Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-08-25
HOW PeARY PICKED HIS MEN.
All Sorts and Conditions of Men Wanted
IN Accomuany His Expedition.

All Sorts and Conditions of Men Wanted
to Accompany His Expedition.
When Liuet. Robert +. Peary sailed
from Boston he took with him party OF
men which. for careful selection and suit
ability 10 the purpose. eXcels any which
has ever started on an expedition OF this
kind. In a talk at his room at Parker s.
says the Boston Transcript, the Lieuten-
ant expressed himself as well satisfied
with the result Of his efforts in this line.
AS / have kept no record he said. 4
cannot. of course tell the exact NUMBER
of applications which | have had. but II
h. a very large one. and / think / am
safe in saving that it would mount into
thousands. They began coming in as
soon as 1t was generally known that
second expedition was to start and have
been coming in ever since. Most OF them
come from the United States without
much distinction as to territory, but they
were not confined entirely TO this coun-
try. for have had applications from all
over the civilized world. Some OF the
applicants could hardly write. while
others were men OF most splendid scien-
thc attainments. They ranged in age
all the way from boys OF fifteen or SIX"
teen years up to men OF advanced age.
\ great many women were anxious to 80,
tons from whole families even.
The work of selection from this great
mass was one of some time. About half
the applications | was able TO throw
aside at glance, as they show
ed the writer's to be wholly untitled
for my purpose. The remainder were
carefully sorted over and compared with
each other, and after a vast deal OF cor
respondence / was enabled to thin the
number down to a point where personal
conference with the men was possible
The result of all this is that | now have
party which | think l can depend on
OF course / cannot tell TO an absolute
certainty until / have seen them in the
field. as 1t were, and have had an oppor-
tunity to Judge of them by their actual
work The only members OF my former
party besides Mrs. Peary are Astrook
and Hanson here. You couldn't persuade
Hanson TO stay behind could you. boy?
he asked, turning to his colored secretary.
who was writing at desk In the corner
And the negro looked up from his work
with a cheerful grin and denied the pos
sjbility of his deserving the expedition
"As for Astrook" went on Lieutenant
Peary, IF everything else fails me, If
every other man in the party loses his
courage or is taken i'll. so long as | have
him | shall not despair. There Is no
tribute that l can pay sufficiently high
to express my opinion of the constancy
and cheerful courage of this young man.
THE chief requisite" he continued, was
first, a perfect physical man. When 1
say this | do not mean necessarily a
large man, or a strong man, or even
finely proportional man, but one who
is perfectly sound, who has no defect OF
constitution, and preferably what you
would call a wiry man. After this they
should, in my opinion, be men of intellect
and of scientific attachments. This is
necessary in order to enable them TO with
stand the demoralizing effect Of the long
winter night. This. as rule, man Of
little intellect is unable to do. The edu-
Gated man has something to interest him,
something to which he can tu,n for di-
version in the long hours OF darkness,
but this the man Of small mental cali
Der cannot do, and, though he might face
any kind of active danger without finch
ing under the influence of the long night
ne loses his courage and with 1t his use
fulnesss. The limits Of age l have put
at about twenty and thirty years.
"Au OF my men fulfill these conditions
and i think that l can depend on them;
but, as ! said before, actual experience Is
the only thing that will determine that"
Lieutenant Peary and the Falcon reap
ed fine harvest OF quarter-dollars dur
ing their stay in Boston waters. When
they left port the receipts of gate
money" far exceeded that taken in New
York. which was 5000 and also will
come near to equaling the Philadelphia