The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1907-08-15
peary's Last Dash For the Pole
ay FREDERICK BOYD STEVENSON


day. He turned In his chair and
looked at me. The muscle in his
face half relaxed. Peary seldom
smiles.
II hope to make It," he said,
quietly. This will be my LIST at.
tempt. / believe It will be success.
full"
Despite the softness OF his voice
one felt the conviction of conquest.
He gave no promise, no hint OF tii
breaking of the Far North record in
hundred miles of the goal. There
was no boasting OF past achia-emen.;
no speculating on future glorles.
Peary is perhaps better qualified
than any other in this quest of the
pole. He began 1t twenty years ago,
and on each of the seven journeys h
has made to the arctic zone he has
been pushing farther and farther
north. In his heart is the confidence
of success on this eighth journey.
The beginning and the end of
polar expedition may be expressed in
one word" said the Commar L..
That is foo. II is not the cold, =:
is not the exposure, but the failure
supplies that wrecks the enterprise.
Three things are actually needed for
Tod in the north: pemmican--a
dried meat that can be made into
soup-ship-biscuit and tea. Tea is
stimulant, so one can get elonG with
out that; ship-biscuits are a luxur..-,
so one can get along without them;
but pemmican is a necessity that one
must have in the arctic region"
But r:ar who confesses to have
eaten raw dog with relish may
not be generally considered as 4 pur.
veyor of tempting menus.
DOG meat?" Peary repeated.
why, one who can eat hog meat or
cheese can have nothing to say
against dog. To be sure, the hind
leg of an overworked dog Is a little
tough and rank sometimes, but
man who has eaten mutton stew in a
cheap restaurant cannot complain,
nor is he apt to complain when the
cravings of his appetite attack him
with the temperature seventy degrees
Glow zero. The dogs readily eat
their comrades when they fall by tha
way, and is, to a great extent,
solves the problem of feeding tn,
animals. l have considered the
question of taking dog-biscuit with
me on my dash to the pole; but
while the Siberian dogs will eat it,
the dogs which l use on my expedi-
tions--practically all wolf-will eat
nothing but meat"
How about alcoholic drinks?" I
asked.
The answer came decisively:
mo man can drink alcoholic
liquor who goes to the north. 1t
would mean death to the man and
menace to the expedition"
"And smoking?"
"The man who is dependent on his
cigar or his pipe might better remain
at home. Why, | should as soon
think of taking a man who had to
have a piece of pie ever so often.
The personnel of your men is the
first consideration. Upon them de-
pends everything. In the first place
they must be of cheerful tempera-
ment and not subject to fits of the
blues, and every man must under
stand in advance that he must meet
the greatest hardships and seif-de-
malls. He must be willing to suffer
cold and hunger, to forego sleep-in
a word, to be ready to sacrifice his
life, If need be, for the success of the
undertaking.
Have you found such men?"
He nodded
Yes; for the most part they are
the same men who went with me be-
fore. ! can trust every one of them
under every circumstance"
Peary has been so long In the
arctic game that the question dress
for the North has ceased to concern
him. While on his sledge trips he
sleeping-bag of fur, clad only in an
undershirt. When he arises "a has
tily pulls on a pair of drawers which
have frozen during the night. H,l
trousers and socks are filled with
snow, but he puts them on undaunted
and, quickly thrustlng his feet into a
pair of kamiks, or shoes, also filled
with snow and ice, and pulling on
big fur overcoat, he is ready for his
days journey.
''One does not mind the cold n
the north" said he. "The tempera-
ture ranges from fifty above to
seventy-ffve below zero. and If man
takes care of himself he need suffer
no Inconvenience on account of the
weather. There Is really no danger
of freezing to death in the arctic
zone. "-Harpers Weekly.
His Use For a Fork.