Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1906-11-23
HOW PEARY MADE
DASH FOR POLE.
FIRST DETAILED ACCOUNT OF HIS
EFFORTS TO SOLVE MYSTERIES
OF THE ARCTIC.
LABRADOR TO BE NEXT
Neither Will Terrible Suffering of Recent
Trip Deter Him from Trying
Bigger Task Again.

ditiOn, had suffered disaster at Battle
harbor is relieved by news that the
steamer has just sailed from Chateau
bay on the Labrador coast. for this
port.
The message from Chateau bay says
that the Roosevelt may be a week or
ten days in making this port. The straits
of Belle Isle are narrow and full of
shoals and rocks. Moreover the vessel
is under jury steering apparatus. the
rudder having been lost in the Arctic
ocean. Besides, the propeller has lost
blade.
The Roosevelt reached Hopedale, La
brador, October 10, after an eventful
vC age. According to advices received
from that point, the sturdy craft pre-
sented most dilapidated appearance
Story of the Cruise
Following is an epitomized narrative
of the cruise of the Roosevelt since she
passed out of civilization into the uncer-
tainties of the arctic circle in the month
of July, 1905:
In that month the ship called at Do
mino, Labrador. on its way north and
except for letter sent by Capt. Bart
lett two months later nothing was heard
of the ship or crew until it reached Heb
ron on October II.
After passing out of Ungava bay i'll
August, 1905, the Roosevelt continued
on until Cape Sheridan was reached,
and thence to the most extreme Green
land settlement, where seventy Eskimos
were taken abroard to be guides in a
dash for the pole About 100 dogs were
also secured, without which it would
have been impossible to proceed north.
Goes Into Winter Quarters.
Taking the ice the steamer drifted on
and steamed through the barrier to 1927
degrees north. where winter quarters
were taken up, being the farthest north
winter quarters in the history of arctic
explorations. Christmas day, however,
the ship broke loose, and only by siren
uous efforts was it again secured.
A few days after being properly quar-
tered snow was gathered and piled
around the deckhouse, and every other
aboard as comfortable as conditions
would permit.
All arrangements were completed by
February Z, 1906, and on that day Peary
with his EskimOs and three teams of
dogs, made his start for the pole 9th
Capt. Bartlett, DR.. Wolfe, r. G. Ma
roin, J. Clarke, and NJ. Ryan respec
lively. These were relief parties and
they kept fifty miles apart.
Dash for the Pole
During the first part of the journey
moderate weather prevailed. Before his
return to his ship 1T days later, how
ever, conditions had changed, and ter
ribe suffering from hunger and StarYa-
ton was endured.
But, undeterred by the fury of the
elements and hardened by former eX-
periences, the heroic leader pushed far
Their forward into the Arctic night until
he reached the highest point ever
reached by any explorer-S7.O6 north
LOTT f1,In |, H. 6 IL
pole.
Before he started OH the return voyage
the food supply had almost given out,
though it had been supplemented by
about 500 musk OK and fifty deer, shot
by the Eskimos. The musk OK meat.
and had the property of warming the
blood, while the skin was used for COW
ering when the men We're sleeping
After getting a good distance south
he entered a fierce snowstorm, which
drove the party out of its course 1t
continued over a week with great vio-
lence, the mercury falling to IS degrees
below zero. By the time the storm sub
sided the little band was almost CON-
pletely worn out.
Have to Eat Dog.
But, nothing daunted, Peary imme-
dIately set out to recover his lost course
Before he succeeded the pangs of hun
ger threatened to drive the Eskimos
mad and Peary was compelled to kill
juncture was a luxury. When he re-
turned to the ship only three dogs out
of seventeen remained, fourteen having
been eaten, together with 100 more musk
OK and fifty deer, which had been killed
by the bow and arrows Of the Eskimos
on the hOmeward journey.
Clarke, who was in charge of one of
the relief parties, also went astray, wan
dering $50 miles from the ship. He was
obliged to subsist on dog flesh. He had
five dogs and as each tired out it was
killed. Clarke's experience was even
worse than Pearys and he has not yet
fully recovered. 1t was to Peary that
he owed his life in the end The com
mander came across his tracks and
reached him when his party was in ex-
tremeS.
Capt Bartlett and the others in
charge of the relief parties also had ter
rible experiences. Ryan's party ran
short of food and had to eat three of
their dogs.
Then, Homeward Bound.
The dash for the pole and the return
voyaged completed, Peary prepared to
come south, and on July 4, one year
after leaving Sydney, "Old glory was
hoisted to the masthead of the Roosevelt
and her Prov was turned southwark.
For siXty-eight days the steamer was
practically at the mercy of the waves
! and ice and in that time covered only
200 miles. Contact with the ice broke
away two blades of her propeller, the
sternpcst and also rudder post, and
otherwise damaged her stern. A gale
carried the foretopmast overheard, with
the jibboom and head gear.
These damages resulted during sew
eral unsuccessful attempts to reach Vic
toria Head where some foodstuffs had
been stored on the way north. The
winter again setting in it was decided
to abandon the idea of reaching Vic
toria Head. and on September 16 the
voyage was continued south. A little fine
weather followed. and then another
storm came on. Had the ship been less
strongly constructed the expedition
would have come TO grief.
Steamer Out of Coal
After battling with the elements for
ten days more Cape York was reached.
By this time the ship was short of
coal. She is schooner rugged, but in
the most favorShle weather she could
not sail more than knot an hour.
On October / a northeast hurricane
started. The jury rudder worked loose.
the steamer would not answer the helm.
and she was once more at the mercy
Jap SHIPS TO VISIT FRISCO.