Alaska sentinel., 1908-02-20
ON THIN ICE.
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When Commander Peary, on his lat. est trip north, left his winter quarters at Cape Sheridan and Set out on his dash for the pole,' he virtually burn. sds his bridges" behind him. If so warm a metaphor can be used Of polar work. With a small party, equipped with dogs and sledges, he dashed ahead, having several assisting parties engaged ir caching provisions and bringing up new supplies
 Unfortunately, all the advance par. ties were thrown back on bis by com Ing upon an open "lead." or river oi 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 a conviction that proved well founded that no more supplies could come across the lead to him.
 Killing their dogs one by one as they needed them, the party advanced to lat ltude eighty-se degrees, six minutes when all were 30 weak and the supplies so scant 1t was evidently certain deatt 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 | week after turning back, they found II open, and half a mile wide. For tive 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 fot they were on to that which stretched toward them scores of miles from thh northern end of Greenland.
 At last scouts reported a skim of io forming to the eastward. The whoh party hurried thither. Yes-there wal Ice across the lead, but 50 soft and thin no man could step on It without going through. At any moment It mighi break up. Peary tied on his SHOW shoes and essayed to step on the ic' with them. It bore him momentarily but be could not stand still.
 This was the only hope of life. Hast fly 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 a soft-footed run for the opposite side The three remaining dogs with the sin gle sledge scurried with them.
 It was heart-breaking race, sayi Commander Peary in his account oi the voyage. No one dared stop or ever lift his snowshoes. Even as they scuf fled the Ice swayed and gave witt them. A single mlsstep might mean death.
 Once Commander Peary stubbed 6 toe into the Ice, and stumbled, and thought he was lost; but he fortunately recovered. A moment later he heard a similar splash from the rear, bu' dared not turn hls head.
 s"Who h it?" he called, but no one answered. The glassy Ice swelled and fell away. the snowshoes seemed te 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-fvt pounds.
 Even with the lead crossed the party was not safe; but at last they reached the Greenland coast, and there, whilt their last remaining dog worried bull musk OK and kept the herd from flee Ing, Peary, so weak he could scarcel! stand, killed enough to furnish food on which the party ate continuously fol three days as sthey marched along thf vast toward their ship.