The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-09-08
PROPHETIC IDEAS
 GIVEN BY PEARY Years Ago the Explorer Tinted
 At Future Results EPOCH IN WORLDS HISTORY Courses Taken by Cook and Peary Did Not Vary Much But the
 Explorers Did Not Cross
 Eaoh Others Paths.
EPOCH IN WORLDS HISTORY

Washington, September 7-"Should an American first of all place the stars and stripes at that coveted spot, there is not an American citizen at home or abroad, and there are millions of us, but that would feel little better and It, tie prouder of being an American; and just that added increment of pride and patriotism to millions would of itself alone be worth ten times the cost of at taining the pole.
 Commander Robert E. Peary almost three years ago thus prophetically out lined his view of the value and interest attached to the achievement he an- nounced in despatches today. The pene- tration of the frozen heart of the arctic circle, the news of Pearys feat follow ing close upon the heels of Dr. Cooks planting of the American flag at the same spot, evoked enthusiastic plaudits in Washington. Everywhere among army and navy officers and scientists and of f1cial Washington generally only words of praise were spoke for Commander Peary.
 Such wonderful achievements as this make epochs in the history of the "NAA'' ucSi1ieu Cdplaln NeeQer, In charge of the United States naval ob- servatory, "and I have no doubt that this discovery will add immeasurably to the sum of humon knowledge"
 'Peary adds still another name to the long list of American heroes" said Prof. Asaph Hall of the observatory. Those persons who had associated with PearV here smoke Of hir,t todo of wonderful capacity for doing things and they instantly accepted the state ment that he had discovered the pole. They expected him to eventually win in his struggle and so it was no surprise to them when word came that he had succeeded.
 Different Views.
 The courses taken by Commander Peary and Dr. Cook did not differ very mate rially. according to Prof. Henry Gan nett, the geographer. Ut seemed to me that Peary was being delayed when he left year or so ago." said Prof. Gan nett. who Is an old friend of Peary. 'Peary's plan was to get up to the north eastern cape of Grant Land, where he made his former headquarters, before the ice closed in. He had been previous ly to the vicinity of Lady Franklin Bay and then northwest along the coast for quite distance before proceeding away from land and striking out for the pole. l should say he took about the same course this time. Dr. Cook started at Etah or place near there and crossed over into Grinnell Land to some point on the north coast near where Peary started. Grant Land and Grinnell Land form the same body of land. I think that Cook left Grant Land a little far ther west than Peary did. Their courses, however, seem to have varied little.''
 Pearys attainment of the pole crowns the work of expeditions that he has led for number of years. His last expe- dition was in 1906 when by means of the little arctic steamer Roosevelt, and oy journeying on sledges he succeeded in reaching S7 degrees. 6 seconds north lati- tude. This was accomplished on April 21, 1906, after a zigzag journey in the Arctic ocean, exactly two years to day before pr. Cook is said to have reached the pole. He regarded that expedition as simplifying the attainment of the pole by fifty per cent and his failure to reach the pole than was attributed by him to the fact that the winter was not a nor nal one, being a particularly open win ter throughout the northern hemisphere. He believed that he could have reached the pole then in spite of the open seas if he had known what the actual condi- tions were northward. as he subsequent ly knew them, for he would have modi- fled his route and made a different dis position of his sledges.
 Profiting by Experience.
 An explorer following in his steps and profting by his experiences on the last expedition, according to Commander Peary, could not only attain the pole. but could make deep sea soundings throughout the central polar ocean and delineate the unknown gap in the north east coast line of Greenland from Cape Morris Jesup to Cape Bismarck
 Commander Peary's last public appear ance at Washington was when President Roosevelt presented to him on December 15, 1906. the Hubbard medal of the Ma tional Geographical society at the annual banquet of that organization. It was then that Peary declared that man and Eskimo dog are the only two mechanisms that could meet all the contingencies of Arctic work.
 For over three centuries the world has dreamed of solving the mystery of the north.' said Commander Peary on that occasion, addressing President Roosevelt. fGod willing, hope that your admins tration may yet see those Stars and Stripes planted at the pole itself. For between those two great cosmic boun- daries. the Panama canal and the north pole lie the heritage and the stupendous