Evening star., 1914-11-26
Says No One Sure of What He
Sees In Arctic Unless
Puts Foot on It.
CITES MANY INSTANCES
OF POLAR SEA MISTAKES
Hopes Explorers Will Escape Ste
fansson's Fate-Spends Thanks
giving With Family Here.

Rear Admiral Robert Z. Peary. u. 3.
N, retired. discoverer of the north pole.
is passing this Thanksgiving day
pleasantly at home with his family.
land the turkey" as he expresses it.
glad that he is not making a frugal
meal in the arctic circle.
Admiral Peary's reflections today at
his home, 1891 Wyoming avenue. as
reporter for The Star obtained them
from him. included an expression Of
pleasure that the explorers Macmillan
and Green have accomplished their
journey In the locality where he saw
the submits of Crocker land and have
returned in safety. as reported in news
dispatches yesterday. a pleasure that
was somewhat tinged with foreboding
as to what he said may yet prove
the fatal experience of Stefansson
farther to the west"
Stefansson last was heard from indi-
Mckenzie bay, having started out
originally to discover and explore, be-
sides other mysteries OF the frozen
north. the polar continent scientists
believe exists.
AT this season of the year." Admiral
Peary said today. the localities OF my
northern work are fully within the
shadow Of the great night Of the arct-
ic regions: the sun having been gone
for several weeks.
Although l have only once been in
somewhat serious stress at this time
OF the year. 1t can easily be imagined
that Washington. home and turkey
form as wide contrast with a
Arctic ocean as can we'll be imagined.
Much Interested in News.
81 am much interested in the news
from Macmillan. and shall await with
still more interest the full account of
his journey, and his other discoveries.
IF he has traversed the locality
where / saw the submits OF Crocker
land from the tops Of Cape Colgate
and Cape Hubbard, he has settled the
matter for that locality. though both
physical indications and theory still
point to the existence OK land some
where in that region between MacMil-
lan's route and that of Stefansson to
the westward.
'It is almost an axiom in arctic
exploration that one never can be en-
tirely sure of what he sees until he
has had his foot on it.
Seen from a distance, an iceberg
black with earth and stones may be
taken for rock. a cliff walled valley
filled with fog for a ford. and the
dense low clouds above a patch Of open
water for land
Gives Instances of Mistakes.
The history of arctic exploration is
full of instances. Ross, nearly a hun
dred years ago, made Baffins bay q
closed body of water emitting Smith,
Jones and Lancaster sounds. Later
Peary opened up Lancaster sound and
Inglefield entered Smith sound. Nor
polar sea from Cape Constitution.
Hayes saw it from Cape Lieber. consid-
erably farther north. Hall, navigating
the same region. could not find 1t at all,
but saw land north of Greenland. which
in turn the British expedition did not
corroborate. The Lady Franklin bay
expedition showed Bache Island, in
stead of Plymouth, as it really is. and
showed a large sound (Hayes) which
does not exist.
."rhere are other instances in other
localities, as Payer Land northeast of
Franz Joseph Land, which Nansen found
when he traversed the region was not
there.
Also keenan, Land. northwest of
Point Barrow, which Baruett's recent
drift in the Karluk appears to have
cality.
"On the other hand, in some instances
arctic lands have succeeded in conceal
ing their existence In surprising man.
ner.
"Franz Joseph Land was discovered by
Payers ship drifting in sight of it dur
ing the long winter night
"And there is the new Russian land
just north Of Cape Chelyuskin. only re-
though both Nordenskjold in the Vega
and Nansen in the Fran passed not far
from it.