Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-09-24
PEARY AND HIS TRIPS.
A Full Account of the Man and His
Arctic Adventures.
philadelphia Press.


The trip to the frozen North from
which Mr. Peary has just returned was
his third. His first venture attracted
little or no attention at the time. being
undertaken without any eclat and merely
as a private venture.
In 1886 MIR. Peary obtained leave from
his duties in the navy and started Tor
Greenland. He reached the island Vi
Disco on a whaling steamer In June, ana
crossing I'm a native boat 10 the main
Land opposite Godhaven, ascended 10 the
plateau Of ice which appears 10 cover
the whole interior of the Continent OF
Greenland. Having reached the com
paratively level surface OF ice or snow
with only the scantest baggage, ana ac-
COMMANDED by single volunteer. WhoW
he found at Godhaven. he started on ms
tourney on the inland Ice due eastward;
He travelled on snOwshOes or klhu
used extensively in Norway, and known
as skees. These are long. narrow STRIPS
of wood. scarcely wider than u shoe ana
slightly bent upward at the toe. These
are firmly dashed to the feet, ana are
used much as a steel skate is used. eN-
cent that the foot is held rgidly in front
of the body. Lieutenant Peary has de-
scribed in an interesting pamphlet MS
experience in their use. By their anu
he was able 10 push about hundred
miles into the interior, and returned WIN
out accident OF any kind. Convinced that
the many problems which yet remain un-
solved concerning the far North could
best be solved by this manner of travel
ling, he sought an opportunity TO repeat
on a grander scale his former eXpe-
riences.
II WAS not, however, until five years
later that he vas able to get released
from his government duties temporarily
and again seek the far North. AZ soon
as he found that he could get leave of
absence he cast about for support in
his undertaking. and in January OF loA
presented his plan 10 the council OF lhe
Academy Of Natural Sciences, OF Phlla-
delphla. After considerable discussion OF
the plan. the sanction of the academy
WAS given. The scheme as then out
lined was to send Lieutenant Peary and
party as far north as might be feasible
supplied with boats. provisions. and build
ing materials sufficient to enable them
to establish winter quarters at Whale
sound. i'm II degrees north latitude ana
If possible make one Of two caches OF
provisions on the ice cap further hOrlh'
In the spring. leaving their winter quar-
tiers. they would start In general north
easterIv course mounted on skees, their
objective point being Brainard and Lock-
woods farthest north Uhe most northerly
point yet reached by NAM, In - de-
asrees p minutes. His further course
would depend upon circumstances, but
in any case he would fall back upon ms
caches OF supplies and retreat 10 Whale
sound. where ne expected TO take TO his
boats and retreat across Melville Day TO
Tperhayik or GOdhavn.
In speaking Of this trip, Mr.. Peary said;
..rbe salient features of the project
are the smallness of the party and the
utilization of the greater Interior Ice
plateau. the imperial highway Of inner
Greenland as a road Instead or the sea
~ ice and the whole theory of the pro-
tect rests upon the now well-established
tact that the interior of South and Middle
Greenland is covered with an uninter-
rupted ice cap. and the more than prOba-
bility Din my opinion that IN Nortn
Greenland the conditions are the same
and the ice cap nearly, If not quite, CO.
extensive with the land
The above may be said 10 be an out
line OF al, Mr.. Peary's attempts. He
ia entitled 10 the credit OF the abandon
,uent of the ocean and the resort TO the
ice can exclusively as original plans or
exploration in this field; ana IL would
essm as though three attempts without
ICss Of life had justified his judgment
in at least one important particular
The Kite. then as now, the boat OF
the expedition. saiied from Brooklyn Sat
urday. June 6, 1891, under command Of
Captain Richard Pike, an old Arctic
veteran. who had commanded the steam
er which took Greedy north in 1852. The
Marty on that occasion consisted OF ff-
teen persons They reached Cape Parry
an THURSDAY. July q. 1891, and on the fol-
lowing Saturday landed on the southern
shore of MurchisOns sound. This was
about II degrees 43 minutes north lati-
,ude and 20 degrees 40 minutes west
longitude. Four days were spent In pre-
narIng the winter home OF the party.
and the Kite then departed for the home
ward trip, arriving at 81. Johns, August
%. 1891.
ching. BY reason OF his anxiety to hurry
the ship they were caught in ice at
tho entrance TO Melville bay. They re-
manned near here from July "a to July
,O,h The event Is thus described by one
Of the voyagers:
"E,rom the "a OF July until the 10th the
record Is one of constant failures. Oc-
GA sionally a few miles would be made.
but only TO meet heavier Ice beyond. ON
the 10th as IL by magic, the Ice Tell
away and for few hours We were en-
abled to steam slowly through the lead.
Fog. as we'll as ice. now delayed us and
our progress was 80 often interrupted
mat the familiar order Of burn her
DOWN" meaning 10 let the fire under the
hoilers 20 out, became a by-word among
US .
!, was while we were thus dismally
situated that the accident happened
which threatened for a while the sue
cess of the whole expedition Lleuten-
ant Peary, while the ship was working
It's way painfully through lead In the