Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1909-09-17

man who had come among them. and
Mrs. Peary was of much service to her
husband in the pursuit of his ethno-
logical researches.
Laughs at Auto and Airship Plan.
The explorer has never hcd any SYM
pathy with the various schemes ad-
vanced to invade the ice locked polar
regions with airships or automobiles.
When DR.. Cook proposed few years
ago to dash for the south pole in an
auto Commander Peary scoffed at the
idea. He said: THE roughness of the
Ice would prevent any such plan from
working out successfully. Then, too.
the stretches Of open water could not
be overcome"
He also deprecated the idea of going
to the north pole in an airship In the
following words:
81 don't feel like criticising those
who try the airship method of naviga-
ton. don't care for balloon. Let
me put It In this way: don't believe
that the airship in its present state of
development can successfully combat
the conditions which Will be met with
In an attempt to reach the pole. When
an airship has been constructed which
can navigate the air independent Of
storms and behave In the air as one of
the big liners does at sea In any kind
Of weather, then 1t Is time enough to
talk about reaching the pole by means
Of an airship, but not before. Ny e1-
periences have not impaired by belief
in my own method, which is In making
a dash over the fee by means of sleds."
my Most Important Work"
Commander Peary has long main
tained that the discovery Of the pole
would not prove the most important
result of arctic exploration. He states
his views on the subject In the follow
ing words:
'The gain to the scientific world by
the results Of my work in the arctic
regions is Of far more actual value
than the discovery of the north pole.
THE discovery of the north pole is
merely a more or less spectacular fact,
but still one that had to be tried again
and again until actually accomplished.
Il have travelled the most northerly
land on the globe. The departments
Of science which will be benefited by
my sojourn In the north are geology,
meteorology, anthropology and natural
history The full result Of my labors,
especially In the field of meteorology,
cannot be fully ascertained until the
observations l have taken have been
worked out by scientists.
Perhaps the most important result
Of my labor-I am not now speaking
from a scientific standpoint-is the
demonstrating most conclusively that
the right kind Of man can carry on
arctic exploration without great dan
ger or suffering exceptional hardships.
In fact, he can work In the far north
as we'll as In his office in New York.
"In natural history the work l have
done, l am vain enough to think, Is
great. No expeditions ever had the
opportunity that we had Of studying
the musk OK. l have sent home at
different times very complete speci-
mems Of this animal, and / have also
sent a young walrus. So far as I
know, no other specimens Of these AMI.
mails are now living in captivity, and
scientists have unexcelled opportunity
to study them when alive.
Commander Peary Is widely report
ed to be poor man, one who has been
Impoverished by his arctic trips. Such
Is not the case, however Three years
ago he purchased a total Of sixteen
islands along the Maine coast north Of
Portland, which are held at high prices
owing to the demand for exclusive
sites for cottages along the coast. Sew
eral Of the islands are in Casco bay.
Eagle island, which he owns, has for
several years been Commander Peary's
stronghold, his fortress, where he
could retire at will safe from the at
tacks of interviewers and photogra-
piers. It Is an outside island about
fifteen miles from Portland, partly
wooded. partly open, with vegetation
almost tropical In its density.
The commander also owns Basket
island, in Casco bay, an ideal seashore
resort. It is small island, probably
not more than quarter Of mile long
and perhaps an eighth Of mile wide
In fact, 1t Is an ideal location for big
seashore hotel Of the exclusive type,
and this, 1t is said, Is Just the use to
which Commander Peary will eventu-
ally put It, He has purchased an island
Of Freeport called "a Pound Of Tea"
| and AWAY down the middle bay. off