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

J opinion Of one Of the Eskimos that II
any one in the party had been Just
little heavier or had they been bur
dened with a little more weight they
never would have made the passage
which meant their salvation.
With the experience / gained in
my last voyage. the explorer says, Il
am going over precisely the same
route that I followed with the Roose-
velt. But when leave the ship for
the dash across the Polar basin am
going to strike further to the west
ward SO that the drift of the ice to
the eastward, which was one of the
most important things / discovered In
my last voyage. will carry me direct
ly toward the pole. Heretofore it was
the general impression that the ice
in the Polar basin drifted to the west
ward, but we found 1t was Just the
reverse OF this By striking off to the
west, and then vearlng around In a
quarter circle toward the northeast,
think my course will carry me direct
ly to the pole" Then, he added, as
II that dismissed the subject forever.
Then mean to head directly for the
north coast OF Greenland, from which
~ win be only d few miles across the
channel to the north shore of Grant
land, where the Roosevelt will be
In her winter quarters
In these few words he discussed his
plan, plan that means leaving New
York about July /, taking his real de
parture from North Sydney ten days
later picking up his Eskimo men,
women and children around Melville
Bay in another ten days, taking on HIS
last supply of coal at Etah, sailing
from that place and dropping all,
touch with the civilized world at the
same time within a month from the
time he answers the last farewell
''toot, toot,' of some grimy tugboat in
the East river After leaving Etah
he expects it will take less than a
month before he will again berth the
Roosevelt against the ice-foot along
the northeast coast Of Grant Land.
And then will be before Peary and his
crew of 20 men, his Eskimo and his
dogs the seven months of constant
preparation before the final stage OF
the final dash across the ice Of the
Polar basin begins.
In only one respect will his "outfit'
for this journey differ from that OF his
last one, but this is detail on which
he counts not only for making better
time, but also to make the Roosevelt
even more reliable ship than she
has already proved herself to be- This
Is the fitting Of her engine room with
a full battery" Of Scotch boilers IN
place Of the two boilers which gave
him so much trouble on his last trip.
The two water tube boilers broke
down the second day out from North
Sydney in 1905, and for the rest of
the voyage up to Grant land that fall
and back again last summer Peary
had to depend on the remaining two
boilers alone.
Everything else about the Roose-
welt, her crew and her equipment,
will be precisely the same as on the
voyage Of 1905-Oe. The same naviga-
tor and ice pilot, Robert A. Bartlett,
will sail under Peary's command, and
the crew will be made up Of Maine
fishermen and hardy Newfoundland
ers. The Eskimos will join the expe-
ditlon in the same place, and It is
more than likely that one Of this
number will be the "Furthest north"
baby who was born while the Eskimos
we're living on the Ice, encamped near
the ship, while they were In winter
quarters in the winter Of 1905. Com
mander Peary always takes the entire
families Of EskImos with him, for he
has found the women to be invaluable
workers In the winter preparations
for the final dash across the Ice.
TO see Peary nowadays, active. full
Of schemes. plans and ambitions for
his next chance to win again" is to
realE:e the indomltabIe spirit Of the
man. For Commander Peary i'm
presses any one who talks to him that
inevitable, final abandonment OF any.
thing he sets ont to do is an impossi.
bility.