The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-03-28

facts were fairly well known; but
the manner of its presentation last
night made 1t new, and added much
to it which no purely written story
could give.
The maps thrown on the screen
were artistic, and they gave at a
glance the known landmarks of the
polar shores, and conveyed a good
knowledge of the geography of the
region. Following this came the
stereopticon views, made from pho.
tographs taken during the long expe.
dltion. The finest and rarest view
Of all, one which, will probably never
be duplicated in all time, was a pho.
tograph of the ship Roosevelt in win.
ter quarters, banked about with
snow, the sails all down, and no
sign of life visible except the Ian.
tern sending its pale beam Of light
northward through the arctic night.
The photograph was made by star
light, and the negative was exposed
three hours. The sky shows clear,
and star or two beams down
through the frosty air. One can I'm.
agine. as he looks at that picture
that he is looking through the arc.
tic darkness at the ship lying silent.
ly in its winter harbor of snow and
ice.
Another picture which tells a won
derful story of silence, death, and
desolation, is photograph of the
setting sun. The orb of day is a
pale point of light on the horizon of
ice. The picture was taken from
the summit of mountain 1000 feet
high. 1t was in October, and the
sun was going down, to appear no
more Until the following March. The
wide expanse of sea and ice lay dim
in the shadow, and the settling
gloom Is creeping over the cold
world. The picture shows the stern
realities of the polar region.
Lieutenant Peary said that the oc.
casion was one OF solemnity and of
ominous import. He said that the
cold could be endured. and other
hardships are endurable, but the
long, silent darkness is almost too
much for man to endure. 1t is that
which kills. 1t drives men insane.
Were 1t not for the months of dark.
ness which envelop the polar regions
the exploration of that little known
quarter of our earth would be com.
paratlvely easy.
The Ice packs, and the piles Of
ice, the everlasting and eternal ice.
were shown in series of pictures. Sc
rugged is 1t in places that axes must
be used to hew paths for the sleds,
Oyer s2me of the mountains of ice
thrown up by the impact of foes,
or the stress of enormous pressure
1t is occasionally necessary to draw
the sieds up, one at a time. with
long ropes, and let them down the
other side in the same way. Those
who take one look at some of these
pictures viii never again suggest an
automobile trip to the north pole
nor stip DIN skates either.
Some times the party could make
as much as 80 miles in 10 hours
Again they were held for days by
blizzards SO fierce that no progress
could be made against them. Lien.
tenant Peary said that the arctic ex.
plorer must be prepared for the
worst, and must look for the worst
all the time. He must not suffer
himself to imagine that the worst
is over, but must constantly hold
himself in the frame OF mind which
expects the worst stifl to come.
He showed two pictures Of the
fartherst north. One was a distant
view of his camp on the ice. The
other was a picture of the American
faa planted at the extreme point
of the expedition. with seven men 1t.,
standing round II. The eighth man
was taking the Photograph and i
not seen in the picture. The tired