The Republican journal., 1909-09-16

Peary and Ill efew were more san
guine over the outlook Of the present
expedition than any other attempted
by the veteran explorer.
Felt He Would Reach Pole.
Peary predicted upon his setting out
that he would return to the United
States In October. 1909, after having
successfully attained the goal sought
by the searchers for the pole.
Peary and his party. however. were
prepared for stay Of three years, and
only last month a supply ship was sent
to carry relief.
The relief ship Jeanie sailed from
st. Johns. N. f., on Aug. 2. carrying
fifty tons Of coal and similar amount
Of provisions. These were landed at
Etah. Greenland.
Harry Whitney, In whose keeping
DR. Cook left much Of his data at
Etah. went north with the Peary ex-
petition to spend the winter In Green
land hunting musk oxen.
The last heard from Peary before
he plunged into the northern solitudes
Of ice and snow was In September,
1908 The Peary Arctic club received
the following dispatch Sept. 26. 1908.
from the explorer:
Etah, North Greenland Aug II. 1903, via
Indian Harbor and Cape Ray. N. F..
Sept. 26, 1905.
Herbert Bridgman. Secretary:
Arrived Cape York July 81 Roosevelt
went'to Etah to overhaul and trim for the
Ice. With steamer Erik visited Eskimo
settlement to secure Eskimo dogs and
materials for disabled. Thirty-tive wal
ruses killed by party.
Rejoined Roosevelt at Etah with Erik
Aug. II. Coaled Roosevelt from Erik.
Landed coal and supplies for relief of
men in charge and sent Cooks men home
disabled. Whitney will remain through
winter to hunt musk oxen and bear.
Unusually stormy season, but no Ice
yet.
Showing furiously now-plenty of 1t.
From Littleton island and Sabine north
all depends on ice conditions beyond.
Have good supply OF Eskimo dogs and
walrus meat. All well on board. Expect
to steam north some time tonight
PEARY.
Left Etah Aug. II.
A second dispatch. forwarded by the
same route. also received by Secretary
Bridgman from Captain Samuel w.
Bartlett. told of the steamer Erik hav-
ing collided with an iceberg and hav-
ing sustained serious damage. Cap
tain Bartlett in the same message also
reported that Peary's steamer. the
Roosevelt. left Etah Aug. II. His dis
patch follows:
Collided iceberg Monday night. Dam
age serious. Proceeding along shore.
Roosevelt left Etah Aug. II. Prospects Of
success good.
What Peary Feared Most.
Peary went prepared to encounter
much open water. That was a handi-
cap he greatly feared. as dogs and
sledges cannot cross and have to make
long detours around the open water
after the vessel Is left behind.
! On his present expedition Mr.. Peary
announced that he would take route
from Grant Land more to the west and
not so directly north as that Of his
former attempt. heading almost as far
as the eightieth meridian of longitude
and thus compensating for the east
ward ice drift. He planned to estab-
fish his last base on newly found Is
land northwest of Grant Land. Peary
based great hopes on the results to be
obtained by following the arctic cur
rents
The advantage of this route is that it
allows base of supplies approximate
ly a hundred miles nearer the goal
than the Spitzbergen base. which has
been it's chief rival.
Peary's friends for several weeks
past had been expressing belief that
he had already reached his goal.
| Before he set out some one asked
Peary what the discovery of the pole
would mean. He gave with charac-
teristic enthusiasm this answer:
"It is to open up 100000 square
miles of absolutely unknown regions.
The race is both sentimental and
moral, and if we win we will be vic
torious in the greatest contest ever en-
gagged in by nations wherein there
was no jealousy"
Although the figures given by DR..
Cook make his discovery Of the pole
antedate that of Peary by nearly a
year, apparently Commander Peary
will be the first to land on American
soil and receive the plaudits of his
countrymen. If the commander comes
on at once he should reach New York
by rail from Sydney in few days.
DR.. Cook does not plan to sail from
Copenhagen till Sept. %. He will In
that case not reach New York till
nearly a month after his rival
Career of Commander Peary.
Commander Peary has made several
arduous trips into the arctic ice.
He was born at Cresson Springs, Pa.
in May. 1856. He entered the navy in
1881. His first polar experience was
acquired in 1886, when he made rec
onnoissance of the Greenland inland
ice. In June, 1891. he sailed from New
York on the Kite and, making his
headquarters at Mccormick bay, on