Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1910-06-29
THE ARCTIC PERIL
Peary's Method of Battling With
Polar di;ionS.
THE USE OF RELAY PARTIES.
Without This System, tho Explorer
Says, II Would Be a Physical I'M
possibility For Any Man to Reach the
Polo and Return to Tell tho Tale.


Many persons who have asked why.
IL Peary gOt 10 the pole, it WAS impos-
sible for Cook To do SO will find an ,
answer in Commander Pcary's own
story in lIampton'S Although he does
not mention Dr. Cook 10y name. Peary
shows how impossible it would be for
a man without his equipment and sys-
TEN to surmount the difficulties OF
such journey. He says:
"Fortitudc and endurance alone are
not enough In themselves TO carry u
man to the north pole. Only With
years of experience i'm travelling those
regions. only with the aid of large
party also experienced in that charac-
ter OF work only with the knowledge
of arctic detail and the equipment /
necessary 10 prepare himself and his |
party for any and every emergency. /
IS ii possible for man to reach that /
long sought goal and return.
in order that the reader may I'M |
derstand this journey over the ice of
the polar sea il IS necessary that the !
theory and practice of pioneer and
supporting parties should he fully IN
derstoOd.
THE use of relay parties in arctic
work is not new. but the idea was
carried further in the last expedition
Of the Peary Arctic club than ever
before.
without this system it would be a
physical impossibhity for any man to
reach the north pole and return to tell
the tale.
"First.-Becausc single division.
/ comprising either small or large
number Of men and dogs. could not
! possibly drag all the way TO the pole
and back (some 900 miles, as much
food and liquid fuel as the men and
dogs Of that division would consume
during the many weeks of the journey.
"SecOnd-It is absolutely necessary
that the arduous work OF trail break
ing for the first twO-thirdS OF the dis
lance should be done by one division
after another in succession in y der
to save the strength OF the main party
for its final dash alone.
Third When the supplies of one
sledge after another have been con
sumed the drivers of these Sledges and
the dogs are SuperfiuOuS mouths which
cannot lie fed from the scanty supply
Of provisions being dragged forward
over the ice
Fourth. Each division being an in
dependent unit. these divisions can b,
withdrawn mt intervals from the mail
party without affecting the main party
"Fifth.-At the very end. when TIT
supporting parties have performed
their important work OF trail breakin;
and transportation of supplies. tn,
main party for the final dash must b.
small and carefully selected. as a small
party can travel so much faster thai
a large one.
The pioneer party was one unit divi
sion. made up OF four of the most nc
tive and experienced men OF the eXpe
ditiOn. with sledges lightly loaded witt
five or six days provisions. drawn b.
the best dog teams that could be sc
lected from the entire pack. Whel
we started from Cape Columbia thi
+ pioneer party. headed by Bartlett. wen
5 out twenty-fOur hours in advance q
J. the main party. Later on. when w
n reached the time of continuous day
n light and sunlight through the twent!
q four hours, the pioneer party was hu
o twelve hours in advance of the mai
: party.
l. The duty of this pioneer party wa
v to make a march in every twcnty-fou
II hours in spite of every obstacle. q,
i cepting. of course. some impaSsab
lead. Whether there was Il deep Sno
or violent winds TO be faced or mOul
famous pressure ridges to be climbe
a over. the march of the pioneer part
O must be made, for past experience la
l. proved that whatever distance W;
# covered by the advance party with /
IS light sledgeS could be covered in lie
l. time by the main party even wit
If heavily loaded sledges. because Il
II main party. having the trail TO foilo'
IS was not obliged to waste time in rcco
% noitering.
ir I'm other words, the pioneer par
was the pacemaker of the expeditio
and whatever distance it made w
the measure of accomplishment f
Il the main party. The leader Of Il
ID pioneer party. in the first instan
OF Bartlett, would start out ahead of b
* division. usually Of the snowshot
Then the light sIedges of the par
e. would follow after. Thus the lead
Il Of the pioneer division was pioneeri
ahead OF his own party. and I'll
whole division was pioneering abe
1t of the main party.
"a Zone great advantage which l h
on this expedition was that. owing
the size of nv party whenever
men In this pioneer division becaI