The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1906-12-07
pEARY is BACK
PREFERS DOGS TO AIR SHIPS
TO AID IN REACHING
NORTH POLE.

He Says When Latter Achieve Sta
bility of Ocean Liners They
May Sail to the North Pole
Other News.
New York, Nov. New York
World: Commander Robert E.
Peary arrived Wednesday morning,
j bis face Drowned with exposure to
the weather, his wife with him, and
only two close frieuds and party
of reporters to meet him at the train.
After spending a part of the day
with members Of the Arctic Club,
be and MIS-. Peary started fof
Washington at 2:3o P, NJ.
OF course he was not entirely sat.
liefed With his trip, az he bad not
reached bis goal. And yet there
was a CLEAN of satisfaction in the
explorers eye as he described the
means by which he had gone nearer
the Pole than any other human be.
lbS QltAG1tOs
"The season was not as favorable
to our purpose as it might have
|been," he eaid.
Shall you try again7" asked a
reporter.
II haven't got to the point Of
thinking about axother trip yet"
replied J the explorer. ''I'm intent
Ijust now. on getting as near to
Washington as l can in the shortest
time. The expeditions continue to
/ get nearer and nearer the Pole, and
eome day they will reach it. But
don't know. whether the Arctic
Club is enthusiastic to finance
another right away"
About how far is the dash to the
North Pole?" was asked.
''A matter of 500 statute miles,
over ice that makes Is miles day,
good average going. Sometimes
we made as much as thirty miles a
day, but not often. If New York
should be rocked by an earthquake
sometime and all the high build
ings should fall in a heap, you
would have a nice idea of the ice
fields that have to be climbed over
during the fist stages of the jour
ney. The travel gets better further
on, but there are open stretches of
water to go around, and once we
had to cross field of soft ice with
snow shoes for fear of going through.
"how will the Pole be reached ?''
"Well, it is not for noe to criticise
the theories of others, who believe
in ballooning or drifting. If man
enjoys waiting ten or Is years to be
carried across the Pole In an ice
pack, be could undoubtedly do it,
but for myself, I'm not of that tenn
permanent"
Balloons and airships seem to
me not to have reached the state oil
stability and control necessary to
stand up against the terrific storms
and sudden changes OF wind cur
rents which take place in the Arc.
tic Circle. When airships can De
made to perform as we'll as the
/ great ocean liners that stand up to
to the heaviest seas without being
turned from their course, then they
will begin to be practicable
Dogs and sledges still appeal te
me as the best means of making the
dash. There are no dogs that car
compare with the Eskimo breed fol
hardness and ability to live on lit
tie. l had lao dogs when l started
aut fin shed with forty. Sixteer
Cams back on the Roosevelt
and will be brought to the Unitee
lStates."
A reporter asked " hether the ex
pedition relished dog meat.
"Comps1sd with the fare at the
Grand Union here" replied th'
commander, 1T is not all that ouls
be desired. But in an Arctic at
mospaere, hundreds of miles from
civilization, and with nhthing Ell
to eat, it's not so bad. Tt ere lie
the whole trouble of Arctic exp1ora
ton. The whole capabilty of al
s expedition depends on the food
Enough food has to be carried alon,
to last for the whole trip, and th'
expedition has to be turred bacl
when the supply is only half ex
hausted, for otherwis starvatio1
stares it in the face. There isn't 81
ounce Of food on the ssa icr-n,
birds to kill, and only an OCCASIONS a
relpdeer or musk-ox.
Lieutenant Peary was reminded
OF the man who said he would nui,t
a railroad to the Pole. The leu
tenant laughed.
ut would take a pretty liyel,
section gang" he said, ito keep Vi
Al