Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-02-05
Peary---Fake DissoUerer,
According to Newspaper

lhC nlbPs Oul uiCallo VI lnC lu6l lOuI
years were merely dreams"
During his dash to the pole, Peary
submitted as proof Of his finding the
pole, a profile of soundings that he
had taken, made in an approximately
straight line to latitude as far
north as SO degrees So minutes. Ac-
cording to all Arctic explorers, three
sets Of observations are necessary to
determine a travellers position in the
Arctic-observations for latiture, for
longitude and for magnetic variations,
for the needle dances a cakewalk in
the polar regions, where the ice is con-
tinually in motion.
Mr.. Peary testified before the con-
gressional committee on naval affairs
that at no time ON the Arctic expedi-
tion on which these soundings were
made did he or any member Of his
party make or attempt to make any
observations for either longitude or
compass variation, and that through
out his 410-mile dash to the pole over
the trackless Arctic ocean he made
only three observations for latitude.
These observations were, of course,
valueless without correlative calcula-
tions for longitude and compass varia-
ton. 1t was apparent, therefore, that
after leaving sight Of land Mr.. Peary
could not have known his position,
since he claimed 10 have travelled by
compass, yet did not know in which
direction the needle pointed, nor what
meridian he was travelling upon.
DIR. Nansen, in his dash for the pole,
found it necessary to take five obser-
vations daily for latitude, longitude
and compass variation, while in thirty
seven days Peary made three observa-
] tions for latitude only-which shows
! the difference between a scientific ex-
/ plorer and charletan. The sounding
that Peary made, if he made them,
are valueIess, because their positions
cannot be located, and they are not
susceptible Of checking OF of proof
Nor do the soundings as charted by
Peary, correspond to the locations of
the soundings as given in his book,
which places them "at the next camp"
from where the observations were
made. As Nr. Helgesen says:
"Since these fictitious soundings re-
ported by Peary, which do not cores
pond in any way with other stories re-
lated by him, are the only official evil
dence presented by Peary that he
reached the North Pole, make the un-
qualified assertion that Robert f.,
Peary never did reach the North Pole
nor any place approximately near to
that geographic point. Mr.. Peary thus
far has furnished no reasonable evi-
dence that he has reached the North
Pole, and as he testified before the
Navy Committee that he had produced
all the evidence he possessed it is quite
evident that he never can establish his
claim to its discovery"
Peary channel is dry land. Peary's
East Greenland sea is Amdrup and
Erickson land, Jesup land is proved
non.existant Croker land is broad
expanse of the Arctic sea. Greenland
is not insular. The North Pole was
not reached. All of Peary's discov-
cries have been proven fakes and re-
moved from government maps.
But Peary, not satisfied with taking,
tried to rob other discoveries Of their
fame. The names bestowed by the
Greely expedition upon geographic fea-
lures Of the Arctic regions have been
superseded by others TO glorify Peary.
Across the region named by the Gree
ly expedition is spread blatantly" in
glaring large letters, the name OF
"Peary Land" while the name be-
slowed by the discoverers, schley
Land, in honor Of Captain, afterwards
Admiral, Winfield Scott Schley, whose
energy and courage rescued the Gree
ly expedition, was erased entirely.
In ascertaining the reason for this
omission, Mr.. Helgesen was informed
by Captain Thomas Washington, hydro
grapher for the navy department, that
the precedent for the action was that
the geographic board Of Canada had
"officiaily removed the name Of
sehley land, " and as the Canadian
J board was generally accepted as au-
tority for geographic place names in
; Canadian territory, the United States
photographic office had taken like ac-
ton. But the Canadian minister for
the interior states that no such ae-
ton has been taken.
DR.. Cook may also have been the
fraud has was painted in the malign.
ant and vituperative campaign Of de
famation engineered against him by
Peary-but he has nothing on the lat