New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-11-06
SVERDRUP CHASING PEAK1.
THEIR RACE UP THE WEST COAST OF
GREENLAND.
pIvAr, EXPLORERS on THE SAME ROUTE
THEIR RESPECTIVE PIANS-THE IAN
KEY HAS TIE LEAD THUS FAR

Arctic explorers to pursue diHereht 'ou'e'' ~
else seek their object st different times Du' d.
present there Is more or less rivalry between
two we'll known aspirants for glory IN THIS ue-
partment OF research.
Lieutenant r. e. Peary. u 8. N. went up the
western coast Of Greenland in 1891. encampeo
for the winter on the shore OF Whale Sound In
latitude 77:40. and when mild weather came ne
and his companion. Astrup. started over the ice
crust In a northwesterly direction The point
reached by the two on the northern coast was
lust below the eishty-sccond parallel Of latitude.
which was not far north as Brainerd ana
Lockwood. Of Greedy party. went ten years be-
fore Since 1892 Peary has been up in the Arctic
several times. but ne has not beaten his earlier
record This he hopes to do however within
the next twelve months
When he sailed from home last summer ne
intended 20 proceed up the western coast OF
Greenland again, go into winter quarters as De
fore and make his grand push early next sum
mer When he was last heard from he had
gone as far north Cane York. in latitude ~
and WAS then spending a few days in COM
Melting ARRANGEMENTS for his next step. From
cane York he sent letters back to his friends
by the supply ship Hope, which had accom-
panied him thus far. Some Of these missVes
bore date Of July %. It was his purpose
fortnight Or 50 later to continue his voyage II
will be remembered that On this occasion ne
sailed in the steam whaler Wind"ar1 "n'ch
had been kindly lent him by Mr. HarmS"ortn'
Of THE London Mail The vessel had peeh
previously used by Jackson, an EnsiiShhiaii' al
exploring Franz Josef Land
'tH A DIFFICULT PASSAGE.
ReIoy the seventy -sixth parallel between
Greenland and continental America there Is
broad passage known as DAVIS otraie anu
Radin', Bay but above that line the waterway
contracts For about five hundred Hies
diagonAlly across six parallels OF 1d'i'uue
the work Of pushing north"arn - very
d,e;crrt Smith Sound, Kennedy Channel
and Robcson Channel extend one atter Ihe
o,har nm from BafIin's Bay to the polar
sea but they are cloSS"i WIN Ice most VI 'iio
t.ime AMI at some points have a width 81 only
fifteen or twenty miles What Peary wanted ~
Io was TO thread this difficult passage. ana en-
camn m The shores Of Sherard Fjord for The ap-
b oroaching winter Sherar1 Ford ,ndents the
,orthern coast-arOund the corner, SO to SpeaH.-
and - f,,llv as far north as leary has ever Oeen
! ID 20 the present time.
/ II all goes we'll Peary will set out when the
sun il far enough north TO- light his way ana
! push almost due n0rthward over The Ice or the
pole He means to establish small stores of 1901
at intervals Of nifty miles. 50 that when ne re-
turns he can find something to eat without
depending IN hunters luck or hauling MS ra-
lions both ways
When Nansen committed himself 70 the Arctic
currents in 1893 his ship was navigated by a
! Norwegian. Otto Sverdrup. For over two years
! the Fran was borne along by The ceiioes to
which il had been 50 boldly secured. Nansen
: ~, the vessel in March 1895, and Sverirup re-
manned in charge Of II. Nansen has since re-
,,orlkad that Sverdrup's skill in extricatns the
Fran from the icepacI was the greatest ieat
ever performed in the Arctic regions
Although Peary had announced 10 the "oria
7 in 1896 his plans FOR this latest venture. 9verd-
rup began that autumn 20 enlist the morai ana
pecuniary support necessary 10 an expedition d
his own Nansen encouraged him by giving MN
the Fran When Peary returning IN 1871 from
a preliminary trip to certain stations IN Green
land learned what Sverdrup had undertaken to
do he protested politely but earnestly. With a
dozen other routes open TO him. the Norwegian
had decided to adopt the same as that Of the
American.
AT first it looked as II Sverirup meant to make
l push for the pole This gave Peary special
anxiety. He did not claim to have any mort
gage on the pole But his success depended
largely on his line Of supply stations and If
| Sverjrup would follow him, get into trouble,
and then. acting IN the principle that self
| preservation is the first law Of nature" eat up
Pearys food, the American would probably
starve 20 death his return, provided, OF
course that the latter should be so fortunate as
20 realize the main feature OF his programme.
Finally. however Sverdrup dislvOwed any pur-
| pose Of seeking the pole He said that after he
had gone up through Smith Sound and Robson
! Channel and had encamped on the north coast