Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-10-04
FIERCE QUARRELING
Said to Have Been Constant
on the Steamer Kite.
members OF Peary Relief Expedition
Very Much at Odds.
oyche Accused Of eobbIing Specimens
Other Dissatisfaction.

appetIzlng character manifested itself
~ resembled the smell Of an abattoir IL
midsummer, and proceeded from q mum
Der OF large hOgsheads and barrels, IL
which were packed the uncured skins O.
polar bears, walruses, norwhals, seals
reindeer and other creatures of the Arcti,
| zone.
These were In some part trophies o.
| Lieut.. Peary's latest exhibition in search
OF the North Pole, but In the main were
the fruits OF the relief expedition which
last summer went in search of Peary
himself and brought him safely back te
Newfoundland 10 days ago.
Among the passengers on the Sylvia
were Prof. Lewis L. Dryche, who was one
OF the most prominent members of the
Peary relief expedition, and Matthew Hen
son, the young colored man, who, with
Hugh Lee. participated in all the adven.
lures and shared all the dangers Of Lieut.
Peary's dreary sojourn amid the northern
ice fields.
lit was made APPARENT very soon after
the docking of the Sylvia that Prof.
Dyche and young Henson were not on the
best OF terms.
The suspicion that there had been some
sort OF trouble among members of the re-
lief expedition was fully confirmed when,
An hour or two after the arrival of the
steamer at her Brooklyn dock Emil
Diebitsch. who is brother of Mrs Peary,
and who had been member of the relief
party, but had journeyed to New York by
rail-, stepped aboard the steamer and
neither gave nor received any recognition
OF the presence of his former shipmate,
Prof. Dyche
The facts In the case, as gathered by a
World reporter, are these: When Lieut..
Peary decided to remain for a year In
arctic seclusion, trusting that an expdi-
zion would be sent to his relief, he had
actually nothing tangible to bank
upon"
Mrs Peary, assisted by her brother Mr.
Diebitscb, tried to raise the money neoes-
sary for the relief expedition, but met
with little success. At last, when mat
ters looked most dark, Morris X. Jessup.
who above all other things is interested
in the Museum of Natural History, de-
cided to take hand in the matter.
He instructed William Wallace super
intendent Of the Museum Of Natural His
tory, to fit out an expedition for Peary's
relief. Mr.. Wallace engaged the services
If his friend, Prof. Dyche of Kansa and
chartered the steamer Kite
The Geographical Society Of New York
subscribed q small portion of the funds
for the relief expedition When 1t came
to organizing the relief party many vol
1nteers were discovered with eager claims
uon the expedition.
The list was finally reduced to Prot.
Dyohe, DR.. Walsh of the Washington
University, Prof. Salisbury OF the Uni
versity of Chicago, Prof La Bouteleir OF
the Geographical Society of Philadelphia
md Mr.. Diebitsch, brother in-law of
Peary.
The first trouble arose when Prof
Dyche, as the personal representative of
Mr.. Jessup and the Museum Of Natura,
History in this city, as we'll as of his own
Kansas college, was asked to sign Ger
tain irOnclad agreement, making Mrs
Peary's brother the commander of the ex-
petition, and promising that no member
IT the relief expedition should "either
directly or indirectly furnish any matter
Tor publication from the date Of the start
ing of the expedition until within five
lays after his return to the United
States"
Prof. Dyche positively refused to sign
this agreement. He said that he would
talk and write for publication when and
wherever he pleased
This difficulty was eventually smoothed
over The real split occurred In the home
ward journey after Peary and his two
had been relieved and placed
on board.
Matthew Henson is authority for the
story. He says that in August, while the |
Kite was returning to Newfoundland
they fell in with a whaling fleet on the |
west side of Greenland One of the
whaling vessels was the Aurora, which |
had on board five splendid specimens of |
he skins of Polar bears.
AS the Peary party had obtained no
Polar bear hides, they We're DESTROYS Of |
getting some Mr.. Diebitsch was par
ticularly DESTROYS of obtaining one.
But, Says Henson, g Prof by che gobbled
hem all up. He offered S25 each for the
'kins and wouldn't give anybody else a
nance
"A few days later we met the Dundee
Uhaler Eclipse. Mr.. Diebitsch, George
bartlett, son VI capt. Bartlett OF the
Kite, Mr. Tree and Dr. Walsh all went
aboard Of her, and when Prof Dyche tried
20 follow them, they warned him away.
They knew he was commissioned to
,ny everything In sight, and they simply
Kept him out OF the market. The Eclipse
,lso had number Of Polar bear skins
aboard, and Prof Dychc didn't get one of
hem. He has been mad ever since
Prot. Dyche gave an extremely interest
ng story OF the relief expedition. He is
young man with pronounced Kansas
irawl, and wears his hair long in the
back I'VE left St Johns on July II and
cached Godhaven on Disco island. July
70, and Jacobhaven the next day There
re about 200 natives there, and they
reated us TO q dance. Il
"On July % we reached Melville bay,
md on July 81 were at Herbert's island.
'nly 80 miles from Peary's quarters. We
ried to reach their camp by means of
leds around the coast, hut found that i'm
OniAng. ? Mr.. Diebitsch and
Prof. Salisbury crossed the island ice, and