Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-07

was he who abandoned it at the last
moment.
Newspapers Impartial
mo" he said in rejecting it, the
newspapers and the public have al
ways treated me fairly and owe II TO
them to give out all the information
they want regarding my explorations.
Il should have no right to W1thholo
any important data Whatever from Che
world in case l reach the pole.
These were Peary's words as repeat
ed today by a friend VINO hearo MN
make the declaration.
1t may have been one of the Fonles
of nature that Peary should start for
the pole on the last day of the hottest
spell New York city had seen Tor
thirty-six years. but so it befell On
that day a reporter aboard the Roose-
velt found a seaman sitting dlscon-
solately in a companionWay.
Isn't there anything you want 70
take with you that you haven't noW?"
asked the reporter, thinking he was
speaking to Capt. Bartlett
"If you have got anything TO read
you might send it aboard replied the
seaman.
The next morning a story appeared
in a newspaper saying the Peary eX-
pedition wanted books and reading
matter. Immediately the stfeam
started.
Trucks, handcarts, messenger boys
automobiles and carriages began ar
riving with books and magazines. Be
fore noon all the extra space between
decks had been filled.
In the afternoon they were packed
on the decks, and finally Capt. Bart
lett's cabin, and that officer told Peary
he would have to hunt among them
for his instruments.
Finally before the sailing hour with
all hands at work, the most desirable
had been selected and the others were
dumped into the bunkers of the Roose-
welt to be fed to the fires. The steam
which propelled the vessel out of the
East river was made by books and
magazines contributed by the people of
New York
When it came to cash contributions.
however, it was different story When
Peary had set up new boilers in the
vessels hold before he could start OH
his last expedition, his friends say he
had a hard time to raise the money.
Every penny he could get together was
spent on improving equipment and as
sembling supplies at Etah, and SO close
was the pinch that when the president
of the United States came aboard the
Roosevelt at oyster Bay on July 4,
190S to bid Peary farewell and good
luck, he found the craft clean but
actually shabby because Peary did not
have the money to paint her.
Standing on the bridge of the Roose-
Welt on the afternoon of July 6, Peary
with a grave face took his last look at
New York A day later after Presl-
dent Roosevelt had said goodby at
Oyster Bay, Peary left the Roosevelt
with Mrs. Peary and took train for
Sydney. where he was to meet Captain
Bartlett.
The commanders two children went
with Captain Bartlett. When he left
the Roosevelt, Peary handed the chill
dren over to Matt Henson, his negro
body servant. Henson has been with
Peary more than twenty years on all
his most important expeditions and on
April 21, 1906, he stood beside Peary
in latitude 81 degrees and six minutes,
then the farthest north.
If he lives he has been at the pole
with his commander, the first man OF
his race.
At Sydney, when Commander Peary
joined the ship, the children We're
taken ashore. Mrs. Peary passed the
following winter in Washington. The
route Peary worked out when he left
New York was much the same as that
chosen by DIR. Cook. Both depended
largely upon the easterly drift or the
ice pack near the pole.