Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-03-11
MAN WHO MET PEARY is
A VISITOR IN ATLANTA
Gordon Mackay of Philadelphia Times Was One of Party
That Went to Battle Harbor to Greet Returning Explorer.
Story of the Trip is Graphic and Full of Interest

With the visit of Commander Peary to
Atlanta only a short time away, interest
in the advent of the celebrated arctic ex-
plorer into the south on his first lectur-
ing tour since his return from his last
polar expedition has greatly increased
throughout this section.
IL will be recalled that The Journal an
nounced several days ago that Command
err Peary had been engaged to give
series of lectures in the leading cites OF
the south, including Atlanta, Nashville,
Birmingham, Chattanooga. Knoxville and
Memphis.
The famous explorer will speak in this
city at the auditorium-armory on March
10, and an immense audience is sure to
attend.
BY a singular coincidence, one of the
newspaper men who formed the party
which went TO welcome Commander Peary
upon his return from the frozen north is
at present in Atlanta with the Philadel-
phia Athletics, this being none other than
Gordon Mackay. OF the Philadelphia
Evening Times.
Though extremely reluctant to talk
about his trip TO Labrador to welcome
home the north pole hunter Mr.. Mackay
finally consented to tell again what he
brands as "a worn out story" His mar
rative is one of intense and vivid inter
est, told as a live, up-to-date newspaper
man would be expected to tell 1t, straight,
plain and clean cut When finally per-
suaded that the people of Atlanta would
be intensely interested in his narrative.
Mr.. Mackay said:
A GRAPHIC STORY.
Commander Robert Peary undoubtedly
found the north pole. OF the truth of
this 1 am as firmly convinced as II is pos
sible for any man to be.
AT the time that the news of Peary's
return from the pole was received, was
with the Boston Journal. The Associated
Press. through the advantage of having
the news first, secured the sea-going tug
Douglass and quietly slid out of town
for Battle Harbor, Labrador, leaving the
rest of us high and dry. Jeffers, Reagan
and another man were the Associated
Press men who went, and as there was
not another tug available that could stand
the sea voyage. other newspaper men
were stumped.
FINALLY the Canadian newspaper men,
who. by the way are officially designated
press men, made the discovery that there
was a Canadian government vessel, the
cable ship Tyrian. lying idle in Port Sid
ney Nova Scotia. They Immediately got
busy and wired the Canadian minister Of
public works for permission TO use the
Tyrian for the trip to Battle Harbor.
Meantime. some of the American news
paper men got wind of this and wired the
Canadian minister asking for permission
to jointly use the Tyrian, and to the de-
light of everybody this permission was
granted. / had about half an hours no
tice and think / took a clean collar and
safety razor as baggage. Also plenty
of paper and pencils. Most of the others
were similarly and even less deliberately
equipped for the dash into the north.
I'VE left Boston Friday night at 1880
o'clock and reached Port Sidney the next
night. Embarking on the Tyrian we SAIL
ed Monday night, some II newspaper men
in all. every one of us filed with excite
ment over the voyage to Labrador.
A MEMORABLE TRIP.
THAT trip will ever remain distinct in
my memory l had never been so far
north before, and everything was new and
filled with vivid and lasting interest.
The month was September. and there was
plenty of ice floating around. We saw
the first iceberg of our lives soon after
leaving Port Sidney, and 1t was an i'm
pressive spectacle. Personally had never
seen anything in the way of frozen water
larger than a lump of factory ice in a
street wagon. and the bergs had par