The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-10-20
PEARY'S POLAR QUEST.
Explorers Plans to Pierce Re-
gion Of Eternal Silence.
FEELS CONFIDENT OF SUCCESS.

CONFIDENT OF SUCCESS.
Lieutenant Tells How and Why He
Will Go and How He Proposes to
Accomplish His PurpOse-Hundred
Days Dash to Solve ~Geosraphy's
Last Tremendous Secret.
When James Creelman, the staff cor
respondent Of the New York World. in
terviewed Lieutenant Robert E. Peary,
who Is to make another attempt to
reach the north pole, he asked him the
following questions: why do you want
to go to the north pole? And If you
get there what good will you have
done?"
The intrepid explorer replied in part:
II want to finish my life work. l
want my country to have the honor Of
solving the last great problem in geog-
raphy-to succeed where all others
have failed,
II have often been asked what good
there was in discovering the north pole.
I admit that there are no dollars and
cents in it-that is, l can see none.
From a strictly unitarian standpoint,
though, it must be remembered that in
getting to the north pole by the Smiths
sound or American route / must travel
through an area that covers practically
all the missing links of arctic knowl-
edge.
This route lies through Baffin's bay,
Smiths sound and the Kennedy and
Robson channels to the north shore
OF Grantland. There we will be on
the shore of the central polar basin,
on land a hundred miles nearer to the
pole than any other known place in the
circuit of the pole. 1t is a sloping fore
shore, with shoal water off the coast
To the right Is the still unsurveyed
gap In the northeast coast Of Green
land. To the west is a similar gap in
the western coast of Grantland. These
are the only missing links in the coast
lines Of the higher arctic regions. An
other important service can be rem
dered to geographic and photographic
science by %soundings on the direct line
to the pole to determine fully OF par
TALLY the character Of the polar basin.
When these points are filled in it can
be said that arctic exploration is prac-
t1cally complete.
"As for the scientific side of the voy-
age to the pole, no man can tell what
q fact is worth until he knows that
fact. Every step we take into new ter
ritory eliminates ignorance. The hui
man race should never rest content un-
til every part of the land and water
surface of the earth has been visited.
All geographical mysteries must be
solved. 1t is impossible to say what
the value Of a seemingly useless fact
may be until it has been combined with
the rest Of the worlds knowledge.
II have seen a statement in the ews
papers that the last yacht race to de-
cate something like $4,000 OO. don't
know whether that is true or not, but
for a quarter of that sum we can get to
the.pole. l do not ask for more than
100000.
"It is important that my next expedi-
ton shall be supported well. l expect
to make it the last. Now that the
United States government has officially
approved of the work, l hope that the
national Endorsement will result in in
teresting some man or men to give
enough money to Insure success.
II intend that this shall be al Amer
lean expedition-American in money,
in ships and in men. l feel confident
that l can reach the north pole now,
and l am determined that the undi-
vided credit shall belong to my coun-
try"
But you have been confident Of sue
cess before?"
Eyes. but l have gone nearer to sue
cess each time. The last time l did
what l did in spite Of my ship. l have
had a ship Of sufficient power.
All l want is a ship that will take me
to the north shore of Grantland at the
right season. l will answer for the
rest.
II know the problem well. l know
what l have tosencounter, and l know
just what l need to insure success. l
have made longer Journeys, counting
air line directions, than any other ex-
plorer. When my ship reaches the
north shore Of Grantland l shall be
400 statute miles, or 42O nautical miles,
from the pole. The distance to be COW
cred is seven degrees. l have already
gone a hundred miles of that distance
in a straight line. There is nothing to
be seen but ice. What there is at the
pole no man knows. In four separate
journeys l have Travelled greater dis
tanoes than from Grantland to the
pole. My ship was so poor that l could
hot start out far enough north. In
the spring of 1900, my best trip, I
covered an air line distance which II I