The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-09-23
A STORY On MUCH HARDSHIP
Peary'S Terrible Experience in the
Frozen North.
OBLIGED TO KILL DOGS FOR FOOD
For Thirty-siT Hours Previous to the Re.
turn to Their Lodge Peary and His
Two Companions We're without
Food-Tbe Explorer.


. ST JoHN's, N. IT,, Sept. 23-The Pcarv
relief steamer Kite arrived Saturday after
noon, bringing Lieutenant Robert 70.
Pcary, Hugh Lee and Matthew Henson
safe home.
The Pearv expedition party endured
much hardship last winter, but srarto1
northword again i'm April i'm am attempt to
make q new record The succeeded in
reaching Independence bay, where they
umpcd,
Tho explorers were unable to mako any
pronounced advance norJhward, owing to
tho weakness of the parity both Lee and
Henson being exhausted A number of
the dogs died from a plague common
among them. The Kite reached Peary's
headquarters Aug. 8 and started to return
on Sept. I. They spent the intervening
time exploring in the interests Of the
Greenland scientific expedition. Nlessrs.
Diebitsch, Salisbury, Dyche, lie Boutil-
lier and Walsh, who were ON board, sur
voyca many miles of unknown coasts.
They also discovered two large meteor
itCs which they brought home, and am
other, Weighing forty TONS which it was
impossible TO take away. They also found
1t impossible 60 bring home Peury's house
Many specimens of dear walrus and
northern animals and birds, flowers and
lichous were secured, but the captures
were not as extensive as had been exc
pectcd, owing to the time for exploring
being cut short in the hurry TO return.
The story of Lieutenant Peary's latest
trip is one OF greatest hardship. Waiting
/ for the cessation Of the March oquinotical
gales, they started from headquarters
April I, three mon, five sledgCs and forty
nine dogs Within seven days they reached
the proximity Of the all precious cache of
food on which the success of the journey
depended. Pcary bad cached it last year
for the express purpose of utilizing it this
spring. Disappointment, however, greeted
them, as the most persistent and careful
search failed to find it, Last winters
SHOWS had obliterated every trace of it.
With this terrible damper at their first
start the three still dared to veuture into
the unknown.
1t meant hardship, privatiOlt, possibly
death, but they would not retreat Short
eniug their rations they began their terri
BILE journey. The sutfering5 they endured
few can tell The party of three men was
inadequate to face this wilderness, and
this was proven when Lee gave up through
sheer exhaustion and lay down to die His
faithful companions drew him on sledge
for l5O miles till Independence bay was
reached, where permanent camp was
formed and the sufferer treated till he re-
covered.
Peary was however, pOwerleSs to make
any new discoveries. He dared not venture
ture alone on the ice and land masses ex-
tending north beyond the range of vision.
A foW miles Of coast exploration to the
northward, in the direction where iut-
/ ting cape forms Lockwood $ highest point,
/ 81 "a, reached in 1888, forms the solitary
achievement, and, dispiritcd and bahled
Peary turned his face homeward. During
the stay on the coast eight musk oxen were
shot, and their flesh, enabling the pemmi-
can stores to be kept for the return, saved
the three explorers from a miserable death
from hunger on that vast inland sea Of ice
| They started back on June l5, and after
a weeks travel Lee again showed signs of
weakness They pushed on at top speed,
but food for the dogs was likewise unob-
tainable and it speedily became a case of
the survival of the fttest. The weaker
dogs were slaughtered that the others
might live and help their master along
As the stores were consumed and dogs de
creased the sledgcs were abandoned. Then
Lee had again to take his place in a sledge
and the others to drag his weakened form
along. Soon it became a struggle for very
existance. Every ounce of impediments
was discarded. The sledges dwindled to
two, the dogs to fifteen.
The rifles were next abandoned then the
scientific instruments, wind gauges, etc,
which could be dispensed with, until at
last only one sledge, few pounds of food
and five dogs remained.
As home grew nearer, while food was
vanishing, they abandoned their last
sledge, and with one solitary dog the lone
miles OF this awful journey 1t occupied