The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-09-17
NEWS OF PEAREY.
His Party Returns, He Remains An-
other Year.

The Expedition Il allied in it's Prime Object,
But. Has Lots to Report-Mrs. Peary
and Little DaughterlA Among Those Who
- Returned-TerribIe Weather Was En-
countered.
ST, Johns. n. F.. September l5.-The
steamer Falcon, Captain Henry Bartlett,
returned this afternoon bringing pack the
wholeSpersonnel of tho Peary expedition OF
last year except Lieut.. Peary, Hugh Lee'
compa MON. and Matthew Henson, colored
servant, all of whom will remain at BOW
doin Bay for another year hoping to accom-
plish the work of the expedition which Is
still left unfulflled.
The story of the expedition is very thrill
ing. The first incident of note was the blrth
of Mrs. Peary's baby, on September II, 1895.
a month after the Falcon left last year.
The baby. Marie Ahnigito Peary, came
home safe today with her mother.
During the month of October last, fright
full storms swept over Falcon Harpor
smashing the naphtha launches and wash
ing away large quantities of oil intended to
be used for illumination and heating pur-
poses. Various scientific obser vations were
pursued all winter. the meteoroiog ical
observations being the most successful
These were taken by Mr.. Baldwi n.
On March 9th. last. the main expedition
started across Greenland to Independence
Bay, the farther point north reached by
Lieut.. Peary on his previous trip. The
party consisted of eight men-Lieut. Peary,
Entrekin. Astrup. DR.. Vincent, Lee, David
son, Baldwin and CLARK, with twelve
sledges and ninety-two dogs. They en-
countered frightful weather almost from
the time of starting and after week Dr..
Vincent was SO used up that he had to re-
turn. The storms reached their worse
during the equinoctial gales on March ~.
The party was then in camp about hfty
miles from Anniversary Lodge in tempo
rary house at the head of Bowdo1n Bay.
The thermometer dropped to IS and CODE
grees below zero and remained SO for two
days, while gale blowing fifty miles an
hour buffetted the party. Davidson and Lee
were both badly frost bitten and Astrup,
the Norwegian, Lieut.. Peary's chief de-
pendence, gave out from hardship. The
dogs persisted in great numbers and froze
into solid blocks.
After the storm was over the whole party
returned to Anniversary Lodge, where they
left three sick men. together with plenty OF
supplies to form base OF operations. Then
the four healthy ones, Lieut. Peary,
Entrekin. Clarke and Baldwin. started
again, and pressed onward for fourteen
days. But the dogs continued to die, and
those left were unable to drag the sledges
and provisions. The party was SO weak
from exposure and SO much time was occu-
pied,in travelling that it was Impossible to
reach Independence Bay in time to accom-'
plish an ything, consequently Lieut.. Peary
decided TO abandon the attempt to cross
Greenland. He returned to headquarters on
April 26 The party was absent about ferty
days and only got one hundred and thirty
miles away. 1t started with n1nety-two
dogs and returned with only twenty-six,
after having abandoned all the sledges on
the way. 1t covered only quarter of the
distance necessary, and never made more
than twenty miles in any day. The mem
bers of the party claimed that their expe-
rience In the equfnoctial gales was worse
than that of any pr eyious Arctic explorers.
All had very narrow escapes from being
frozen to death. Davidson was. sick for
four months after his experience. Entrekin.
had both feet badly frostbitten.
After the party res:ained health other ex--
lied. Astrup made survey of the unex-
plored part of the coast of Melville Bay and
charted one hundr I'd and fifty miles of it.
He had native crew of five men to help
him. Lieut.. Peary and his wife made a
sleeige tourney to Oiaike Bay, hundred
miles distant. Entrkin and DR.. Vincent
started for Kane's winter quarters at
Littleton island. but the ice broke up. COM
polling them to return.
The auxiliary expedition which sailed
from here on July 7th on board the steamer
Falcon met with very much ice, and the
steamer was seriously hampered in her
operations. She had extreme difficulty in
making her way through the ice foes, and
only sighted Bowdoin Bay on July %. Then
an ice pack thirty-fv miles wide prevented
communication with the shore until August
IL, and even then the steamer could not
anchor in Falcon harbor until August 20.
She found all the Peary party in good
health and spirits and glad of the oppor-
tunity to return home.
While going north the Falcon searched
Carey islands, Cape Faraday and Clarence
Head. but found no trace Of the long miss
ing Swedish explorers Bjorling and NAL,
stenius, who sailed from here in June 1892
in the little schooner Ripple. Their; death
is now regarded as certain. The Falcon
secured some relics on Carey islands and
buried a skeleton supposed to be that of a
sailor. She started on her return trip on
August Goth, +,
Lieut.. PeaIy decided to remain another
year in the North and try to cross Green
land next year. Lee and Henson agreed to
remain with him. Lieut.. Peafy accom-
panied the Falcon as far south as Cape
York, where he had discovered a magnif-
cent iron meteorite. He hoped to put lit on
board the ship and send it to the United
States. bu: he found that the ice blocked
the shore, making it impossible to get to
land, and therefore gave up the attempt.
The Falcon had carried whaleboat to this
point in order to enable Lieut.. Peary to re-
turn. This boat was launched. and with
Peary, Henson and five natives. started
North on the 2sth bound for headquarters
one hundred and fifty miles distant. Lee
had remained there, while Lieut.. Peary
came south.
Lieut.. Peary and his companions are well
provisioned for a year and will be we'll
looked after by natives, who are .quartered