Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-01
DISCOVERY POSSIBLE
Commander Peary Says North
Pole Can Be Reached.
RECENT EXPLORATION
rs CONFIDENT THE UNITED
STATES WILL WIN THE PRIZE.
Text of Lecture Delivered Before the
National Geographic Society
Saturday Evening.
RECENT EXPLORATION

ten TO commander Robert Z. Peary's lee
ture before the National Geographic Soci-
ETY. upon experiences in the arctic regions
and upon the results of his past four years
of exploration in the frozen north. The re-
marks of Commander Peary were illustrat-
ed with a fine collection of stereopticon
views, which showed not only the dangers
of his journeyings, but also gave more
adequate idea to the auditors of the geo.
graphical aspect of the arctic country
Among the most interesting of the many
incidents described in his lecture was the
recital Of events connected with his stay
among the Eskimos.
Commander Peary, with two faithful
companions-his man Hensen and an Es-
kimo, and sixteen dogs and three sedges.
made his way to what he claims to be the
farthest northern point on the surface of
the earth. At this point he built a cairn,
naming it for Morris K Jessup of the
Peary Arctic Club of New York city. He
found the latitude at this point to be 81 de-
grees II minutes north.
In the cairn on Cape Morris K. Jessup
Commander Peary placed an American flag
and three records, bearing different dates.
The first record was as follows:
May 49, 19OO.-Have just reached here
from Etah, via Fort conger;, Left Etah
with me my man Hensen. an Eskimo,
Ahngmalokto; sixteen dogs and three
sledges; all in fair condition. Proceed to-
day due north true) over sea ice. Fine
weather. am doing this work under the
auspices of and with funds furnished by
the Peary Arctic Club of New York city.
The membership of this club comprises
Morris K. Jessup, Henry W. Cannon. Her
bert L. Bridgman, John H. Flagler, E. c.
Benedict, Frederick E. Hyde, H. H. Bene
dict, E. w. Bliss, H. H. Sands, ]. F. Con-
stable, Charles F. DAILY, Henry Parish, A.
A. Raven. E. B. Thomas and others"
The second record bears date May II,
1000, and in that he stated:
Have returned to this point. Reached
SO degrees so minutes north latitude due
north of here. Stopped by extremely rough
ice intersected by water cracks. Water sky
to north Am now going east along the
coast. Fine weather.
The Last Record.
The Goth of May, 1900, Commander Peary
placed the last record in the cairn. This
reads as follows:
Have again returned to this place.
Reached point on east coast about N lat So
degrees. Open water all along the coast a
few miles off No land seen to north or east
Last seven days continuous fogs. wind and
snow. Is now showing with strong wester-
ly wind. Temperature 20 degrees Fahren-
heit. Ten musk oxen killed east Of here.
Expect start for Conger tomorrow"
Lockwood Island in which he discovered a
record left there by Lieut.. ]. B. Lockwood
and Col. d. L. Brainard, U. S. A. He
placed this record in cairn on Cape Wash
ington, with the following Endorsement:
May 20. 19OO-This copy of the record
left by Lieut.. ]. B. Lockwood and Sergt.
(now coloneD D. l.. Brainard, U. S. A.. in
the cairn on Lockwood Island southwest
of here May 16, 1882 is today placed by me
in this cairn on the farthest land seen by
a q n w m of
whom gave his life for his arctic work"
Extracts From Journal.
The lecturer also read several extracts
from his journal made while at the highest
latitude. One of these entries was as fol-
lows:
THE game is Off Ny dream of sixteen
years is ended. 1t cleared during the night
and we got under way this morning. Deep
snow. Two small old foes. Then came
another region of old rubble and deep
snow. A survey from the top of pima
Gle showed this extending north. east and
west. as far as could be seen The two old
foes over which we had just come were
the only ones in sight 1t is impracticable
and have given the order to camp. l have
made the best fight 1 knew. l believe it
has been a good one.
In speaking Of the conditions surrounding
to reach the north pole Com
mander Peary said in part:
To-day four points stand out in the CEN
trail polar basin, the four points of nearest
approach to the pole. Two are in the east
ern hemisphere, two in the western. One
belongs to Italy, one to Norway two to the
United States.
Feasibility Of Reaching Pole.
There are two facts wish to bring to
your attention. not in a boastful manner.
but as bearing upon the feasibility of
line distance from start to finish of four
sledge journeys which have made in high
arctic ATTITUDES Is the same as the distance
from the northern shore of Grinnell Land
to the pole. Second, the airline distance
from start to finish of my 1900 sledge jour-
ney Is such that had my starting point been
in the same latitude as that of Abruzzi it
would have taken me to the pole or had
my starting point been in the same latitude
as Nansens, or on the northern shore of
Grinnell Land, 1t would have carried me
beyond the pole
I'm spite Of the amount of work which
has been done in the north polar regions
during the past few years the work is not
complete. The archipelago of Frank Josef
Land has, 1t is true, been delimted, and
its northern terminus removed from the
field Of uncertainty. The lapds north Of the
North American archipelago and west of
ElIesmere Land have also been delirnited
as to their northern coasts The northern
been rounded, and America holds the record
for the most northerly land in the world,
the northern point of the largest of the
north polar land groups. But there are
still several gaps to be filled before north
polar work can be considered as finished. j,
The Central Point.
"And the head Of the Smith sound gate
way to the POLE is the central point from
which to close this work. It Is the point
from which can be reached and determined
that stretch Of still unknown coast on the
eastern shore of Greenland. reaching from
Cape Bismarck to Cape Parish; the point
from which can be reached and determined
the interior manifestations Of the great
ford system OF northern Greenland: the
point from which can be reached and de-
termined the gap In the coast line, on the
west coast of GrinneH Land, between Al
drich's farthest and syerdrup's farthest;
the point from which the practically un-
known land along the eastern side Of Ken
nedy and Ruberson channel can be reached:
and the point from which the pole itself
can and win be reached.
ut may seem to indicate over-confidence