Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1895-09-28
RETURN OF THE KITE,


bringing Ferry. Lee aud Henson Safely
Home from Their Arctic Explorations -
Ah Interesting story Of Their Experience
| hhich, However. was Failure So Far
as the Chief Object of the Voyage Was
| Concerned.
81 JOINS, n. T., Sept. s9.-The
Ieary relief steamer Kite arrived here
yesterday afternoon, bringing Peary,
Ice and Henson safe home. The
feary expedition party endured much
| hardship last winter, but undaunted,
started northward again in April in
an attempt to make new record
lhey succeeded in reaching Independ-
ence bay, where they campcd, They
were unable to make any pronounced
advance northward owing to the weak
ness of the party
The Peary party are very reticcnt.
but generally conceded that in the
main the expedition was practically a
failure. Last winter was passed un-
eventually at Anniversary Lodge in
preparing for the great expedition
over the ice cap, which left Anniver-
sary Lodge April l. All three, Peary,
Lee and Henson, took part, having
five sleds and forty-nine dogs, besides
a supporting party of natives during
the 1rst stages Of the journey.
When they arrived at point l%5
miles from headquarters, where he
had cached provisions on the failure
OF the expedition in 1894, peary could
not find the cache which had evil
IDENTIFY been showed over and buried.
consequently he decided to continue
on toward Independence bay, hoping
to augment his limited stock of pro-
visions by shooting game. lie ex-
pectcd to reach the bay and do some
coast explora tion which two hopes
were realized, although at the cost OF
dreadful hardships. Lee gave out and
had to be hauled for several days TIL
the bay was reached where they con-
trived to shoot several musk oxen.
Owing to the smallness of the party
and the fatal defect of scarcity of
food, Pcary could not make his way
northward The dogs becarne enact
ated from want Of food and then de-
veloped contagious sickness. Peary
was compelled to kill the weaker ones
by degrees to supply the stronger ones
with food.
During the return Lee again col
La p,,I Il i,, AL Il Il.
which Peary and Henson, with the re.
naming dogs, drew over the frozen
snow until he recovered. For over
two weeks all three lived on one meal
a day.
The Kite reached the mouth of In.
gletield gulf July 81, but could not
penetrate north of umberIand sound
owing 10 ice, and eventually entered
Mccormack bay on August ..
The relief expedition started and
walked thirty-fve miles to Bowdoin
bay, where they found the gallant
trio. Both parties returned to the
ship August 4. She then started on a
walrus cruise.
Next she followed the coast south
and crossed Melville bay to Cape York,
where she explored for meteortes and
contrived to get two safely shipped
one weighing half ton, aud the
other three tons, but a stone commoni ,
known as Sir John Ross. an immense
block of almost pure iron. weighing
about forty tons, it was found impossi
bic to move, and they were compelled
TO abandon it.
The Kite has on board the mos
valuable collection ever brought on
of the Arctic regions. 1t is mainly
the work Of Prof. Dyche, of Kansas
university, who collected nearly 4,00'
specimens of birds, eggs and animals
in the neighorhood of uolsteinburg
Peary secured many valuable meteor
illogical data. All the members of tn,
combined expeditions agree that thi
gives the death blow to any Arctic eX
pedition under American auspices TO
many years to come Peary feels hi
failure keenly, and much sympathy il
expressed for him here.