St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1901-07-17
TO FIND THE PEARYS.

herbert IL. BrIdgman starts on His
Third Trip 10 the POle-A Messags to
the Secretary of the Arctic Club Sent
from ST. j Ohnsbury
On last Thursday Herbert L. Bridg-
man of the Brooklyn Standard. Union
started for Sidney, Cape Breton, to take
command of the steamship Erik, sailing
for the relief of Lieut. Robert E. Peary
and wife and their eight-year-old daugh-
ter. MIR. Bridgman is brother of Mrs.
c. M. Lamson of Auburndale, so we'll
remembered in St. Johnsbury, and secre-
tary of the Peary Arctic Club. The club
were to keep in communication with
Lieut.. Peary by means of annual relief
expeditions.
Peary left this country in 1898, with
four years leave of absence from the
navy in which to put into execution his
well.defned plans for reaching the Pole.
These plans he outlined at dinner of
the American Geographical Society some
time ago. He was to 60 north, establish
headquarters on the northern shore Of
Melville Bay and the Peary Arctic Club
was to keep in communication with him
by series of annual relief expeditions.
Mr.. Bridgman is now making the third
but the last, of these expeditions. A
lack of funds will make it necessary for
Peary to come back and abandon his
plans for the present. Though no word
has come from Peary since March 81,
1900, his friends, familiar with arctic
conditions, are not in the least fearful,
but grave fears are entertained as to the
safety of his wife and child. They left
this country last year in June on the
Windward and since reaching Sidney on
August 10, 1900, no word has been re-
ceived.
Whether juncture was effected with
Peary, whether they are floating help
lessly in the ice or whether some accident
has befallen them are matters OF specu.
lation. But had they reached the head
quarters some word would have been
sent and the Windward would long ago
have reached Sydney. 1t had been pre-
arranged that letters were to be sent
monthly, so Mr.. Bridgman's mission
may be said to be to find Mrs. Peary
quite as much as to give relief to the
explorer.
Letters not only have to wait months
for vessels to take Them" explained Mr..
Bridgman, "but il Peary was penetrat-
ing farther north it might be wellnigh
impossible to even keep in touch with
his own headquarters. Letters, too,
which come by the way OF Copenhagen
frequently miscarry or take long time
to. reach their destinations, and the ST.
lence OF Peary, to my mind, only indi.
Gates some unusual activity. | feel quite
sure" said Mr.. Bridgman, that Peary
has accomplished something unusual.
He may have actually reached the Pole.
But whether he has done that or not,
it is certain that his work has been Of
great value, as he has all the while made
maps and gained scientific knowledge
of the great ice fields which heretofore
have been blanks in geography"
The Erik will call at the Danish ports
Disco and Upernavik, but no word is ex-
pected from Peary until Cape York is
reached. "If we don't get word there we
will simply go on north, calling at every
port up to Etah, and then if there is
nothing there, we will start to Search"
said Mr.. Bridgman. First, we will find
Peary, then with his help try to ascer-
tain where Mrs. Peary is. Arctic ex-
ploration is thing not generally under
Stood" he went on. Some persons don't
realize the difficulties. 1t costs $500
every dav Peary is north, and often
more. Relief expeditions and keeping up
communications eat up nearly as much.
To make sure that man is safe costs as
much, often more, than to make the ex:
petition proper. Dogs and sledges are
the only means of transportation, and
the cold affects everything and every
body, so that the capacity tor work is
limired. Captain Cagni of the Italian
navy, who has been farthest north.
would probably have got to the pole II
the men had not had arms and legs
frozen. Duke Da Bruzzi, who supplied
the funds for that expedition, had to
turn back early in the trip. Their record
is $50 39' Az. That's the best ever
done, and it is within 200 miles of the
pole. We will get back about the middle
of September, l hope, but before that
time the Arctic club will learn of what
success Peary has had"
MR.. cLAPP's MESSAGE TO MR.. BRIDGMAN.
The CALIFORNIAN is pleased to give in
connection with this story the telegram
sent from St. Johnsbury last Wednesday
by Mr.. Henry L. Clapp of Malta. Dur
ing Mr.. Clapp's long residence in New
York he became intimately acquainted
with Mr.. Bridgman and this friendship
has grown stronger as the years have
passed, and the first man to greet Mr..
Clapp at the pier in New York when he