The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-07-31

mountain high. Pcary Is the pioneer In
new field, the discoverer of "a new method
of polar research. After countless ships
had been caught and held fast in ice or had
foundered and been abandoned-their oc-
cupants often held prisoners under hard
ships beyond human strength to endure
and the phrase sailing in polar seas" was
only another term for stuck In arctic ice,"
Peary hit upon the idea of overland explora-
tion or journeys upon inland snowfields.
Sailing ships penetrating to the southern
limits, as supposed, of the polar sea skirted
the coasts Of Greenland, the navigators
never losing sight of her steep, icy bluffs
and always returning with the certainty
that arctic Greenland was no less myste-
rious than the Arctic ocean, no less mac
cessible also and no less dangerous for ex-
ploration. That was because they looked
at it from the ocean level or the iceflelds
floating on the sea.
All arctic voyagers accepted without
question the notion that long distance trav-
cling in the high attitudes of interior Green
land was n physical impossibility; that the
abrupt cliffs and piled up rocks, the gla-
ciers, with their gigantic ice walls and
yawning assures as seen from the sounds ly-
ing between the seventy-ninth and eighty
fourth parallels, would repulse all land
expeditions, or il the interior should once
be gained it would present difficulties eqaal
TO if not greater than those of the terrible
coast. To this idea Peary said mo" and
he proved his view by a reconnaissance half
way across tho island near the SEVENTEEN
parallel in 1856. He found that beyond the
broken fissure ice of the bluffs there was
an extensive plateau covered with leve'
snow, and he reasoned that IL Greenland
reaches to the pole, as the-yoyagers de-
clared. Greenland might be the true path
to the pole; that if there is an open polar
sea it might wash the northern shores OF
Greenland and could be discovered by the
land route.
Up to the time of starting ON the inland
trip in April, 1892, there was nothing IN
Peary's north Greenland expedition to dis
tinguish it from scores that had gone be-
fore. The steamer Kite landed the party
on the shores os Mccormick bay, Smiths
sound, just below the seventy-eighth paral
lei, in the summer of 1891. Peary's leg was
broken by the tiller Of the ship as she strug-
gled through the ice to make the harbor,
but he insisted on going ashore and winter
ing there in order to get seasoned for the
arctic journey. The real start began May
10, 1892. On that day Peary, with 3
companions, 4 sledges and 10 dogs, stood
upon the long white slope of interior Green
land, 1900 feet above the sea, and set their
faces northward. They found that the red
earth was buried out of sight by a great
shield or cap Of ice and that the ice was
coated with hard, firm crust of snow. On
this they made progress at the rate of Is to
20miles day when not held back by storms
Their refuge during storm from the driy-
ing snow and keen, cutting wind was
snow hut. From this one of the party was
always excluded to act as watchman over
the dogs. The animals were embarrassed
and secured TO stakes driven in the snow,
and during storm, in the absence of their
masters, would howl and fight and tear
themselves loose. voraciousas as wolves
for that is really what they are-they would
devour their harness, the fur sleeping bags
of the explorers and everything in way Of
provision that was within reach unless it
was secured in heavy tin cans.
The party, small rs it was, was subdivid-
ed at Humboldt glacier, 130 miles from
the winter camp Two were to return to
camp leaving Lieutenant Peary and Evind
Astrup, an educated Norwegian, to explore
the mysterious and icy north alone. There
were no words said at that handshaking
The two who had been detailed to 60 back
stood in silent awe while their companions
turned their teams northward and began