The Washington herald., 1906-11-05
WIFE TO JOIN PEARY
Says She Nay Meet Him at
Some Point in Labrador.
TALKS OF ARCTIC PERKS
Thinks Explorer VIII Remnin nt
Home for Some Time, Even If lie
for the POIe-Receives Another
Message from Her Husband.

q seems to me that # is a little early
for the public to inquire as TO whether
nay husband viii return to the north.
said Mrs. Robert l. Peary To Herald
reporter last evening Il imagine he will
want 10 stay at home for while, at
least. and eat some good. big beefsteaks.
to get the taste Of dog out Of his mouth
she added with a smile.
AS Mrs. Peary spoke her feet rested
upon the skin Of an arctic bear-that OF
cub. yet nearly SIX feet long The animal
was killed by her brother. Edward Die
witch. in Melville Bay. when he went I'D
IN 1884 and brought his sister and little
Miss Marie Peary, the snow baby Do
home. Miss Marie was born in the Whale
Sound region, = degrees. II minutes
north. But that is all ancient history
now" said Mrs. Peary last night
Against the wall stood two tremendous
pieces of ivory, each about two feet long
and five inches in diameter at the base.
tapeTing 10 q sharp point They are the
tusks Of q wairus, another trophy of the
( frozen north.
They are not remarkably large" said
Mrs. Peary. II have seen much larger"
And then this thoroughly woman,v
woman, sitting in the warmth and light
Of her parlor. mOdestiy admitted that she
has herself shot these ferocious beasts.
As d matter OF fact. Mrs Peary IS an
expert with rifle or shotgun. and has IN
more ways than one shown herself 10 be
a worthy heIpmaLs OF the intrepid ex-
plOrer.
May start To-day.
She viii probably start to-day for the
north TO join her husband in his home
coming, but may await the receipt of
another message from him first. She re-
ceived one yesterday. but would not d.
vulge its contents, saying il would be of
no interest To the public.
Neither would SIZE say whether she in
tended making stop al New York. Bos-
ton, or elsewhere on her journey. though
10 Is possible she may meet Norris X
Jessup. president of the Peary Arctic
Club, on the way
I shall proceed az least as far as
Sydney, Cape Breton and perhaps as
far as Newfoundland or Labrador" she
said: that viii depend upon future news
from Mr.. Peary. I am not going TO take
our boy with me. Mr.. Peary will have
10 come 10 Washington 10 see mis- chill
dTen-and I guess he will bee gIad enough
to come
Mrs. Peary attributes her husbands
the fact that his ship. the Roosevelt.
penetrated the polar seas farther than
any former voyage has done before he
was forced TO take 10 the ice with dogs
and sledges.
The distance one can travel north"
she explained depends entirely upon the
amount Of provisions one can carry-and
YOU must not overlook the fact that the
greater part OF the provisions are neces-
sary for the feeding OF the dogs them
selves I don't know how many com
panions Mr. Pesry had with him this
time, but I imagine only few-three or
four, probably.
Question of Provisions.
OF course in travelling over the ice it
is necessary to make provision for the
return trip to the ship, and this is done
by storing foOd-'caching it at various
points. But here is encountered one of.
the greatest Of Arctic dangers-the dan
ger Of uncertainty. one may travel a
hundred, or two hundred, or three hun
dred miles across the ice; and then. upon
return, find that that ice has entirely
disappeared. and with II the caches OF
provisions made. Such, I apprehend, has
been my husbands experience on this
trip. and hence his reference to eating
dogs on the return triD."
Mrs. Peary was asked by one Of her
hearers, who was evidently unfamiliar
with the modes of Arctic travel, if 1t was
true that her husband actually walked
all those hundreds Of miles across tho
ice "Of course he did" she replied;
in fact. he walked it twice over; for he
goes ahead and makes track and then
goes back and urges the dogs over the
track made by himself
Mrs. Peary has lively sense of humor.
She is frequently amused at the ignor-
ance displayed by some of her questioners.
In New York, said she, zone man asked
me if there were any difference between
L brador and Greenland. He reminded
me Of a negro girl whom / took with me
the time the baby was born. When we
were away up in Greenland this girl
turned TO me one day and innOcentiy in
quired: Mis- Peary, is We troo New
Jersey YETI I really think that if were
to tell some people that We crossed the
equator UP in the Arctic regions they
would believe me"
Expected Message in October.
Mrs. Peary said she had expected to
hear from her husband about the middle
of October One of her auditors expressed
SUI ~ iSe az 'HiS' anu dSheu II IL were
possible 10 adhere even approximately
20 any sort Of schedule while on an Arctic
voyage
Why, yes: Of course. in a way" she
answered; that is, barring accidents.
The trip across the ice must be accom-
plished before February: that is. before
the weather becomes warm enough To
break the ice ND into sllfsh and So inn
pede further travel. So. if the return
. the ship is accomplished in safety, and