The Newtown bee., 1905-05-12
en- p~Ss,
EDITORIAL. INK DROPS.

EDITORIAL. INK DROPS.
The neighhoring town OF Washing
ton has been singularly afflicted in the
past few weeks, losing by death Con-
necticut's great senator, Orville H.
Platt, and two citizens in the hum
bier walks of life, E. G. Clark and
Charles S. Hollister, both of whom,
like the distinguished senator, being
conspicuous for purity Of character
and helpfulness of life. They stood
for righteousness, willing to do their
part in the burden of church and town
government. Adding to this list the
name Of Senator Lyman of that town,
also stricken down during the past few
months, it is no wonder that the citi-
zens of Washington mourn.
| X:
Newtown people who were privileged
to attend the splendid lecture of Edi-
tor Brigham of Brooklyn at the Town
hall year ago the past winter on
Peary's trips toward the North pole,
will be interested in brief word from
Commander r. E. Peary in the cur
rent issue of the Harper's Weekly.
Editor Brigham is one of Mr. Perry s
hackers in raising funds for this expe-
dition. In Harper's Weekly Mr.
Peary says:
Early in July plan to start on
my fifth arctic voyage, when |
pole, taking the so-called "Ameri-~
can," or Smith Sound, route. Els
tablishing coal depot at Etah
and a subbase of provisions at Cape
Sabine, on Smith Sound, l shall
proceed to navigate the stretch of
Ice north of Cape Sabine. l hope
to reach the northern shore of
Grant Land early in September,
winter there with my ship, and
early in February begin the sledge
journey to the pole. The launch
|
of the Peary Arctic Club, in which
shall sail for the arctic, was an
event which, If the objects for
which she was built are attained,
will be a notable one. When the
binding timbers which held the
ship on the ways were severed by
saws, Mrs Peary smashed bottle
of champagne, bedded in a block
of ice, against her stem and chris
tened her Roosevelt, and she slid
slowly and evenly into the water,
and her unusual weight and fine
lines gave her an impetus which
channel of the Penobscot at this
point and ploughed her steel
cased hull some yards into the
mud-f1ats on the opposite bank.
AS soon, however, as the tOw-line
of the attending tug frightened on
her, she moved off without resist
ance, and was then guided to a
pier, where preparations. were
made for her trip to Portland.
This ship has already been de-
scribed more or less frequently,
in which she differs specifically
from other arctic ships has not
perhaps been attempted. First and
foremost, she will be a powerful
steamer, carrying all the engine
power which the size of her hull
will contain. All previous arctic
ships have been sailing ships, with
only accessory or auxiliary steam
power. The sail power of the
new steamer will be auxiliary only.
Second, she is the first purely fore
and-aft-rigged vessel yet built for
arctic work. None of the others
| no h0nn f0
ly from the old-time square rig.
Her rig will be three-masted
schooner, and her sale area about
three-fourths of the sale area Of
the typical Maine schooner of the
i. same size of hull. In hull model
the ship differs from other arctic
ships in the following points:
First, the rake Of her stem is
much more pronounced than in
any previous ship of her class Her
fOrefOOt is more rounding, and her
increase in the rake of the stem
not only makes her more effective
as an tce-breaker. but is necessi-
tated by her unusual engine pow
er, the incline Of the stem acting
as buffer to her impact against
the ice. The pronounced wedge
shape has been given to her bows
because the greater portion OF her
work will be chat of slowly and Ia
boriously squeezing her way
through and between fields and
fragments of heavy ice, and the
sharper her bow the more effective
will be her engine power.
| 1t Is to be borne in mind that
this ship is not the Peary ship,
but the ship of the Peary Arctic
| club, and that she is afloat to-day
is due to the broad faith and cour-
age of the president of the club,
Morris K. Jesup, who, last sum-
mer when the funds Of the club
wese insufficient to pay for the
ship, personally signed the con-
| tract and guaranteed the pay
! ments. Spurred by. mis- splendid
example, others have come for
ward, and the funds for the COM
pletion and equipment of the ship
are assured. But funds for the
current expenses of the expedition
(cNrna 8S0 000\ no NO fn ho