The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-08-13
PEARY'S START
V as Very Late, and 1t May Prove
Costly Later On.

From the Chicago News.
P. t. McGrath of St Johns, n. F.,
who is an authority on northern voyages,
writes to the Daily News as follows:
THE delay in dispatching Peary's
steamer Roosevelt threatens to interfere
seriously with his plans for getting to the
far north this summer His original in
tention was to have her leave New York
on July and get away from the New
foundland coast about a week later, de-
claring himself in several interviews that
any detention after July 10 would Sc
riousy handicap him In his endeavor to
attain an extreme northing before the
polar channels freeze up again, so that
he might, If possible, get into the open
Polar sea and establish himself there be-
fore the brief summer months end. How
ever, he only left Sydney, N s., on July
o. where he had been coaling, and has
still to call at some port on the New
foundland coast to put ashore his last let
ters and take his final departure for the
north. He is. therefore, about three
weeks behind the date which he fixed as
his latest. and, although his ship is much
faster than previous exploring boats 1t
must be evident that he has no time to
spare If he is to reach any far-away point
within the frozen zone this year. His
hope was that he could get as far up as
the Polaris and Thetis went In 1871 and
1882. which ships got right into the Polar
sea In the one season. being favored by
a brief spell of open water, and this
would be q great advantage to him, and
he would have his advanced base within
about five hundred miles of the pole
itself, or three hundred miles nearer than
he could otherwise reach. He would,
therefore, be able to make his dash across
the paleocrystc ice to the pole next
sLring and have a second year in which
to repeat the effort If he failed the first
time.
"Rut II he is unabl. to reach a very
northerly point now, he may be doomed
to a whole year of inaction. and perhaps
to the Illustration of his best hopes. He
had hard luck this spring In that he
lacked the money to equip his vessel
after he had her built, and the time lost
in this way 1t is difficult for him to make
up now. The explorer who would secure
the best opportunities for advance
through its ice-cumbered waters should
be on the Greenland coast about the mid
die of July. In the cast of the relief of
the Greedy expedition they were there
early in June and the whole expedition.
with the few survivors of Greely's ill
fated party, were back in st. Johns on
July IL, or nearly a fortnight before
Peary will now be able to leave.
Consequently Peary has grievous dis
advantages to contend with, and, though
he may still succeed it will be in spite of
obstacles which he will surmount or be-
cause of exceptionally favorable ice con-
ditions in the north whereas he should
be In position to avail of normal cir
cumstances and gain his northing by util-
izing them None the less. with his own
experience his splendid ship and his ca
pablo crew OF hardy observation-disclosures
nothing will be left undone to carry the
stars and Stripes beyond the flags OF all
countries IL not, indeed, to the pole
itself"