Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-03-30
Editorial Comment.
A Champion Of Peary.
portland PreSS.)

should have encountered in the House
committee on naval affairs an opposi-
ton which seems prejudiced and mar
row minded. TO the great majority
of the people the case was so clear
and meritcrious that it is surprising
that it should have been questioned in
| the way it has been-especally after
a measure had passed the Senate with
| out question. The House committee
has declined so much as to report
| bill or resolution to recognize Peary
ana reward him in any way, by the
thanks of Congress, the gift of
medal. or place him on the retired
| list Of the navy with the rank and
pay of IA rear admiral. Some have
gone so far as to hint a doubt whether
| he over reached the pole. and as the
| thing stands it is understood that the
committee or majority of it declines
| to take any action until Mr.. Peary
submits to it the proof OF his discoV-
| cry. including all the documents in the
case. This he has senified willing
ness to do, provided the committee will
| agree not to make it public, and his
reason for asking that condition is
| that certain of the matter he is bound
| by contract to furnish first to his pub
| fishers and he must keep his contract.
| The reply of a member of the COM
mittee Mr.. Macon of Alabama, was
| that any information given to the com
mittee would at once be given to the
people AS Mr.. Peary cannot consent
| TO that the matter becomes hung up
| in committee indefinitely.
But such an attitude is not worthy
of Congress and is not satisfactory to
the people They do not understand
why the claim Of Peary. which has
been passed upon by the National
Geographic society and pronounced
valid, and which has been accepted
| bv the world at large. should be re-
| jccted by Il committee of the Am"ri-
car rongrt ss. And they do not under
| stand why some of PearyS own
countrymen should have taken such
| u p;cayuniSh course in the face Of the
| fact that numerous foreign scientific
societies have recognized him as the
diScovnrer OF the pole. Mr.. Macon
! wants Peary to 'prove' that he has
f, been at tie pole. when as matter of
| fact Macon would not be able Ia COM
prchcnd the proof if he saw it. 4
worse hammered SOutherner is Gov
| ernor Brown of Georgia, who refused
| to introduce the diScOVerer at Allan
| ia ard who pronounced him 'faker.
| 1t was about time for some member
of Congress to arise and administer
| to these persons deserved rebuke,
ana it has been done by Congressman
Moore of Pennsylvania. In speech
| on one of the appropriation bills Mr..
Moore has laid before the House
| fund of new information regarding
the discovery of the pole, in the shape
of official documents and has supple
mented it with vigorous remarks. 1t
has been objected that Pearys, vari-
Gus voyages were without the sanction
| of the government and no advantage
| to the public has come by reason OF
them: that he was on salary all the
| time; that there is no proof he reached
the pole; that he was harsh disci-
plinarian and had some trouble with
somebody; that it would not be fitting
| to invest him. mere civil engineer,
| with the rank proposed, and much
more of the same sort Mr.. Moore
makes hash of these objections, and
| shows that the real motive at the
bottom of the opposition is the heredl-
tary prejudice which would deny
Pearv promotion because he is not OF
the line of the navy. Some of it
comes from newspaper pique because
| he gave his first news under contract
| to certain newspapers, but Mr.. Moore
shows that he had to do this in order
to secure the sum of money necessary
| to complete the fitting out of his last
expedition He had put in all of his
own money. all he could raise by lee
tures and writings and all his friends
and supporters could raise, and to
| comnlete the amount he had to pledge
| the first account of his discovery. if
he made it and returned. In view of
| this explanation, such a pique. so far
as it exists, is unworthy.
| One doubter of Peary's achievement
| has been quoted as asking how it was
| possible for Peary to make the deep
soundings reported in the vicinity Of
| the pole, with the small! crew at. his
| command to handle the sounding APP
| paratus. The doubter will find his
| questioned answered in the full report
mad" by Peary to tn" coast and
| eeodetic survey, which is given in fun
| in the mass Of official documents pre-
| scented by Mr.. Moore in mis- speech.
| Nine soundings are reported, beginning
| al latitude 1910 and concluding at $3.50,
| within five miles of the pole. Five OF
| these soundingS We're made by Pro-
| fessor Marvin. who was drowned, one
| by Marvin and Mcmillan. two by Bart
| lett, and one-the final one-by Pcary.
| The first was % 1athoms, and they
| RAPIDLY increased until the last three
| were respectively 700, l2G0 and looo
! fathoms without reaching bottom; and
| a feature was the abrupt ShoalnS
| from $50 fathoms at S4.39 to $40 faith
oms at 1928. and the equally abrupt
| deepening to 700 and more at 1913.
| Commander Peary's notes on the
| soundings are of interest. He says:
The sounding equipment Of the eX-
| padition consisted of two reels of spe-
| cially made piano wire of 1000 faith
oms each and three approximately
| 90 pound leads. with clam shell device
for grasping samples of the bottom.
| These reels We're arranged to be fitted
| quickly to the upstanders of a sledge
when making a sounding and had
handles for reeling in the wire and