Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1907-12-28
ON THIN ICE.


When Commander Peary. on his lat. |
est trip north, lett his winter quarters
AZ Cape Sheridan and set out ON his
dash for the pole" he virtually burn
ed his bridges" behind him, II so warm
4 metaphor can be used Of polar work.
With small party, equipped with dogs
and sledges, he dashed ahead. having
several assisting parties engaged in
caching provisions and bringing up new
supplies
Unfortunately. all the advance par
ties were thrown back on his by com
Ing upon an open lead" or river OF
unfrozen water In the Ice, which they
could not pass.
Sending some back. and waiting
many days, during which MS enlarged
party made dangerous inroads on the
supplies, he at last got across on thin
ice with eight men, with short supplies
and with a conviction that proved well
founded that no more supplies coule
come across the lead to him.
killing their dogs one by one as they
needed them, the party advanced to lat
ltude eighty-seven degrees, six minutes
when all were so weak and the supplies
so scant it was evidently certain death
to go farther; then they turned back.
At that moment perhaps Peary alone
realized what the retreat meant. They
had almost no supplies, and the oper
lead was between them and relief. II
that was uncrossable, they were doom
ed to speedy death
When they came to the lead, about 8
week after turning back, they found II
open, and half a mile wide. For two
days they skirted 1t to the eastward
part of the time during terrible
storm. Nothing was In sight In any
direction but Ice and snow and thii
black water. slowly widening until il
extended two miles from the Ice hoe
they were on to that which stretched
toward them scores of miles from the
northern end of Greenland.
At last scouts reported a skim of icS
forming to the eastward. The whole
party hurried thither. Yes-there wat
Ice across the lead, but 80 soft ane
thin no man could step on i withou
going through. At any moment 1t nigh
break up. Peary tied on his snow
shoes and essayed to step en- the ic'
with them. 1t bore him momentarily
but he could not stand still.
This was the only hope Of life. Hast
lily snowshoes were tied ou-and yer.
tightly, since life depended on them
and then the weary, WORKOUT part.
stepped gingerly on the ice and begal
soft-footed run for the opposite side
The three remaining dogs with the sin
gle sledge scurried with them.
It was a heart-breakins race, say
Commander Peary In his account o
the voyage. No one dared stop or eve
lift his snowshoes. Even as they scuf
fled the Ice swayed and gave wit
them. A single mlsstep might mea'
death.
Once Commander Peary stubbed
toe into the Ice, and stumbled, an
thought he was lost but he fortunatel
recovered. A moment later he hear
similar splash from the rear, bu
dared not turn his head.
"Who Is it?" he called, but no on
answered. The CLASSY Ice swelled an
fell away. the snowshoes seemed
grow every moment heavier but at las
the two miles were passed, and the
stepped upon the firm Ice of the Greer
/ land foe.
Then Peary turned to see who ha
been lost, but his party was entir
The other stumbler had also save
himself. But an Eskimo, pointing bac
! At the ice. said: "If the chief ha
: been with us he would be down theI
now!" The chief engineer weighe
over two hundred and thirty-fv
pounds.
e Even with the lead crossed the part
was not safe; but at last they reache
the Greenland coast, and there, viii
their last remaining dog worried a bu
= musk OK and kept the herd from file
ing, Peary, so weak he could scarce
stand, killed enough to furnish foo
on which the party ate continuously f
three days as they marched along Il
+or,,or1 fhair shin