The Washington times., 1910-03-09
CLAIM THAT PEARY
REACHED THE POLE
DOUBTEDBYR MACON
Protests That Stories Told
of Discovery Seem
Improbable.
URGES CONGRESS
TO AWAIT PROOFS
SkePtical of Feats Related, He
Objects to Honoring
Explorer.

Frankly declaring that ne is skeptical
OF the truth Of Commander Robert z
Peary-s claims that he reached the
North Pole. on the ground that he could
not have made the speed or travel re-
ported, Representative Robert Bruce
Macon Of Arkansas, today, appeared be-
fore the subcommittee OF the Naval.
Affairs Committee, Of which hs~is a
member. and protested sss1nst any
legislation honoring ExSsorer Pesry.
After Ar- AIacQzr~had concluded the
subcommittee voted almost unanimously
20 postpone action on the various Psary
reward bills until Mr.. Peary submits
his proofs to Congress The motion was
made by Representative Bates OF Penn
syIvanis, who is The author Of one Of
the bills now before the committee. The
only member OF the committee who dis
sented 10 the pOstponemenJ program
was Representative Engle5right OF iWs-
consin. Mr.. Euglebright did not vote
al all
Mr.. Macon proposed that all pending
bills 10 reward Mr. Pezry should be
sidet-acked until the latter has finished
his newspaper and magazine articles,
and that then Congress should demand
that the proofs be submitted 10 an i'm
partial board OF experts before legisla-
tive action is taken
Mr.. Pearys discovery OF the Pole
must be established in the open and not
IN the dark" said Mr. Macon 7 an
exceedingly skepJical aJoUt Mr.. Pearys
{ ever having reached TIE Pole and I am
going 10 protest against Congress hon
orlns him until he establishes that fact
SkeptjcaI As 10 Seed
II desire 10 call your attention sps-
ciacslIy 70 the speed OF travel claimed
By Peary from the very day that Cap
tain Bartlett left him. until he returned
TO the same camp again and thence OF
10 Cape Columbia. and especially 70 the
speed from the time he left Bartlett
until ne returned to the same spot. Ehen
he was travelling over unknown seas
with his negTO valet and Eskimo COM
panlOns-
In his travels from Cape Columbia
@ where Bartlett left him and returned.
they Travelled thirty-ons days and uaaSs
2ol miles. OF an average OF SOS miles
per day This was not ss coed an
average as the 12S claimed by d.
Cook, IN the same lstftudez But tha
astonishing parl IS the nurnbsr OF niles
Peary says hs Travelled after Bartlstt
LEFT him, when no white man was with
him as WtJn=Ss. his only companion BE-
ing q negro valet Of twenty years Esr-
vice, and four EslSimos-
Various Speeds Compared
His greatest marches. stngulArly.
wene all north OF the Bartlett camp.
+ From that time forward. going 70 shs
, pole and returning 70 Cape ColunhIz.
I he claims 20 have made an average OF
twenty-six miles per day. or 20 be 90
CuraJe, 16.t miles per day Tor five dayz,
until he reached the poIe-152 niles-and
/ A miles per day from the pole back 70
I Baruett's camp, or I52 miles in thres
I days He claims a speed OF 24s miles
! FOR sixteen days from the pole back
| 10 Cape Columbia. 413 miles. the lat
! ter being almost three times as great
/ an average as made with his support
\ ing party
Bartlett left Peary after making
! record Of S-o6 miles per day for rhs
l journey that FAR. 81 miles n 81 days.
f The last three days Of his return
/ trip from the pole 70 the Bartlett ann.
! Commander PeaTy says, was made st
I the rate of A nautical miles per da.y,
I not counting detours, and that was done
1 at the enc Of fauguing journey % 54S
miles. Could the dogs IA their fatfe7reS
l condition haul loaded sleds for such a
distance GsilE7'
Cooks Record Compared.
/ MI Macon said he used IL only for
{ the purpose Of Illustrating. but he suE
I gested to the committee suppose .Nr.
/ Peary turned back for Cape Columbia
( the very day after Bartlett left him
/ following In his tracks, with tve1tv-one-
days at his disposal" CAPTAIN Bart
let's record Of speed on the return
i trip, Mr- Macon told the COMMITTEE a
bit sarstically, perhaps, would prove in
| teresting-
There were only two DAYS in all Of
! Dr. Cooks travels that he ever mad
{ as high as tWenty-siX miles a dav." said
/ Nj Macon continuing. "One was the
| o4y ne started trom land, March Is.
/ when he made JWenty-six miles ana
| again on March p wnen he made tuveD-
| ly-nlne miles Dy travelling fourteen
| hours. every condition being favora BE
/ be Is reported 10 have fallen asIeao
/ as the snowhouse was being built. which
/ would indicate about the limit Of human
/ endurance under exceptionally favorahls
l ice and weather conditions.
"Peary says IN his statement that
April s, the day he arrived at the poie.
/ he made forty miles in twelve hours (Jha
| tables make it thirty-f1ve nautical
miles,.
Wants Feat Explained.
Whatever may be the truth regard
I ing this matter II would seem clear that
! Peary should furnish some clear ex-
I PLANTATION Of this miraculous perform
/ ance.
With his ideal equipment. as re-
lated by the editor OF the American
/ Geographical Society Magazine, and re-
iterated over and over again BY Pearv.
with plenty Of dogs and sleds In prime
/ condition; an abundance Of supplies.
with an equipment Of men and facilities
I unequaled in Arctic history; with ad-
| vance divisions to break the roads and
| build snow houses, sometimes % the
| extent Of five marches ahead, so that
/ at the end Of the day his force could
/ instantly retire and rest, conserving