The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-11
NORTH POLE STILL
 LOST ID MANKIND Peary Says He Cannot Help
 Find It Again WANTED ALL HONORS ExpIorer Tells House Committee That He Desired Credit for Polar Dis- covery and Restricted Mem
 bers of His Party
WANTED ALL HONORS

Washington, January 10-Admitting that the north pole is just as much lost as ever, and that all future attempts to find it must be indepegdent enterprises unaided by his own work, Capt. Robert D. Peary, the Arctic explorer, answered cross fire of questions at hearing be- | fore the House committee on naval affairs today He told how he wanted the glory | of the polar achievement for himself, de- cining to let any member of his expedi- tion, other than the negro, Henson, to go on the last dash with him; how his pub fishing contract had precluded him from | testifying before the committee last spring and how members of his expedi- ton had been prohibited from writing about the trip.
 Captain Peary was asked to throw light on why, as a naval officer, he made no report to the navy department. MT. Roberts asked him if 1t was not cus- tomary for an officer to report on mat ters for which he was detailed. Captain Peary said he had made some report to the coast and geodetic survey, and had advised the navy department of that fact. It was his impression that the superin- tendent of the survey had made a report to the department. In response to Mir Roberts, Captain Peary said there was a letter of his somewhere on file asking the secretary for written report to the survey as to soundings.
 Why being detailed to get certain in formation for the government, did you ask the government not to use this infor- nation until later?" insisted Mr. Rob- erts.
 q would rather not give the informa- ton except to the committee" replied Captain Peary, who objected to testifying in the presence of newspaper reporters. He was given permission to file his reason in writing.
 why did you not take white members of your party with you on the final stage of your trip northward, so that there might be creditable corroborative evil dence?" asked Representative Roberts of Massachusetts.
 "In the first place." replied Peary, "I have always made the final spurt, with one exception, when Lee was with me. with one man and the Eskimos, beca use the man I took with me (Henson) was more effective for combined demands of extended work than any white man. The pole was something to which I have devoted my life, for which I had gone through such hell as l hope no man in this room will ever experience and l did not feel that should dlVlde 1t with only young men who had not the right to 1t that I had
 Captain Peary was asked by Roberts if any injunction of secrecy had been made as to what members of the ex- petition might say. He replied that members of his party were not free to write or lecture after their return except with his written permission ex- blaming that they were paid for their services. MT. Macon of Arkansas inter- jected that Captain Peary also was paid for his services through a salary paid him as a naval officer.
 Captain Peary, replying to repeated questions as to the results of his Arc tic trip, said he had not yet prepared such a chart as would enable anyone to follow in his footsteps to the pole, but he imagined he had data by which he could prepare such a chart. Ixe said the position of the north pole should be determined just the same as the equator but the trouble was the com parative low altitude of the sum- which never gets higher than 22A degrees above the horizon. For that reason or dinary observation could not be relied on with accuracy.
 The committee will continue the hearing of Captain Peary tomorrow when Representative Macon of Ark ansas is expected to question him at length.