Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1912-03-29
HENSEN TELLS OF
TRIP TO THE POLE
Guest Of Society for Historical
{ Research in Yonkers.
ATE BOILED DOG OFTEN
MAN WHO ACCOMPANIED PEARY
. TO THE NORTH POLE RELATES
MANY INTERESTING FACTS
ABOUT THE ARCTIC REGloNS--
CLIMATIC AND ASTRONOMICAL
INCIDENTS OF THE VOYAGE.


INCIDENTS OF THE VOYAGE.
Yonkers, N Y.--At a recent meet.
ing of the Negro Society for Historical
Research, with headquarters In this
city, Mr.. Matthew A. Hensen. who ac'
companied Commander Peary to the
north pole, was the principal speaker.
The exercises were held at Sunny
Slope cottage, which Is the residence
of Mr.. John E. Bruce, president OF the
organization. A special feature of the
musical program was the part taken
by little Miss Cecle Butler and
her brother Willie. who gave sew
eral piano and violin selections with
rare ability.
Mr.. .Hensen told Of his travels and
experiences in the arctic S,gons in
straightforward, painstaking manner,
drawing here and there many striking
illustrations OF the difficulties and
hardships encountered en- route to the
icy regions. He is pleasing speak
er and possesses a fund of humor He
said he felt highly honored when he
was asked to speak before the
Historical society, which is doing a
good work in preserving for fu-
tire reference the achievements of the
negro race.
He had been a globe trotter for
many years. Before he entered the
service of Commodore Peary he made
the trip to China and the orient on
sailing vessel and was out of the
country for three years. On his re-
turn from this trip he went to South
America, where it was SO hot they
had to feed the hens cracked ice to
prevent them from laying hard boil
ed eggs Next he entered the service
of Peary and for 20 years had followed
the commanders fortunes on all his
trips to the north pole and shared with
him the hardships which it's triumph
ant discovery entailed.
In 1906 Hugh Lee and himself were
the only men In Peary's party to VOL
unteer to stay with him for another
year, and they, with Peary, made the
famous record trip across the polar ice
in 80 days. In the final quest for
the pole they made an average Of
26 miles a day, and on reaching the
pole peary took five sets of observa-
lions to make sure he had actually got
there.
He told in humorous way how the
party subsisted during this and other
trips polarward. They had boiled dog
for breakfast, stewed dog for dinner
and cold boiled dog for supper. Some
times they shot a musk OK and en-
joyed a square meal. The Eskimos,
he said, are polygamists, having as
many wives as they can support. They
have no religion that can be defined.
They believe If man is good
he will 90 up into the sky after death
and If bad down into the bowels of the
earth.
They are short lived people, The
men rarely live to be 40 years of
age The females marry at from
IL to IA years and at 10 or 10 look
to be 30 or 40. They have a proverb
which he quoted in Eskimo and trans
lated: THE peacock may be beau
tiful bird, but 1T takes stork to
deliver the goods"
He said the moon shone so brightly
in the arctic regions that it is possible
to hunt the musk OK by it's refulgent
light or to read or do any work ordi-
narily performed in the daytime. The
sun at its brightest can be looked at
without danger to the eyes. Its heat is
not felt For 10 days the sun never
sets in the arctic regions, and
for the same number of days it never
rises.
Mr.. Hensen was asked number
Of questions by members of the So
ciety, which he answered quickly,
showing that he was familiar with the
geography and topography of the polar
region, where he had spent, off
and on, the best part of 20
years. A reception in Mr.. Hensen's
honor was given at the close of the
program.