Mexico Missouri message., 1909-09-16
PEARYS OWN STORY Of FINDING THE NORTH POLE

| program was Tor him TO go Dack from
here in command OF the fourth sup
porting party. and there were no sup
| plies for an increase in the main party.
When he left / felt for a moment
pangs OF regret as he disappeared In
| the distance, but II was only momen-
tary. My work was still ahead, not In
| the rear.
Bartlett had done good work and had
been a great help to me. Circumstances
| had thrust the brunt OF the pioneering
| upon him instead Of dividing II among
several, as had planned.
He had reason to take pride In the
fact that he. had bettered the Italian
record by degree and quarter and
| had covered a distance equal to the
entire distance of the Italian expedl-
ton from Franz Josef's land to Cagnrs
| farthest north.
had given Bartlett this position and
| post of honor I'm command of my
fourth and last supporting party. and
| for two reasons: first. because OF his
| magnificent handling Of the Roosevelt;
| second, because he had cheerfully stood
between me and many trifiing annoy
| ances on the expeditions.
Then there was a third reason. 1t
seemed to me appropriate in view OF
| the magnificent British record of arc
tic work, covering three centuries, that
! IL should be a British subject who
could boast that, next to an American,
| he had been nearest the pole.
Last Struggle at Hand.
with the disappearance OF Bartlett
| turned to the problem before me. This
| was that for which / had worked for 80
years, for which l had lived the simple
life for which I had conserved all my
| energy on the upward trip; for which
! l had trained myself as for race, crush
Ing down every worry about success
In spite of my years, 1 felt in trim
| at for the demands of tho coming days
| and eager TO be on the trail
AS for my party. my equipment, and
| my supplies, was In shape beyond my
most sanguine dreams OF earliest years.
My party might be regarded as an
| ideal, which had now come to realization
| as loyal and responsive to my will as
| the fingers of my right hand
Party Ideal for Effort.
Four OF them possess the technique of
| dogs, sledges, ice. and cold as their heri-
tage. Two of them, Hansen and Ootam,
were my companions TO the farthest point
| three years before Two others, Eglnwuk
and Sgloo, were in Clark's division,
which had such narrow escape at that
| time, and now were willing to go any
where with my immediate party. and
willing to risk themselves again in any
| supporting party.
| The fifth was a young man who had
never served before in any expedition,
but who was, II possible, even more
| willing and eager than the others for
the princely gifts-a boat, a rifle, shot
| gun, ammunition, knives, etc, which /
| had promised TO each of them who
| reached the pole with me: for he knew
| that these riches would enable him to
wrest from stubborn father the girl
| whose image filled his hot young heart.
Had Confidence in Him.
All had blind confidence so long as
| I NHyaa tpft
for the morrow, sure that whatever hap
| pened l should somehow get them back
to land But 1 dealt with the party
equally. 1 recognized that all its i'm
petus conferred in me, and that whatever
| pace / set 1t would make good. If any
one played out, would stop for a short
| time.
l had no fault to find with the condi-
tons My dogs were the best. the pick
Of 122 with which we left Columbia. AL
most all were powerful males, hard as
nails, In good flesh, but without super
fiuous ounce. and, what was better yet
they were all in good spirits.
My sledges, now that the repairs were
completed, were in good condition. My
supplies were ample for 40 days, and
with the reserve represented by the dogs
| themselves. could be made to last so.
His Program Planned.
Pacing back and forth in tn ice OF the
pressure ridge where the igloos were
built, while my men got their loads
ready for the next marches, 1 settled or
my program. I decided / should straiT
every nerve to make five marches of Il
miles each. crowding these marches il
such way as to bring us to the end OF
the fifth long enough before noon to per
nit the immediate taking of an obserya
ton for latitude,
Weather and leads permitting I be
leved I could do this. II my proposed
l had two means in reserve for making
up the deficit:
First-To make the last march n forced
one, stopping to make tea and rest the
dogs, but not to sleep.
| Second-At the end of the fifth marcel
to make a forced march with q ligh
sledge, double team of dogs, and ont
or two of the party, leaving the rest II
camp.
Sees Danger In Gale.
Underlying all these calculations was
| recognition of the ever present neighbor
hood of open leads and impossible water
and the knowledge that q 24-hour gall
would knock all my plans into a cooked
hat and even put us in imminent peril.
At a little after midnight of April /
after a few hours OF sound sleep, l hi
the trail. leaving the others to breal
up camp and follow.
AS l climbed the pressure ridge bacl
|
belt. the third since 1 started. Ever.
man and dog of us was lean and fla
bellied as a board and as hard.
Conditions All Favorable.
It was a fine morning. The wind o
the last two days had subsidized. and tn
going was the best and most equabl
of any had had yet The foes wer
large and old, and clear. and were sur
rounded by pressure ridges, some o
which were almost stupendous
The biggest of them, however. wer
easily negotiated, either through som
crevice or up some huge brink. / Sc
a good pace for about ten hours
, Twenty-Five miles took me well be
yond the eighty ghth parallel.
While / was building my igloos
long lead forward by the east an
southwest of us at distance of a FEY
| miles.
, Travel Was Easy.
, A few hours sleep and we were o
the trail again. AS the going was no'
4 | practically horizontal. we were uu
, hampered and could travel as long a
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