The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-09-21

that he might save his life by an opera
tion.
Peary's idea was that lesson might
well be drawn from the habits of the
Inhabitants of the land through which
he was passing Accordingly he and his
followers CARRIED themselves as do the
Esquimaux and arranged to live as they
do. In spite of all their preparations
the intense cold brought upon the band of
adventurous searchers the greatest i'm
aginable privations and suffering, yet
they would not turn back 1t was only
when the leader found himself rendered
helpless by the frosting of his feet that
the halt was called. The surgeon with
the party declared that seven of Peary's
toes must be amputated. but there was
rot :. surgical instrument at hand with
which to perform the operation, so the
expedition was faced back to the south
and the ground over which they had adj
vanced was slowly and refretfully re-
traced
Part of this journey. most Of 1t In fact,
distance Of $50 miles, was accomplished
by Peary Hat on his back on sledge.
Matt Henson, a negro, the faithful body
servant of the lieutenant and his COM
parion In his earlier attempt to reach
the POLE was constantly by the side of
his crude conveyance, ministering to his
wants and doing what he could to allie
viate the suffering of his chief. The OPP
Grafton safely performed and Peary again
In possession OF his power of locomotion
as though nothing had befallen him he
pushed forward once more
He had established food supply sta
lions between Fort Conger and Smith
Sound and was possessed of high hopes
that the time had come for him to make
his successful advance. Little news came
of his operations during the winter of
1899 and 1900 but this did not give rise to
any serious apprehensions for his safety,
since his plans had contemplated such
contingency. An expedition which I'M
dertook to locate the explorers where
abouts came up with some natives who
were bearing letters from Peary and
these misslyes brought tiding of the
searcher's progress.
Each year the expeditions planned by
his supporters in America went North
to bring him back should be be prepared
to return, and each year they returned
without him. His dash In the spring of
1901 brought nc more success than had
his previous attempts and still he would
not give up hope. He was gathering
golden bits of information all the while
in the interests OF science.
The winter of 1901 and 1902 found him
encampcd beneath the bleak cliffs of
Cape Sabine, within a mile of the spot
where the members of the Greeley expe-
dition rerished of starvation and cold.
He had carried there ships house from
the Windward and banked it up with ice
and snow, so that the suffering from the
elements was reduced to a minimum.
Henson, the faithful negro body servant,
was with him, and so was a white man,
a cook named Charles Percy. From there
he planned what he had pledged his
wife should be his last descent in the
direction of the pole, for this expedition.
at least.
He had established caches of provisions
at intervals along the shores of Smith
Sound, Kennedy and Robson channels
and on to Cape Hecla on the shores of
Lincoln sea, close to the spot which
marks the extreme northern limit gained
hv tho Lockwood Axnaditinn in 1880 How