The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-09-16
Matthew Henson With Com
mander Peary When Stars
and Stripes Were Hoisted on
One of Ends of the Earth.
LED THE ESKIM0S WHEN
OLD GLORY WAS CHEERED
Kept a Diary During the Dash
Across the Ice Fields and
Recorded Every Incident
When Goal Was Reached,
STORY AS TOLD BY HENSON

Battle HarbOr, Labrador, Sept. 10,
by wireless, via Cape Bay, N. F.,
Sept. 1--we hoisted the Stars and
Stripes twice at the north pole" said
Matthew Henson, Commander Robert
E. Peary's colored lieutenant and the
only civilized man, according to
Peary, besides himself, who ever
| reached the pole.
Henson tonight gave to the AssOci-
ated Press an account Of one night and
two days he and Commander Peary and
four Eskimos camped at 80 degrees
north latitude. Henson assisted in rails
ing the American flag, and he led the
Eskimos in the cheers, an extra cheer
for Old Glory in the Eskimo tongue be
ing given.
Story of Henson.
"Hoving passed eighteen years with
Commander Peary, and a considerable
portion of that time i'm the arctics,' said
Henson, Il have acquired a knowledge
of the dialect Of the northern Greenland
Eskimos, who probably are superior TO
any other. As is commonly known to
travellers in the far north, the Eskimo
entertains a strange prejudice toward
any tongue but one, and 1t is therefore
necessary for successful dealing with
them 10 study their unwritten language.
we arrived al the pole just before
noon, April 8, the party consisting Of
the commander myself, four EskimOs
and thirty-six dogs, divided into two
detachments equal in number and head
q
land myself We had left the last sup
porting party at s. degrees 50 minutes,
where we separated from Captain Bart
lett. who was photographed by the
commander.
All Night az the Pole.
81 kept a personal diary during this
historic dash across the ire field. Our
first task on reaching the pole was 10
build two iglOos, as the weather was
hay and prevented taking accurate OBJ
seTvations to confirm the distance trav-
cled from Cape Columbia. Having COM
pleted the snow houses. we had dinner,
which included tea made on our alcohol
stove. and then retired to rest, thus
sleeping one night at the north pole.
The arctic sun was shining when I
awoke, and found the commander al
ready up. There was only wind enough
to blow out the small flags. The en-
signs were hoisted toward noon from
ten poles, and were tied with fish lines.
we had figured out the distance pref
ty close. and did not go beyond the pole.
The flags were up about midday April
Z, and were not removed until late that
evening. The haze had cleared away
early, but we wanted some hours to
make observations. We made three
close together. When we first raised
the American flag its position was be-
hind the igloos, which according to our
| initial observations, was the position of
the pole, but on taking subsequent OBJ
/ servatiOns the stars and stripes was
moved and placed 100 yards west of the
first position, the difference in the OBJ
| seTvation being due perhaps to the
moving ice.
when the flag was placed, Com
mander Peary exclaimed, in English
! We Will plant the stars and stripes at
| the north pole
Cheers by the Eskimos.
I'm the native language, I proposed
three cheers. which were given in the
EskimOs' own tongue. Commander
Peary shook hands all around. and we
had a more liberal dinner than usual,
each man eating as much as he pleased.
The Eskimos danced about and showed
TTeat pleasure that the pole at last was
reached. For years the Eskimos had
! been trying to reach that spot. but it
was always with them 'Tiquelgh,' which
translated means get so Ear and no
closer They exclaimed i'm a chorus,
Ting neigh timah ketisher,' meaning,
We have pOt fbnvn q Ia cf