The Washington times., 1901-09-22
pEARY'S ARCTIC VENTURES.
The Story of His Repeated Strug'
giles in the Frozen North.
His Achievements I'm the Various
Expeditions He Has Hended-Set-
backs in Early Yenrs Only
Strengthened His Determination.

strengthened His Determination.
Lieutenant Peary began the work
which has placed him foremost among
the great explorers who have devoted
their energies to the search for the
North Pole in 1892. when he crossed
Greenland from Whale Sound, on the
western coast, to Independence Bay. its
northern limit, which he named for the
date he reached there, July 4. He had
but one companion, Eavind Asirup, a
Norwegian, since deceased, and their
march of $50 miles in each direction
over the trackless waste of interior ice
cap forms a unique record.
Nansen was stimulated by it to his
famous expedition beyond Franz josef
Land in 1897. In 1895 Peary tried TO
utilize this ice-cap as the first stage
in an advance toward the Pole, and
started with eight followers to make
the journey. But frightful storms beset
them, their dogs perished in scores, and
they could only proceed twenty-six
miles in two weeks. So they had to
abandon this attempt. four of the party
being frostbitten; and a winters prep
aration was practically wasted. But
Peary was undismayed. and later with
two comrades, Lee and Henson, he
crossed the plateau again, only TO find
on reaching Independence Bay that the
beetling cliffs and rugged shores for
bade the possibility of launching an ex-
pedition toward the Pole from that
base
On the return journey their food gave
out and they nearly perished. Indeed.
such would have been their fate but
that at Independence Bay they shot
four musk-oxen, which supplemented
their scanty stores for the homeward
trip. But even as it was. they had to
eat their dogs, arriving with but a soli-
tary animal, although they set out with
forty-one.
During other years Peary ex-
plored much of the unknown parts OF
Greenland, practically delimiting its
whole western seaboard and correcting
many existing inaccuracies as TO its
configuration. He also located the
great meteorite at Cape York, and after
extreme difficulty succeeded in getting
it on shipboaTd and conveying it TO the
United States. where it now forms one
of the most interesting objects in the
Natural History Museum, in New York
city. He also crossed Smith Sound and
accomplished considerable exploration
in Eilesmere Land, his whole sojourn
within the Arctic circle being charac-
terized by resisistless and unceasing ac-
tivity.
Peary's setbacks in the early years
served but to inflame his determination
To succeed eventually. If he met checks
and losses he counted the gain in ex-
perience and information as more than
corlpensating for them. His decision
therefore, in 1897, to undertake the next
season a more ambitious effort than
any of his previous ones, occasioned
no surprise to those who knew him
best, for they were satisfied that while
his ply steal powers remained at the
full he would never abandon his at
tempts to solve the great polar mys-
terry. Every year, as he reasoned, he
was growing more Injured to the work;
he knew the courses which were possi-
the faithful service of the unquestion-
ing Eskimos, and his knowledge of the
northern rim of Greenland and the
great white zone beyond was at least
as great as any mans. barring Nansen.
Accordingly, the summer OF 1895 saw
him set out in the steamer Windward
for his new Polar campaign. The ship
was presented to him by Mr.. Alfred
Harmsworth of London. and his plans
provided for an absence of five years.
He intended to take the ship as far as
possible up the North Water (the series
of connecting channels which stretch
from Baffin's Bay TO the Polar Basin),
and then, disembarking, send her home.
to return next year with more supplies.
He and his two companions, DIR. Ded-
erick and Matt. Henson, were to make
their way polarward. establishing
caches at every prominent headland.
through the medium of the Eskimos,
and ultimately making dash across
the great crystal expanse which invites.
yet ever repels. access to the Arctic
sphinx
But once more Peary met ill-fortune
The season of 1898 was very severe, the
winter set in early, and the ship was
frozen up for the winter in Kane Bas-
in, only sixty miles beyond Cape Sabine.
the entrance gate to the Polar fast
nesses. Unable to do better, Peary de-
cided to land at Cape Durville, and with
the help of the Eskimos whom he had
brought along. make his way up the
coast to Cape Hecla, the farthest point
OF land known on that side of the chan
mel, whence he could make mis- dash
across the cleaning plain toward the
ultimate north. From Cape Hecla some
$50 miles would separate him from the
Pole, and 300, following the coast line.
from his base at Durville, but he pro-
posed to utilize for an advanced depot
the old Greely station, Fort Conger. at
Lady Franklin Bay, where that expedi-
tion had wintered in 1881 and 1882. ere
attempting the famous retreat to Cape
Sabine, which ended so disastrously
From the fateful 9Th of August, 1883,
when Greely and Eis men left it, no hu-
man foot had crossed it's threshold, and
Peary counted on finding in good repair
the wooden house which had sheltered
them, and an ample supply of stores
available for his own purposes, because
Greely had been unable to bring away
any more than two boatloads VIXEN they
left.
In this new project Peary again met
a cruel check. 1t was the most serious
setback In his whole Arctic career.
When he was entering Mccormack Bay
in 1891, on his first expedition, the
wheeI-chafn of the steamer Kite