The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-01-07
PEARY PRESENTS
NORTH POLE PROOFS
Committee Fires Many En-
barrassing Questions at
DiScoverer
TELLS STORY OF
LAST LEG OF TRIP
Few Wrinkled Pieces of Paper
and Explorers Word for 1t
Seem to be All He Has
to Offer

WASHINGTON, d. C. Jan. BE
fore the House COMMITTEES on naval al
fairs Captain Robert T., Peary to-day
presented his proofs OF discovery Of
the North Pole on April 6. 1909, To
the sub committee which Is deter
mining whether the captain shall he
rewarded with some sort OF recognl-
ton by Congress the arctic explorer
to-day told the story OF his dash to the
end Of the earth.
Captain Peary took with him all the
documents upon which the committee
of the National Geographic Society
based It's opinion, sustaining hia coli
tentions that he had actually reached
the pole. They were few wrinkied
bits OF paper. handled like precious
parchments by the captain. and several
bulky but smeary little memoranda
books. The bite of paper were covered
by scrawly figures and dates. The
note books were full of eramped hand
writing and were the captains log
Al the suggestion OF the COMMITTEES,
Captain Peary dwelt especially on his
trip to the earth's apex from the time
he left Captain Bartlett Mt Il point t@S
miles from the pole.
The party then. he said, consisted of
four men. five sledges and forty dogs,
On the FIRST march they covered tweit-
ty-fvS miles, on the second twenty;
the third. twenty five; the fourth,
twenty-five, and en- the nth. thirty.
"At the end of the last trip" said
Captain Perry, Il Judged 1 was within
four or five miles of the pole, We had
reached this point In the forenoon. as
! had hoped to do. as | could then
reach the pole and make n noon sight
Of the sun. Observations made little
further on showed We were at SO de-
grees 81 rninutes--about three miles
from the pole. Then We pushed on,
and on April s were at the pole.
Stayed ut Poles Vicinity 80 Hours.
"We stayed in the vicinity ef tire pole
for thirty hours, starting ON the re-
turn trip IA about 4 O'Clock on April 7.
After going 1--WE miles on the return
trip, made sound!ngs through the lee.
/ had Il line 1900 fatnons long, hut
could not reach bottom with thRi. and
tn drawing up cur sounding apparatus
the line broke and We lost II.
ON the return trip we covered the
mileage. Of two trips In one for two
successive days We had norther-
~ gale at our hacks. and that helped"
Questions by members of the COM
mittee brought out the fact that the
journal entries made by Peary were
done in the igioos after the days
work.
He declared that the temperature
in which ne wrote was never above
zero. All the entries were in pencil.
AS evidencing the intense cold In po-
lar air, Peary read extracts from his
diary one of April s. 1893. the day
before he reached the pole when the
Eskimos complained Of cold noses,
he wrote:
This is the first time I've ever
known them to do So
Again on March 10 the entry stated
that &; was about SO degrees below
zero,'' and rfiAt the Brandy frnze in
the igloos.
Well" said Representative Butler
Republican. of Pennsylvania, we
have these proofs and your word that
you reached the pole. Was IL abso-
lutesy necessary for you 10 have been
at the pole to have prepared these
observations?
ut lis a question over which there
. aas bean sonae discussion. replied
Peary. "'I believe II is Il fact that
observations have never yet been
made which will prove up that We're
not made m the spot from which
they purport to have been made"
Pointed Questions Asked.
Gould you have made the figures
without being at the pole Is there
any way 20 detect them if- thet--At.rr
not made at that place."
Some experts say that they can be
faxed the explorer replied. after
come hesitation.
rs IL possible thing to do7' de-
manded Representative Roberts, Re-
publican, Massachusetts.
Well ! suppose 80. II man were
an expert" replied Peary
did you make entries In your
diary every day. asked Representa-
tive. Dawson, Republican, OF Iowa.
Not every day
We'll. beyond your word. which I,
az one member of the committee, ac-
cept absolutely, and your observations,
you have nothing further" asked
Representative Butler.
These are ALL" Peary said.
The committee eyinced great inter
est in the diary kept by the explorer,
and asked him to- read all tire entries
from April l to April G, when he
reached the pole.