The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1910-03-11
WANT COMMANDER
) PEARY'S PROOFS IN FULL
Otherwise Committee Will Pig.
eOnhOle All Bills.
HIS RECORDS ARE NOT SUBMITTED.
subcommittee OF House Will Not
Pass On Measures Rewarding Ex-
plorer Unless 1t Is Allowed To
Make Proofs Public-Peary Is OPP
posed To This Plan, But Is Will
ing To Submit Them In Confidence.

Washington. D. c. Especially. =
Proofs of Commander Peary's dis
covery of the North Pole caused a
row in the subcommittee of the
House Committee on Naval Affairs.
Two members of the National Geo
graphic Society appeared before the
committee with copies of Mr.. Peary' s
proofs to urge the granting of a
suitable reward by Congress to the
noted explorer. but the committee
declined to receive them in confidence
with the ultimate result that the
committee has made it known that
unless the Peary proofs are forth
coming to the full satisfaction of
the committee. every bill introduced
for the purpose of rewarding the
North Pole discoverer will be pigeon
holed
Three members of the committee
were in favor of receiving the Peary
proofs without making them public.
Representative Macon holly objected
and after declaring his position
stalked angrily from the room.
Il am against any legislation in
the dark" Mr.. Macon sharply told
the committee. Furthermore, if
this committee decides in favor of
Peary without inspecting the full rec
ords and making them public, | will
expose the whole business on the
floor of the House or in a statement
to the press. If we reward Mr.. Peary
the American people have right to
know what we are rewarding him
for"
Would Not Submit Proofs.
Professor Gannett, of the Coast
and Geodetic Survey and one of the
members of the National Geographic
Society, which accepted Peary's
proofs, told the committee that Mr..
Peary would not let the committee
have the proofs for public purposes
because he wanted them for use in
newspaper and magazine articles.
The Professor had with him a copy
of the proofs. but he declined to sub
nit them. He told the committee
that he had not the slightest doubt
but that Peary discovered the pole,
and never had any, even before he
saw the proofs He submitted to
lengthy questioning and answered
many interrogations about the Peary
dash to the pole. He told of the
tidal observations which Commander
Peary had taken and sent back to
the department from time to time,
which, he said, were of great value.
These filled 81 volumes, he said.
Professor Gannett told of the sound
ings Mr. Peary took in the vicinity
of the pole and of the explorer hav-
gone a distance of 10 miles past the
pole in order to make sure that he
was at the extreme top of the earth.
A sounding was made 140 miles
from the pole at depth of 1,240
fathoms. Another was taken within
five miles of the pole, but Peary lost
the heavy lead and couple of pick
heads which they had let down to
furnish the necessary weight to make
the soundings.
Prof. Gannett said the committee
had examined Mr.. Peary's instru-
ments. Asked what they could tell
from an examination of such instru-
ments, the witness said nothing could
be told from them. They only show
ed. he said, that Mr.. Peary had the
instruments.
1t was further stated that any
scientist who knew his business could
remain in Washington and fix up as
Economical observations and instru-
ment records such as a man might
make at the pole These could not
be told from the genuine, it was ac-
knowledged.