The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-10-02
NEW FARTHEST NORTH.

. completion OF the survey of the mort h =
ernmost coast of Greenland, and as well
! the reaching of the farthest north in
the western hemisphere. The success
/ full explorer is an American, Lieut.
Peary, and his report to the club which
sent him out, gives as we'll a chart OF
! the coast which he has delimited and
+ much valuable information as to the
animal life Of the district.
| The news of the work done by the
| Peary expedition comes from North
| Sydney. borne by Mrs. Peary, who has
just returned from out of the ice in the
relief steamer Erik. The story of the
relief expedition is a most peculiar one
in itself. Mrs. Peary and party We're
frozen III the Payer harbor, a mile
away from Cape Sabine, and remained
there for eight months, while all this
time Mr.. Peary was in his winter camp
at Fort Conger, only $50 miles away.
1t was during the spring of 1900 that
the great discoveries were made. At
that time with a party of six, Peary
started from Etah, April 10 and May
Sth opened Lockwood's farthest north
cairh. Due north his course led, but
was able to proceed, for, the ice pack
disintegrating, there We're masses of
floating ice and stretches of open water,
which made a halt imperative. This
point was at eighty-three degrees and
fifty minutes north, or a gain of eleven
minutes over the Lockwood mark, and
the highest point ever reached on the
Western hemisphere.
Blocked of advance on this line
Peary took up the survey of the coast
of Greenland. Nine years previous he
had mapped the land to Navy Cliff at
the head of Independence Bay. Now
moving East he found the same points
and was able to complete his map of
the entire north coast. This is the most
northerly land known, and is without
Doubt the farthest north land of the
globe. His report says:
The new coast shows marked change at
the farthest north and the bold head
lands and deep ffords are succeeded by
low, rolling fore shore. with traces of
glacial action, and all the evidences of a
continental terminal coast. The likeness
OF this Greenland coast to that of Grin
nell Land west of Cape Hecla is marked
and points clearly to similar conditions
of land and sea and suggests that it is
the littoral of the true Arctic basin.
Musk oxen, bear, lemming and hare
were killed and wolf seen and fired at
in the new country and indications of
animal life, isolated probably from south
ern ATTITUDES were abundant. In Mr..
Pearys farthest north cairn he placed
portions of the flag of his country and
his private signal and the names of the
Peary Arctic Club members, under whose
auspices the work was prosecuted. Tenn
perature of the journey ranged from 10
degrees TO 20 degrees above.
But the failure of the attempt to
penetrate to the Pole because of the
broken ice left only one chance that
the Peary theory may be successful in
winning the pole through over ice work
in the warmer months. There is only
one route which has not been proven
impracticable. This is the Cape Sabine |
route. Perhaps by reaching the ice
close to the north land line early in the |
year, and being able to cross to what |
is believed to be the solid pack about |
the pole before the opening Of the sea, |
there may be a clear path to the pole |
discovered. This will be demonstrated |
during the coming year. The expedi-
ton of 1901 was failure in that the
men and dogs were not in prime con-
1ition and under the circumstances to
push on would have been to invite de-
feat. The latitude reached is not the
farthest north by any means, as the
hansen mark is eighty-six degrees.
fourteen minutes, while Abruzzi went
aven seventeen minutes further. These
were in thp a. CT
ever, and the American explorers who
nave started from the Greenland point
nave not been able to get so close to
The goal. Peary will without doubt
each in his trip the coming spring the
highest point recorded, and should the
year give victory for any explorer the
'redit will be to an American, for with
Peary and Baldwin in the field there
should be new mark close to the nine
y degree mark set.