The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-06-04
A RACE FOR THE POLE.
Lieutenant Peary's Next Effort
TO Reach 1t.
PUSHING THE RECORD NORTH.

dred Statute Miles
WASHINGTON, June 8. Especial l-The
leinlte announcement that Lieutenant
Peary Is TO make another effort to reach
The north pole has been received with great
Interest here, where all matters pertaining
to science and exploration are given much
attention There is general satisfaction
that the plucky Poary has decided again
to enter the lists against the Norwegians
DIR. Nansen and Lieutenant Johansen have
set pretty high mark for Peary TO beat,
but tho friends Of the American believe he
viii do It. The record of farthest north
has been pushed up as follows:
Latitude s2.45, by Parry (English),
1897
Latitude $3.50, by Markham (English),
1876.
Latitude s3.2i, by Lockwood and Brain
ard (American), 1882.
Latitude S6I4, by Nansen and Johan-
sen (Norwcaian), 1895
Meanwhile many travellers in the arctics
have been between 81 and so, looking for
conditions favorable TO moro nOrtherly
advance
Prospects Of Reaching the Pole.
The race for the pole has now narrowed
down TO the Scandinayians and the Amer
leans. DR. Nansen's great achievement of
drifting through the Arctic sea in the
Fran and reaching within geo geograph-
ical miles of the pole, has left the pole itself
as practically the only thing worth striv-
ing for except the explanation of some
unknown lands i'm the polar region Lit
tie doubt exists in the minds of men ia
miliar with arctic work that the pole will
be reached in a very few years, probably
in half dozen. The rivalry between Eu-
rope and America for this frigid honor is
becoming intensely interesting.
1t is not generally known that DR.. Nan
sens sledge journey produced very little
fC-G.t lt was more feat of endurance
than OF exploration. After he left his ship
the Fran made within lS miles of the
northernmost point reached by him. DR.
Manson could have beaten all records by
simply remaining in the comfort of his
cabin on the Fran, and had indeed beaten
all records when he left her. The Fran
was a little north of the eighty fourth par.
allel when Manson and Johansen set out
on their sledge journey The ship after
ward drifted TO $3.50, while DIR. Nansen
was compelled to turn back at So. IA, when
he was within 226 geographical or 900
statute miles of the pole.
Lieutenant Poary proposes to go north
this summer on u preliminary trip, merely
for the purpose of arranging with the Els.
kimos to accompany him farther north
next year. In 1898 Mr.. Peary will take his
steamer to Whale sound, about ~ 40. and
according to his programme will leave her
there and advance northward from that
0oint by sledge and small boats. This Is
here the Eskimos come in. The Eskimos
rarely or never 60 farther north in Green
land than the seventy eighth or seventy.
ninth parallel. 1t is only when white men
lead them that they venture farther. The
Eskimos care nothing for exploration.
They seek only something to eat.
Peary's Plans.
peary proposes to use the Eskimos in adj
vancing himself and his supplies to Sher-
ard Osborne ford, which lies near the
eighty second parallel There he proposes
to establish an Eskimo colony. Probably
he will have to take women and children
with him, for the men are not willing to
leave their families for any great length of
time If separated from their families
more than few months, they become dis.
contented and are prone to desert.
If Peary establishes his colony at Sher-
ard Osborne ford in the fall of 1885, he
will do well. Probably that is all he hopes
to accomplish. There he and the one white
man he proposes to take with him, a sur
geon, will pass the winter. Next spring "a
select party will move northeast along the
coast of Greenland, advancing supplies
and establishing an outpost near Cape
Washington, which lies about $3.50 and
is believed to be the northernmost head
land of the mainland of Greenland. The
Eskimos left behind will meanwhile kill
what game they can-seal, ice bear, musk
oxen and birds
Establishing the outpost near Cape
Washington will probably consume all of
the second year. 1t is understood to be
Lieutenant Peary's plan 10 winter ut this
outpost with his surgeon and picked
party of Eskimos, mum bering in all perhaps
five or six men From this point his dash
to the pole" will be made as soon as he can
get everything in readiness. The chances
are he will be ready to start early in the
spring of 1900. The best season for sledg-
ing i'm the arctics Is i'm the cold weather.
March, April and May, and again in Sep
TENDER and October while enough sunlight
remains to travel by. In cold weather the
surface of the ice is better for travel than
in summer In June, July and August
the cold gives no trouble. 1t is the heat
that bothers the explorer, because the high
temperature softens the snow, breaks up
the ice and gives the traveller more wading
than sledging to do.
Arctic Perils.
Lieutenant Peary's route from north
Greenland will be over the frozen surface of
the ocean AS far us is known there is no
land between the shores of Greenland and
the pole. There may be islands, but the
existence of large land masses is improba-
BILE. The frozen surface of the sea is not
smooth by any means. People who i'm
agine it to be skating surface are very
much mistaken. 1t is dotted with ham
mocks and lined with ridges, thrown up
by the terrific pressure of one foe against
another under the influence of wind and
current. Worst of all are the leads" or
openings between the foes. These occur
even while the temperature is 40 or 80 be.
low zero. Instead of freezing over, they
are generally filled with brush Ice, debris