
FuIIer's---The LleutenaDt's Future
Plans.
No lectures in Brattleboro have ever
drawn out so large audiences as those by
Lieut.. Robert e. Peary Monday afternoon
and evening, and no lectures here ever
gave such unqualified satisfaction.
AT the matinee the attendance probably
exceeded 1000, mostly students The hall
was literally packed. Five seats were
taken in each settee, go chairs were brought
in, and many standing up tickets were
sold. From the Mortified seminary and
Mt. Hermon schools came a delegation of
300, from Vermont Academy "a, and from
Hinsdale, Bellows Falls and other places a
large number. The Brattleboro schools
were dismissed at 2 o'clock, and the pupils
as a rule availed themselves of the oppor-
tunity of hearing the successful explorer.
The afternoon and evening lectures were
practically the same. Our notes are of the
evening lecture. Lieut.. Peary was intro
duced by Gen. Estey, and as the Lieutenant
came forward be was warmly greeted. In
opening he spoke of the peculiar charm of
the Arctic region, and then briefly reviewed
his trip of exploration. The party, con-
sisting of Lieut.. and Mrs. Peary and few
scientists, started from Brooklyn, \. Y,
in the steamer Kite in June, 1891, and a
month later reached the point on the In
gleteld gulf where a house, "Redcliff,'
was built against a preciptous ledge.
Here the party remained during the winter
and its four months of darkness. In the
opening summer Lieut. Peary and single
companion made the journey to the north
ern coast of Greenland, and returned,
distance of 1900 miles On the return
home the party was brought away by the
Kite and arrived in Philadelphia last Sep
TENDER.
A kodak was Lieut.. Pearys constant
companion on the trip and he secured a
large number of valuable views, which
were used with a stereopticOn to illustrate
the lecture.
After the Introductory outline the Illus
trations were given, showing the western
hemisphere and Greenland, the route of
the Kite being indicated by dotted lines.
Next was given map of Greenland, show
ing the location of Redcliff, and the route
followed by Lieut.. Peary on his inland
journey. The contour Of the country was
brought out in this map, with the noun
tains along the entire coast, and good
idea of the formation of the country was
given by the picture representing lateral
slice of Greenland, covered with its fields
of eternal ice.
The most important fact of the lecture,
probably, to those not already familiar
with the story of the expedition, was that
Lieut.. PeaIy did not follow the plans of
previous explorers, who made their jour
neys northward over the frozen seas. Lieut..
Peary and his single Norwegian compan-
ion scaled the coast mountains and then
proceeded with their dogs and sledges
t across the Greenland snow cap, until they
a reached the open Arctic sea on the north
r ern coast of Greenland, only 500 miles
: from the north pole. One of the pictures
!, thrown upon the canvas, which aroused
the applause of the deeply interested audi
e ence, was that showing the United States
flag, flung to the breeze by Lieut.. Peary
a at this point, on the PERCEPTIONS cliff over
: looking the open polar sea. 1t should be
J, understood that, after climbing over the
h coast mountains, the journey across the
u snow cap was made at an elevation of from
: 5000 to 5000 feet above the sea level. In
1 this inland section of Greenland the SHOWS
u of countless ages have accumulated, until
the valleys are completely filled. The
depth of this icy waste is of course prob
. lematic, but Lieut.. Peary says he has no
=. doubt that the ice is one and one-half miles
Il thick. The winds blow necessarily. In
s the great icy masses are crevasses hun
It dreds and thousands of feet deep. These
!. are sometimes very narrow, and are COW
d cred with a thin snow formation. Through
o this crust Lieut.. Peary and his companion
n broke several times, saving themselves only
= by throwing out their arms and alpen-
Il Stocks thus sustaining their weight until
d they were able to crawl to the strong ice.
IL On their return journey these dangers were
e avoided by going farther inland, and, after
v three months, during which the two men
walked all of the 1900 miles over the frozen
l, waste, they returned to Redcliff. Their
- supplies were drawn on sledges by the
e dogs. On the return trip they abandoned
: the big sledge for one that weighed only
d IL pounds. This was exhibited on the
l, stage. Sometimes, during the terrific bliz-
- yards, it was necessary to follow the custom
# learned from the Esquimaux and burrow
g. in the snow, digging out hollow space
$ and covering the entrance. The pictures
+, showed the condition of the faithful dog:
IS in the morning, partially buried in the
a drifting snow.
g Before describing the inland journey
e. Lieut.. Peary related many incidents of the
II life at "Redcliff" At one time he and
Mrs. Peary made journey of 200 or 30C
miles over the frozen sea, and slept com
IOrtaOly eacn nlSnJ Ill their I-Is upon Tut
', ice, although the thermometer registered
d 80 to 45 degrees below zero.
81 A vein of humor ran through the lee
!, ture, which caused laughter, when views
Is were shown like that of Mrs. Peary ''tak
10 ing her morning constitutional on the bOu
ht evard" behind her dog team; and of tn,
r. infant Esquimau terror" Pathos, too
W came in, in the description of the poor PEG
a. pie who inhabit this picturesque country
rs They have as strong desires for persona
N adOrnment as the people of our owl
=, country, and the women wear necklace
u, made of seal skin jeweled with bits o
~ bone and walrus teeth. The tribe tina
20 inhabits northern Greenland is the odes
nd of the northern hemisphere. The sea
" furnishes 70 per cent of the food an
n much of the meat is eaten raw or frozen
., er Men, women and children, the tribe nun
he bers 233 souls. The women would give a
he most anything for needles, and they wer
he he literally supplied by Mrs. Peary. On
100 man, on being shown 25-cent knife, Of
fered to give his wife and two children i
. exchange.
m The members of the explorers part