Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-14
PEARY'S TRIP T0P0[E
Story as Told by Prof. Donald
B. Mcmillan.
TALKS TO new YORK CLUB
Illustrated Lecture Detailing Incl
dents Of Expedition.
FATE OF GREELY PARTY
Letters Found at Cape Sabine Con-
veying Farewell Messages Of the
Starving Men.

NEW YORK, January 14-Prof. Donald
B. Mcmillan gave an illustrated lecture
entitled with Peary in the Arctic last
night. before the Technology Club. In its
clubhouse in Gramercy Park. Prof Nc
MILAN ascribed the success of Command
er Peary's latest expedition to the north
pole, on which he accompanied him, to the
Skill with which 1t was equipped.
The tragic experiences of the Greedy
expeditions and other previous expedi-
lions. Prof Mcmillan declared, were due
to their imperfect equipment. He threw
on the screen photographs Of touching
messages written by members Of the
Greedy expedition to their loved ones In
the days when they were slowly dying Of
starvation at Cape Sabine. which he had
found on a visit there in 1908.
Many of the views shown illustrated
the obstacles which Commander Peary
encountered on his last expedition. and
which he was able to overcome only by
reason of his superior equipment. These
views, Prof. Mcmillan declared, demon
strated the impossibility of man with
two Sledges covering 1000 miles Of polar
ice. al Cook said he had done.
In opening his lecture Prof. Mcmillan
told many humorous incidents Of his life
among the EskimOs when he was taking
tidal observations ninety miles from the
Roosevelt.
Refuse to Learn English.
'The Eskimos refuse to learn English,
and ! was forced to learn Eskimo.
thought their language would be simple.
but / soon found they had thousands OF
words. Where with us. for instance. uncle
is an indefinite word, and may mean
either father or mothers brother,
the ESkimos have one word for each.
One day learned the Eskimo word for
hole in the snow roof, and a few days
later when 1 asked one of the Eskimo
women To sew a hole In one of my tFous-
ers she laughed. 1t took me some time
to learn that had asked her to sew the
There are six different words for different
kinds of holes in Eskimo.
Up to 1918 the Eskimos thought they
were the only living people. and they
world One night to amuse them
gathered them about me and told them
how the people would come together to
hear Commander Peary lecture about his
trip / told them, as best I could, of
theater. great igloo, and I told them
how Commander Peary would tell the
people Of the devotion of his faithful
c GsKimos ss and how without their help he
the Ice / told them he would throw on
the screen a. great picture of this one and
mat one and relate his services. 1t was
interesting to see them, one after another
swell up with pride, as they thought of
their magnified pictures on the screen
and their deeds related to the crowds of
white people. The next morning got up
and found one of the old fellows STANDING
gp III the snow, which he had trodden
nown by giving an imitation all through
tne night Of my imaginary lecture by the
commander
Roosevelt Strong Vessel.
a'The Roosevelt continued Prof. Nc.
MILAN, was the strongest ship that ever
entered the polar sea- It was really three
ships In one, consisting Of three layers,
each twenty-four to thirty inches thick.
and equipped with sails as we'll as with
1000 horsepower engines"
lie then described the sailing of the
Roosevelt to the land Of the Eskimo. and
how 211 men. women and children OF tho
purest blooded race on earth" were
taken aboard with their dogs.
Exciting snapshots Of charging waif,,s
pulls were thrown on the screen. Prof
Mcmillan described how the party stslke,1
them TO get meat for men and dogs. an
preaching the ice on which they Law cai1-
tiousiy On one occasion forty bulls
charged the boats. breaking hole in one
and overturning others by throwing their
tusks over the gunwales, the party ar.
ing so rapidly they exhausted their
strings of cartridge clips and the Eslri,no
eyes and heard the roars Of the infrriaf-
ed animals. The Eskimos In the aot OF
hurting the harpoon attached to the an
Hated sealskin floats into the bodies Of
tne wounded animals were shown in the
pictures 80 ~
Other views showed the midnight sun.
the game arranged for the Eskmos in
the long winter night. lines of lanterns
marking a race course on the smooth
ice, and the Roosevelt buchin1 through
the packed ice OF Cope Sheridan and
cape Union. the most dangerous trap.
through which no vessel ever steamed
and farther north than any other $780,
mad ever reached
Tribute to Henson.
Prof. Mcmillan paid a tribute TO Matt
Henson, who built the new type Of
s:edges. which had so muoh to i. Win
Commander Psary's success. I.A said
Henson was as good dog driver a. IN
Eskimo, the only man In the party yvs.o
could build snowhouee and Wa worth
more 70 the commander than any four
81 US The superiority OF Comma n1er
PearN.s equipment could be judged. ne
salo. by the fact that he had como into
region where other expeditions ha6 nIr.
ished OF hunger without a pound OF fresh
meat. and that there was not a sinRfe
case OF scurvy on the whole expedition.
IS. some writer's have said that tho arctic
niEnt Is uncanny. that it drives men
mad" continued Prof McMilIan. "E,,,t
we did not miss the sun in its long ab-
sence- There was nobody unhappy in our
10y. we mao beautiful moOnliehta
Every month the moon goes In a ereaf
circle. beaminR a perfect flood Of Urht
so that / could read print NV II w.
siedsed all through the long arctic night
At sixty degrees below zero tho na.
spiration ran down our bodies Owing RI
our exertions. and rings OF ice forined
about our faces Our eyes were covered
with Ice and were closed up little hv
htfie so that We had to melt them With
our bare hands. We wore light sldns
with Jerseys or shirts under them to an
sorb the moisture. We carried no hea,y
sleeping bags. but slept in our garments
Tightening them up to make our oun
sleeping bags. Commander Peary heIievas
in skins for arctic clothing, and cannot
understand how a man dressed in heavr
woolens. as members OF the ShackIeton
expedition, for instance, can do much
work.
On the Final Dash.
A description OF how the party on the
final dash north halted at the edge OF
leads OF open water for ice to form on
which to cross or else cut of cakes of ice.
which they used as ferry boats was IL
Illustrated with pictures. Prof Mcmillan
also showed some rare views OF musk
oxen. formed in circle, bulls about the
COWS to resist the attack Of charging
dogs. The bull only charges when the at
lacking party approaches within a short