Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1901-09-30

Etxh In the Far North ON the Gath
Of Last August Revealed In . Let
ter to One Of His Friends-The Doc
tors Insanity Denied.
IF l succeed in reaching the pole on
my own hook and return alive, will
bring you some kind of souvenir"
This startling announcement was
written by DR.. T. S. Diedrick in the
! Eskimo village of Etah on Aug "a. the
day he left the Peary polar expedition
steamship Erik and refused to return,
says the New York Journal.
1t was addressed to Rodman p. Cum
min, cigar manufacturer of Washing
ton. N. j., the doctors home, and is the
first announcement Of his plans in leav-
ing the peary expedition. Men inter-
estcd in that venture and on the ship
at the time say he Is mad and that a
sense of duty to the expedition pre-
vented him from leaving the frozen
north until the expedition had won or
otherwise ended the journey.
Here is proof that the doctor intends
to brave the risks of dash over the
wastes Of snow and the ice packs that
have hitherto proved insurmountable
barriers to those hardy enough to ven-
ture on the quest amply supplied and
abundantly aided:
DR.. Diedrick proposes to make the at.
tempt alone save for the company Of
such Eskimos as he can. win over to his
project.
His friends in Washington, N. j., de-
ny that the surgeon is mad, but say
rather that he has made some discovery
through the natives of way to find
the goal for which science has sacri-
feed so many lives and sunk so many
fortunes. For three years he has lived
among the ESkimOs in that world Of
ice and eternal winter. He knows their
language. and letters sent back pre-
viously show that he has made study
of their legends and folklore.
1t is believed that there are natives
who have reached the latitude of the
pole, but none has ever shown intel
ligcntly the route followed. Perhaps
Dr. Eiedrck has learned from them
how to reach it. At least his friends
think he has.
They know he is not foolhardy and Is
4 sound level headed man and believe
he would not enter upon so daring an
enterprise unless the reward of success
Is possibility. And yet. perchance the
belief of Dr. Cook and the others on
the Erik may be correct. and he is SIM
ply mailman, going to his death amid
tie merciless cold and biting blasts Of
the upper arctic circle.
DIR. Diedrick made an exhaustive
study Of the arctic seas. He has been a
close student Of the subject for years
and had expected to 60 with Peary in
1891. DR.. Diedrick was born in Mil
ford, N. j., thirty-eight years ago. He
Is graduate of Hahnemann Medical
college in Philadelphia and ranks high
in his profession.
]. B. Il. Smith of the secretary Of
states Office in Trenton. N. j., is a per-
sonal friend of the doctor. He said:
"All this talk about him being insane
is nonsense. He is not the kind of man
who goes insane and. having lived in
the arctic circle 70" three years. is not
likely to have his mind affected by the
climate. He has the most powerful
Of any man ever knew, and
l never met man who was better
mentally or morally. He is a man of
strict integrity and kindly DISPOSE
ton"
1t is the opinion of his friends that
he and Peary quarreled over a matter
Of precedence and that they were jeal-
Gus Of each other. Mrs. Diedrick seems
to have aged since receiving the letter
from her husband the other week. She
cries constantly and declares her be-
lief that her husband will not return
alive.