The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-01-04
TRAGEDIES OF THE ARCTIC.
Peary's Description of Explorers
Graveyards In Frozen North.

UETiF
Commander Robert E. Peary in Hamp-
toms Magazine for January.
Several hundred miles beyond the Arc
tic circle We came to a most significant
point in our upward journey, marking as
1t did the gri1nness of the task before us.
No civilized man could die in this savage
north land without his grave having a
deep meaning for those who come after
ward; and constantly as we sailed on,
these voiceless reminders of heroic bones
told their silent but powerful story.
At the southern limit of Melville bay
we passed the Duck islands, where is the
little graveyard of the Scotch whalers,
who were the pioneers in forcing the pas
sage Of Melville bay, and who died there
waiting for the ice to open These graves
date back to the beginning of the Nine
teenth century. From this point on the
Arctic highway Is marked by the graves
Of those who have fallen In the terrible
fight with cold ana hunger. These rude
rock piles bring home to any thoughtful
person the meaning of Arctic exploration.
The men who lie there were not less
courageous. not less intelligent, than the
simply more unfortunate.
Let us look along that highway for
moment and consider these memorials.
At North Star bay are one or two graves
of men from tho British ship North
Star, which wintered there in 1850. Out
on the Cary islands is the naIneless grave
of one of the Inflated Kalstenius expe-
diton. Still further north, at Etah, is
the grave of Sonntag, the astronomer of
Hayers expedition, and a little above II
that of Ohlsen of Kane's party. On the
opposite side are the unmarked places
where sixteen of Greely's Inflated party
died. Still further north. on the right
hand or Greenland side, is the grave of
Hall, the American commander of the
Polaris expedition. On the western, or
Grant Land side, are the graves of two
or three sailors of the British Arctic ex-
petition of 1875. And right at the shore
Of the central Polar seas near Cape
Sheridan is the grave of the Dane. Pet
erson, the Interpreter of the British Arc
tic expedition of 1875 These graves stand
as mute records of former efforts to
win the prize and they give slight in
fortunate men who have given the last
possession of mortal life in their pursuit
of the Arctic goal
When I first saw sonntag's grave at
Etah, 1 carefully replaced the stones
around 1t, as a tribute to brave man.
At Cape Sabine. where Greely's party
died, was tho first man to step into the
ruins of the stone hut after 6chley and
Emory took away the seven survivors
years before-the first man. and stepped
into those ruins in binding snowstorm
late in August and saw there the me
mentoes Of those unfortunates.
Passing the Duck islands on the up
ward voyage, approaching Cape York, in
1908, and thinking of the graves there"
Commander Peary concludes, IT little
dreamed that loved member Of my own
party, Prof Ross q. Marvin. who ate at
my table and acted as my secretary, was
fated to add his name to this long list Of
Arctic victims, and that his grave in I'M
counted fathoms of black water, was to
be the most northerly grave on this
earth.