Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-13
PLAIN RECITAL OF FACTS
Distinguished Audience Hears and
Applauds the Explorer.
IsTEREoPTICON VIEWS SHOWN
Address Under the Auspices of Ma
tional Geographic Socisty-Repe.
tition Sunday Evening.

persons, including cabinet officers, am
bassadors. foreign ministers and emf
nent scientists of Washington. Com
mander Robert T.. Peary gave last even
ing a simple account Of mis- journey To the
pole. Some time before the commander
appeared practically every seat In the
auditorium of the New Masonic Temple
was filed.
The lecture was a plain statement OF
facts and figures, as devoid of scientific
or technical data as it was Of attempts
at vivid description or of accounts OF
personal experiences, which might have
colOred the narrative with a touch Of hui
man interest Even in describing his
feelings when he reached the pole Com
mander Peary said they were common
place" In striking contrast to the almost
colorleSS narrative were the vivid pic
lures, which supplied detailed and graphic
portrayals tOf the long journey over the
difficult snow and ice. Time and again
the pictures aroused the audience to Wig
orous applause. as they showed the faith
full Eskimo dogs. the passage of difncult
mountains of snow and ragged Ice. the
negotiation Of the treacherOuS leads, or
specimens of the birds and animals that
were found on the trip. All but two of
the pictures were taken by the party Of
this last voyage.
No Effort at Exploitation.
Even the hardshirs of the journey.
which had been depicted by DIR. Cook in
an almost dramatic manner, Commander
Peary illustrated by lantern slides, show
ing the plump round faces of his Eskimos
as the march across the ice began. and
then their lean, haggard cOuntenances
after they returned.
There was no reference. either direct
or indirect to Dr. Cook Not a single
word in the lecture implied that Com
mander Peary thought he was the first 10
reach the pole. Even after he had COM
pared the finding of the pole with the
discovery Of America and the circumnavi-
CATION of the globe; after he declared that
the mission Of the Eskimos on earth
was to assist in the conquering Of the
pole" and after he told of his twenty
three years Of effort, in which, he said
he had led the simple lfe." Commander
Peary referred to his success s the at
tainment' Of the pole and not as its dis
covery.
In the front rows of seats sat score
or more of newspaper men. including
representatives of the London dailies.
Send 300 words, unless he mentions
Cook were the average instructions of
the correspondents of the New York
papers.
The lecture itself did not add much to
the accounts Of the trip which have al
ready been published. 81 have made
good to myself. to my friends. and to
the flag Of my country was Commander
Peary's comment on his work.
During his lecture he praised highly
the work Of Capt. Bartlett. who was
of the captains return. just before reach
ing the pole, Commander Peary said
II thought II only right and proper that
a British subject should have the right
to boast that next to an American he
should be the man to get nearest to the
pole"
His Opening Remarks.
Commander Peary began with brief
recital Of the history OF the 400 years
Of recorded effort to reach the pole, and
coming to recent years, mentioned with
praise hansen. Abruzzi and others, Civ
ing the last .farthest north"-that Of
several years ago-at So degrees 20 min
utes.
so it stood last spring" he said, ig-
norinS DIR. Cooks claims. when the
Peary Arctic Club organized the last ex-
petition for the pole.
The great problem that confronted him
and his associates, he said, was the nego-
tiation Of the 413 geographic miles lying
between Cape Columbia at the northern
end Of Grant Land and the north pole
range there were some 40 miles of diff
cult sea to be crossed by steamer. Both
these sections of his journey required
everything possible in the way of special
preparation. His success he attributed
to his boat, the Roosevelt his specially
prepared food, sledges and equipment and
the grit, endurance, intelligence and
what We in America call sand of my fol-
lowers. He spoke Of the faithful serv-
ice of the EskimOs, and said that il
.,lvx thot
on the confines Of the globe had been
put there practically to aid in this con-
quest.
Commander reary stated calmly that
the first act Of his dash was to remove
his supplies from the ship, so that if the
ship were lost the ultimate operations Of
the party could be continued independent
OF the base Of supplies. "Of course, then
we would have had to walk home" he
said. nat casual remark, showing the
desperate nature of the enterprise, was
loudly spplauded.
He said that many years OF his life had
been spent in evolving the peculiarly
adapted contrivances that would tend to
increase his chances, and he found himself
ready for his ash with thirty men in the
best condition, 40 dogs and food for l3U
days, all as far north as Cape Column
bia, a little over 400 miles from the pole
Divided Into Four Units.
that every five TO ten days one unit
could return, Strengthening out the track
and leaving shelters I'm good repair so
that the main party which would start
south only on reaching the pole would
on most Of it's way back have beaten
course AS the other units were sent in
order in advance of the main party on
the outward journey something of the
same easy travel nOrthward was obtained
for it. How well these arrangements
worked was shown by the fact that on
the hOmeward journey from the pole Mr..
Peary averaged five days journey in
three days.
At the outset each sedge was loaded
with 500 pounds of supplies. and when the
final dash was made by Peary, Henson
and four Eskimos their sledges were still
fully loaded and the dogs in perfect shape.
The first supporting party, under Prof.
seven days out from Cape Columbia.
Dead reckoning fixed the latitude at 81
degrees % minutes north. Mr. Mcmillan
was compelled to return because of a
frosted foot. The expedition went on
with 10 men, L. sledge5 and 100 dogs, the
first So miles having cost the use of 3
sledges, men and 80 dogs. The new
lap Of five marches brought the party to
Nansens point. 50 degrees and 23 min
utes and the second party, under Borup,
went back. The journey was resumed
with IL men, 10 sledges and 50 dogs.
At eighty-six degrees thirty-eight min
utes Prof. Marvin and two Eskimos were
dropped. having gone four miles beyond
the highest point reached by the Italian
expedition under the Duke Of the Abruzzi
rrh,. I>Ft nine men seven sledses and six-