The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1907-07-09
CQZZZz40Z2ER r .E RE4RY

OF all the explorers Of the arctic
Commander Robert E. Peary has beer
the most consistent persistent, anC
systematic. and thereby has won the
universal sympathy Of the people Of
the United States. as well as Of other
countries. and as he announces his
plans and prepares for another ad
vance upon the elusive pole which lies
174 miles beyond the far northern
most point he has been able to reach
yet, it finds the public interest even
keener than ever To some degree
this may be due to the other expedi-
tions which have started out or are
about to start out In quest of the
north pole. notably, of course. the
WelIman balloon venture. and the
question Is being asked: as the
prize to be stolen right from under
the nose Of the intrepid Peary, after
he has tried so braveIy four times to
gain It for himself and while he is oc-
cupied with his fifth expedition For
an answer we must wait develop
ments, one year, two years. perhaps
more
Bet one discovery which Peary
made on his last expedition gives en-
couragement for the belief that sue
cess wiz crown hts last venture, and
.h1t was the finding OF the course Of
drift In the arctic basin. Peary un-
questionably Is the best equipped man
who ever sought the pole. He was
bitterly disappointed. indeed, in not
having success crown his efforts on
his fourth trip. That he went further
than man ever went before; that he
had to turn back at time when 1t
seemed that the great triumph was so
near. is not enough Out of that fail
ure he believes he discovered the road
to victory.
He does not predict success. He Is
not OF that kind. He knows better
than perhaps any other man the tre-
mendous odds that must be overcome,
but he banks on the experience he has
gained. and If good fortune attends
him there is chance. just a chance,
that he will bring back to America
a story that will thrill the world and
put his name In letters big on hts
tory's page
Few persons realize how minutely
Commander Peary looks after the
smallest details Of the equipment for
the sledge journey that marks the
final advance across the ice of the
Polar basin. From the time he put
the Roosevelt against the ice foot on
the north coast Of Grant land In Sep
tember. 1905. until he made the actual
start across the ice in February, 1906
there was not waking moment OF all
the days in that interval that he was
not studying the problem and working
it out at the same time of just how
little he could take across the ice on
the. sledges Of his several parties and
sustain their lives and those OF the
necessary dogs.
He knew the stern necessity Of get
ting the outfit down to the smallest
compass and the lightest possible
weight A matter of few pounds on
the sIeds would make all the differ
ence in the world at the crucial mo-
ment. It might swing the balance
betYeen success and failure, life and
death. And It was to eliminate Just
such an over-burden that he worked
fer SO long. How vital this matter Of
weight is he shows in his story of the
eacape across the open lead that
stretched its styx-like width OF black
water between his party and the solid
ice beyond on their enforced retreat
from their furthest north last spring.
One Of his Eskimos discovered that
thin coating of Ice had formed
across EhIs expanse OF water that no
believed would support the party. 1t
was that or death. In all probability,
and 50 Peary resolved to try 1t. With
their eyes fixed on the Ice before
them, ice 80 thin that it swayed with
their weight as they advanced across
1t. they moved their snowshoes steadi.
" forward, not knowing when the
next step might be their last, as It
surely would have been II anyone had
gone through into the water beneath.
When Peary finally reached the solid
ice to the southward he echoed the