Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1907-12-27
ON THIN ICE.

When Commander Peary, on his lat.
est trip north, LETT his winter quarters
at Cape Sheridan and set out on his
cash for the pole" he virtually burn,
ed his bridges behind him, If so warm
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 his enlarged
party made dangerous inroads on the
supplies, he at last got across on thin
ice with eight men, with short supplies
and with conviction that proved well
founded that no more supplies coult
come across the lead to him.
Killing their dogs one by one as they
needed them, the party advanced to lat.
itude eighty-seven degrees, six minutes,
when all were so weak and the supplies
so scant 1t 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 a 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 foe
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 lex
forming to the eastward. The whole
party hurried thither. Yes-there was
ice across the lead, but so soft and
thin no man could step on It without
going through. At any moment 1t might
break up. Peary tied on his snow
shoes and essayed to step en- the Ice
with them. 1t bore him mOmentarily
but he could not stand still.
This was the only hope Of life, Hast.
lily snowshoes were tied on-and very
tightly, since life depended on them
and then the weary, worn-out party
stepped gingerly on the ice and began
soft-footed run for the opposite side
The three remaining dogs with the sin.
gle sledge scurried with them.
1t was a heart-breaking race, says
Commander Peary in his account Of
the voyage. No one dared stop or even
lift his snowshoes. Even as they scuf'
fed the ice swayed and gave with
them. A single misstep might mean
death.
Once Commander Peary stubbed 8
toe into the ice, and stumbled, and
thought he was lost; but he fortunately
recovered. A moment later he heard
similar splash from the rear, bu'
dared not turn his head.
"Who is it?" he called, but no one
answered. The CLASSY Ice swelled and
fell away, the snowshOes seemed tc
grow every moment heavier; but at last
the two miles were passed, and they
stepped upon the firm ice Of the Green
land foe.
Then Peary turned to see who had
been lost, but his party was entire
The other stumbler had also saved
himself. But an Eskimo, pointing back
at the ice, said: "If the chief had
been with us he would be down there
now" The chief engineer weighed
over two hundred and thirty-iVt
pounds.
Even with the lead crossed the party
was not safe; but at last they reached
the Greenland coast, and there, while
their last remaining dog worried bull
musk OK and kept the herd from flee
ing Peary, so weak he could scarcely
stand, killed enough to furnish food
on which the party ate continuously fol
three days as they marched along TIT
coast toward their ship.