The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1909-09-23

! ed like dead trees boughs until near
er sight showed them to be scores of
antlered and horned heads of deer and
musk-ox, bleaohed skulls and all.
over the top of the taffrail on forward
and after deck showed the tops of
crates, slender heels OF snow-shoes,
the tips Of sledges and the round
shoulders of great casks.
when the Tyrian's boats drew
alongside and the correspondents
clambered those of the Roosevelt's
crew that were handling paint brushes
and swabs paused in their work to
stare curiously and half-quizzlingly at
the unwonted spectacle of twenty city
overcoats, low shoes and sheer hos
iery in this city delegations get-up.
The fellows on deck wore strange
crinking boots of walrus hide coming
up to the thighs sheepskin jackets,
rusty tam-o-shanters.
H. E. Reed of Harper's Magazine in
New York, who had FASTENED up to
Battle Harbor on the earliest dispatch
boat was at the rail to receive the
press delegation. He said that Com
mander Peary would greet the cor
respondents in front of his cabin on
the main deck.
1t was not a sweet journey, that
fifty feet or so. Everywhere were
pop1c nc ryotor r,ybitapa5 with pnn-
gealed whales blubber and swishing
to the efforts of the deck swabs. On
the deck next to the stack was the
half-dried skeleton of nar-whale,
shreds of flesh clinging about the ribs.
In a crate were two timorous arctic
foxes and above them, similarity box
ed a family of arctic hares, snowy
white and brown-eyed.
Before the correspondents had wait
ed long, the door of the commanders
cabin opened and Peary appeared.
Not agey-melodramatic that appear
ance, perhaps a little Influenced by
self-consciousness. He stood there,
a tall, loosely knit man whose chest
tightened the blue flannel shirt about
it, and whose barred head was kept
stiffly erect. He had his feet and legs
in rubber boots, into the tops of which
his trousers were tucked. Nothing
covered his shirt. His reddish-gray
hair was struggling down a ruff he
hind his ears and his mustache was
frayed at the ends into two furze
bri1 hes. His stubbly cheeks were fur
| rowed.
Just an instant Commander Peary
stood stitfly at attention, then his re-
serve broke and he shook the hands
Of his visitors.
81 appreciate your coming so far, y
said he, land l am glad of the chance
finally to get into touch with the world
through personal contact with the
men who write the news. l want to
give you all the time you can possibly
need, and knowing of your coming, l
have secured the use of loft ashore
where we can all be accommodated.
am ready to go there at your
pleasure"
Time was limited and the newspa
per men snapped up the commander
on the dot He would be glad to &c
ashore Immediately, he said.
Then the delegation with Command
er Peary in the lead was ferried
across to the rough log wharf where
the fishermen were busy collecting
and weighing the slabs of salt cod LAID
out over the moss-gTown rocks.
The keeper of the general store
who is at once postmaster, magistrate
steamship agent and mayor of Battle
Harbor-John T. Croucher his name
| is-led the way up a flight of stairs
to the loft over his store, and which
Peary and his listeners found an audi
torium. Just a long low room, shad
owed by the bulk of salt casks ant
bales of pelts and cob-webbed iti
whole length by seines. The only
light came through square window
at the end.
/ There at the window Peary sat. HI
! beckoned Captain Dickson to sea
on the nets beside him. Peary's wal
rus-hide booted legs stretched ou
across the boards Back on the tops
of salt barrels in the dusty corners
of the loft sat Mat Henson, the col
ored companion of Peary who haC
stood with him in latitude ninety
| Professor Donald Mcmillan of Worces
ter, Mass, in sweater and fur cap am
George Borup, the young VALE mal
whose identity was almost conceale,
by the fishermen's boots and the storm
sweater he wore,
CAPTAIN Bob Bartlett, the skippe
who had jammed the Roosevelt
through the ice channel, took a sea
in the shadow of the commander
throne of seines. The correspondents
squatted in a semi-ciFcle on the bar
boards like pupils before the master
There was an instant of silence. M
one dared too pen the quizzing of thi
voluntary court of inquiry. This be
cause the spirit In that store loft 0
Battle Harbor was not the spirit tina
dominated that other group OF neWspa
per men who held inquisition owe
DR.. Cook in a hotel room at Copen
hagen Commander Peary dominate
because there was no doubt of hi
word. He was not on trial. He him
self began the session.
Il have told my story already" h
said, that is, most Of il, | want you
who have read my story, to ask m
any question that you will. I will an
sWer il as best | can"
The correspondents started on jus
the tack calculated 10 test the sineel
ity of Peary's resolution. The frs