The Washington times., 1909-09-20
OUTHS OF COMMANDER PEARYS AFFAIR;
NAVAL OFFICER EXPLAINS

not get tired as quickly. It is Just like
holding 4 breaking plow behind a yoke
OF oxen or pair Of horses"
Commander Peary here leaped to his
feet and illustrated.
Somebody has Just asked me II 4
could use a boat on runners. You could
not get over the ice on such a convey
ance, and I never would have reached
tho Pole IL / relied on anything like that
You do not want to make the mistake
OF thinking the sledges were any lighter
than those I used previously, but they
were easier running and more durable.
Equipped we were, my party can
reach the Pole two out OF three times
just as easy as Bartlett can put the
Roosevelt through the ice three out of
four times. but there are some seasons
when no man could reach the Pole.
You have 10 train for all the work
In the winter you learn how TO sledge,
how 10 use the dogs. and when the time
comes YOU are in excellent trim Ath-
letic training is not good for a person
he is apt to get stale.
II keep myself in trim through my
experience, and I know how to handle
myself You have two parties. one
breaks the trail with a pick. smoothes !
the pressure ice and makes the trail !
easy to negotiate.
"A trail-breaking party can travel /
from ten 10 sixteen and eighteen hours
a day, the main party, following, goes
at the rate OF ten to twelve hours, one |
party sleeps while the other works. and |
in this way the work is divided. We
had light enough after we reached the !
place where BoruD turned back TO travel /!
straight along
Why He Took Hensen.
II took Hensen with me in reference i
10 anybody else because he had been |
with me so many years. He was the
most experienced man outside Of my /
self. he knew how TO repair sledges bet
ter than even the Eskimos, and was
their equal IN driving the dogs. No
other member Of my party would have
gone as well. 1t was necessary for me
TO have him
"All the trail breaking parties con-
struct igloos. Hensen knows how to
build an igloo as well as a native They
are. ouilt in spiral fashion Of snow blocks
and house a man comfortably and !
warm. When finished they resemble
bee hives. Driving the dogs is some
thing that requires great skill. When
has not frozen to the pressure IL is Of
ten dangerous, then the driver lies upon
the ice ike a polar bear and crawls on
AL fours.'
To Illustrate the explorer fell on all
fours on the dirty floor and showed the
method TO the intense interest and
amusement OF all.
Peary's description OF his last jour
news were fascinating. Captain Bart
lett accompanied the party TO the
eighty-eighth parallel. then he was sent
pack according "a prearrangement.
Took -Four Eskimos.
with Hensen. four Eskimos. Atsh,
Sighxlo. Egengwah and O-Qu-Ah. who
was known as 'Whiskey' and 'Harri-
gan dubbed such by Cook Charlie
Percy. who officially nicknamed the Es-
kimos, We started. In four days we
had reached within three and a half
miles Of the Pole.
The weather was not extremely cold
The Eskimos previously had told Us
about a roaring, belching smoke coming
from the ice, which we later observed.
] took my observations at 50 degrees 81 |
minutes Then / took others-at last 1
] was AT the Pole"
Commander Peary says that very lit
lie expression was gwen 10 the ieehngs
OF the men when the Pole was reached
at last.
i''TIensen is a man little given to voic-
ing his feelicgs." he said He felt, but
outwardly he was calm and unper-
furbed. Strangely enough il was the
four Eskimos who showed the stress
greatest AS ] nailed the flag at the
Pole they broke out into cheers. but
when thew reached the last lead on the
way back, and knew all the danger was
passed. they almost went crazy. We
had a good dinner 70 toast our success,
and Uncle Sans dominion over the land
or eternal ice.
speaking about the flag. fifteen years
ago Mrs. Peary made the emblem II
Cut out a bar four inches vide with
ny knife, slashinE u diagonally from
corner 20 corner Then nailed II on the
small staff. took it down again and
the ice 7 had done this four times
before on previous expeditions as I went
further and further North. The other
times / placed the flag in can
Ownership of Pole
Commander Peary was pressed to give
his opinion as 20 the ownership OF the
Pole.
That's matter" he laughed. FOR
International jurists 20 decide. I took /
possession OF the Pole in the name Of
1he United States. and notified the Navy
and State Departments 90 that effect.
That's as far as / go. The question OF
ownership does not rest with me.
merely did the common practice in all
cases Of the kind The Pole was dis
covered and possession taken in the
me ~ the United State1.'
Commando Peary declared that peo-
PIE get a funny idea Of how one lives
while on the ice. They think we eat
lot OF blubber and drink OIL" he re-
marked That's nonsense. You eat
t7ro meals a day and they are both the
same In th- morning YOU have
quart Of tea ard half pound Of pcmmi-
can YOU get Just the same thing at
= chf. II doesn't make any difference 4
whether or not YOU are there for 4 day
or a month. that's the bin of fare.
-1emmiCsn is the juice Of meat. It
Is made in dear Did America, and is
put I'd in cans. When IL freezes IL is
delicious. You -ut it up into slices and
Rrop II I'm the bowl OF hot tea Just like
YOU soak a piece OF toast at home
II Is seasoned with raisins and spices
and looks just like a fruit cake. IL is
crumbly too and can he eaten I'm Jumps
or be wholly dissolved IN the Ntea.
How did I feel when 7 reached the
Pole2" Peary repeated one OF the cor
respondents questions and most dramat-
icailv said.
For tyventy-three years 7 had worked
for nothing else. for tWenty-three years
had toiled and struggled for this mo-
mont. thought OF a. bv day and dream
- Of ~ by nighr, for twenty-three years
] had given tho best God has Civ
en n,e. sacrificing parts Of my body in 4
the work. and ] had succeeded Here
his voice broke a little. You can inn
agine Yourself nOW I felt"