Sunday Washington globe., 1902-04-20

The mania for arctic exploration seems
to increase IN virulence with each success
sive failure to reach that tgHiS fatHuS Of
the raphers. At present there are four
expeditions hemmed IN by the ice in the
frozen regions of the north and others are
contemplated in the near future, no matter
what the results of those now in progress
may be- Two of the expeditions that spent
last winter amid the SHOWS and ice of the
polar region are American, one a Norwegian
and the fourth is conducted under Russian
auspices The first place among these adj
venturous voyages belongs to Peary, now
closing the fourth year Of absence and isO-
latiOu. Five years, indeed, have passed
since Mr.. Peary, upon the Chickering hall
platform of the American Geological Society
after receiving its Cullom Geographical
medal, promulgated to the society and
throught it to the public mis- plan for the at
tainmeut of the pole, and almost four years
have gone since he bade good-by to home
and friends on his high and honorable
quest The work which he has already re-
ported, and recorded upon maps, includes
extensive explorations in western Gunueu
Land, the discovery of new land masses to
the northwest of Greedy ford, high peaks
on the western and noble glaciers on the
eastern slope of the divide, and complete
revision of the map of the Hayes sound
Buchanan bay country. Later has come
the news of his still greater achievement,
second only, Sir Clements Markham says,
to the attainment Of the pole itself the
rounding of the northern end of the Green
land archipelago in the spring of 1000, COM
pletely delimidug the outlines of that
coast so long shrouded in mystery. The
last word from Mr.. Peary, in the spring OF
1000, left him at Fort Conger after an ardu-
Gus march of three weeks from his head
quarters at Etah, at Foulke ford.
Leaving historic Couger on April IS with
Henson, his colored man aud a party of
FIVE Eskimos Peary reached Black Horn
cliffs April a. where two of the natives
were sent back; pushed on to Cape
Britannia where two more were dispensed
with, and on May g. about midnight, opened
Lockwood and Brainard's "farthest north"
cairn on Lockwood Island. Pushing on
past Cape Washington Lockwoods
farthest seer" ," Peary turned the northern
point of Greenland at So degrees and q
seconds and then took his departure
directly over the sea ice for the pole.
Bafied, however, at So degrees and so
minutes by disintegrated pack and omi-
nous signs of open water toward the north,
he returned to land and pressed eastward
and southwark, rounding the entire archi-
pelago, coming in sight Of the headland,
which, eight years before, at Independence
bay he had christened Navy cliff
Resting dogs and men at the terminal Of
his a-vance, he retraced his steps practically
along the same route more than T6o miles
beyond the earlier track of any human
foot, and by the middle Of June was again
.e-H-- e..Esfe
the loss of a man, illness or accident worth
speaking about The following months
were spent awaiting the arrival Of the
auxiliary ship, which did not come; in the
musk OK hunt for the winter os Iqoo.Ioor
and in an unsuccessful ATTEMPT in April,
1901, to proceed due north from Cape Hecla,
the Greenland route having been, by the
expedition Of the year before, eliminated
from the possibilities.
In a general way the distance Of the
whole journey from Cape Sabine to the pole
is about $50 statute miles, but the first third
is along a route we'll marked and thorough
lY known, so that practically Mr. Peary's
task is 500 miles over the sea ice and return.
That he will accomplish this, of course, no
man dares predict Yet there are many
circumstances upon which intelligent hope
may be based. Eighty tons Of walrus hesh,
the best dog food in the world, were landed
at Cape Sabine by the Windward last sum
uer, and fourth much more at the Her
schel bay camp by the Erik, Mr.. Peary's
purpose having been to subsist the dogs al
the latter place until the supplies there
were exhausted and then to take them
north TO the main depot His pack at the
end of August numbered al least sixty
strong. healthy animals and these will be
augmented by the very best Of the tribes
when they shall pay their spring visit C
the explorer. now becoming as regular ar
incident in their annual routine as the re
turn of the light Unless the. dreaded
plague should break out among the dogs, a.
it did in 1894, there seems no reason t,
doubt that Peary will take the field with al
exceptionally strong force
Not only will IT be necessary for him q
subsist the dogs on the land journey bu
when he leaves the coast he must tax
sufficient stores for the whole task, home
ward as well outward, since there is ~
reason 10 expect that game of any sort Cal
be captured upon the ice of the open sea
The disadvantage, however, IN subsistence
will, perhaps be more than made up b
the facility of travel and if conditions ar
favorable II IS not unreasonable to hop
that an average Of twenty or twenty6y
miles per day will be maintained and ths
when the expedition gets farther from ia
land ice conditions will improve and III
last stages toward the pole will be easi'
than the FIRST
The Baldwin-Ziegler expedition is winte
ing in Franz Josef Land, with its ship. II
America, formerly the Dundee whal'
EsquimauK. The auxiliary Norwegia
steamer Frrthiof parted from the Ameri,
August Ij, 1901, in latitude 50 degrees
minutes north, longitude 55 degrees
minutes east, leaving an abundant
equipped and enthusiastic party III
Baldwin company has many appliances
which the practical value has yet to
demonstrated, among which are balloo
with an automatic releasing device, viii
are expected 10 deposit records aud repor
as they may be impelied by the wind al
currents Of air so that it is BY no mes
unlikely that the irst information from q