The Montgomery tribune., 1909-09-17
DISCOVERY OF NORTH POLE
RELATED BY ROBERT E. PEARY

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about It in the hope that 1t would come
out all right.
A glance at the injury showed me that
the only thing was to send him back to
Cape Columbia at once. The arrival of
Marvin and Borup enabled me to spare
sufficient men and dogs to go back with
him.
On leaving the camp the expedition
comprised 16 men, IL sledges and 100 dogs.
The next march was satisfactory as re-
CARDS distance and the character of the
going. In the latter part there were
pronounced movements In the Ice, both
visible and audible.
Some leads were crossed, In one of
which Borup and his team took a bath,
and we were finally stopped by an i'm
practicable lead opening in front of us.
We camped in temperature of 30 de-
grees below.
At the end of two short marches we
came upon Hansen and his party in
camp, mending their sledges. We de-
voted the remainder of the day to vssr-
hauling and mending sledges and breas-
Ing up our damaged ones for material.
MAKE FORCED MARCHES.
The next morning l put Marvin in the
lead to pioneer the trail, with instruc-
tions to make two forced marches to
bring up our average which had been
Marvin carried out his instructions i'm
plicltly. A considerable amount of young
ice assisted in this.
At the end of the tenth march, latitude
S5.23 Borup turned back in command of
the second supporting party, having trav-
eled a distance equivalent to Nansens
distance from this far to his farthest
north.
l was sorry to lose this young Yale
runner, with his enthusiasm and pluck.
He had led his heavy sledge over the
foes in way that commanded every
ones admiration and would have made
his fathers eyes glisten.
CHANGES HIS PLAN.
From this point the expedition COM
prised 20 men, 10 sledges, and 20 dogs. 1t
was necessary for Marvin to take a
sledge from here, and l put Bartlett
and his division in advance to pioneer
the trail
The continual daylight enabled me to
make moderation here that brought my
advance and main parties closer together
and reduced the likelihood of their be-
ing separated by open leads
After Bartlett left camp with Hender-
son and their division Marvin and l re-
manned with our division 20 hours long
er and then followed. When we reached
Bartlett's camp he broke out and went
on and we turned in. By this arrange
ment the advance party was travelling
while the main party was asleep, and
vice versa and l was in touch with my
advance party every "a hours.
MOVES ExPEDITIoUSLY.
had no reason to complain of the
going for the next two marches, though
for a less experienced party, less adapt
| able sledges, or less perfect equipment it
| would have been an mpossibility.
| AT our position at the end of the Sec
| ond march, Marvin obtained satisfac-
| tory sight for latitude in clear weather.
| which placed us at s54S The result
| agreed satisfactorily with the dead reck-
| oning of Marvin, Bartlett and myself.
| Up to this time, the slight altitude Of
| the sun had made it not worth while to
| waste time in observations.
| On the next two marches the going I'M
| proved, and we covered good distances
| In one of these marches q lead delayed
us few hours. We finally ferried across
the ice cakes.
MAKES RECORD RUN.
The next day Bartlett let himself out,
| evidently, for a record, and reeled off 20
miles. Here Marvin obtained another
| satisfactory sight on latitude, which gave
| the position as S6.3S Cor beyond the farth-
| est north of Nansen and AbruzzD, and
| showed that we had covered 50 minutes
| Of latitude in three marches.
| In these three marches we had passed
the Norwegian record of S614 by Nam
sen, and the italian record of 1854, by
| Cagni.
From this point Marvin turned back in
| command of the third supporting party.
| My last words to him were: BE care
full Of the leads, my boy"
The party from this point comprised
| nine men, seven sledges, and 60 dogs.
| The conditions at this camp and the ap-
| parently unbroken eXpanse of fairly level
ice in every direction reminded me OF
Cagni's description of his farthest north.
DANGER is ENCOUNTERED.
But I was not deceived by the appar-
emily favorable outlook, for available
conditions never continue for any dis
tance or any length of time in the arc
| tic regions
Ing but for the first time since leaving
land we experienced that condition, fire.
quent over these ice fields, of haZy at
mosphere, in which the light is equal
everywhere. All relief is destroyed, and
1t is impossible to see for any distance
We were obliged in this march to make
detour around an open lead. In the
next march we encountered the heaviest
and deepest snow of the journey, through
thick, smothering mantle lying In the
depressons of heavy rubble ice.
Temporarily Discouraged.
I came upon Bartlett and his party
tagged out and temporarily discouraged
|
road.
I knew what was the matter will
them. They were simply spoiled by thu
good going on the previous marches.
rallied them bit. lightened their sledge
and sent them on encouraged again.
During the next march we travele,
through thick haze drifting over th
Ice before a biting air from the north
east. At the end of the march we cam
upon the captain camped beside a wild
open lead with dense black water SIX,
northwest, north and northeast.
The next march was also a long one
1t was Bartletts last hit. He let him
self out over series of large old foes
steadily increasing in diameter an,
covered with hard snow.
WIND HELPS OUT.
During the last few miles I walke
beside him or in advance. He was sol
emn and anxious TO go further, but tn
program was for him to go back fror
here in command of the fourth sup
porting party, and there were no sup
plies for an increase in the main party
In this march we encountered a hiR