Norwich bulletin., 1920-04-14

Peary insisted on being landed as originally planned at Mccormick Bay, stating that the money of his friends had been invested in the project and that he must make goed' to them. The assidueus nursing of Mrs. Peary, aided by the braeing air. so speedily restored his strength that at the en- suing Christmas festivities which were arranged for the Bskimes, he outraeed on snowshoes all the natives and his
 own men!
 In the following May, with one com
 panion, Astrup, he ascended to the summit of the great ice cap which covers the interior of Greenland, 5000 to 5000 feet in elevation, and pushed northward for 300 miles over a region where the foot of man had never trod before, in temperatures ranging from 100 to 500 below zero. Imagine his surprise on descending from the table land to enter little valley radiant with gorgeous flowers and alive with
 murmuring bees, where musk oxen were lazily browsing.
 This sledding journey, 7 which ne duplicated by another equally remark able crossing of the ice cap three years later, defined the northern ex- 1 tension of Greenland and conclusive | fy proved that it is an island instead of a continent extending to the Pole. In boldness of conception and bril1i- ancy of results these two crossings of Greenland are unsurpassed in arctic history. The magnitude of Peary's s | feat is better appreciated when it is recalled that Nansen's historic cross l ing of the island was below the Are tic Circle, 1000 miles south of Peary's l latitude, where Greenland is some 250 miles wide.
 Peary now turned his attention to the Pole, which law 396 geographical miles farther north than any man had penetrated on the western hemisphere. To get there by the American route he must break a virgin trial every mile north from Greely's 830 24'. No one had pioneered so great a distance
 northward. Markham and others had attained enduring fame by advancing | the flag considerably less than 100
 miles, Peary had pioneered 150 miles, and Nansen 12S from his ship. His experiences in Greenland had convinced Peary, if possible more 1 firmly than before that the only way l of surmounting this last and most | formidable barrier was to adopt the | manner of life, the food, the snow | houses, and the clothing of the Eski-
 mos, who by centuries of experience
 had learned the most effective method | of combating the rigons of arctic | weather; to utilize the game of the northland, the arctic reindeer, musk
 OK, which his explorations had proved | comparatively abundant, thus with
 fresh meat keeing his men fit and good
 tempered through the depressing win | ter night; and lastly to train the Eski-
 mo to become his sledgihg crew. l In his first north polar expedition which lasted for four years, 1SsS-1902 PeaEy failed. to get nearer than 34: miles to the Pole. Each successive l year dense packs of ice blocked tht passage to the polar pecan, compeil. | ing him to make his base approximate. ly TOO miles from the Pole, or POI miles south of the headquarters O. Mares, too great a distance from tn, Pole to be overcome in one short sea
 son. During this trying period, b!
 sledging feats which in distance ant
 physical obstacles overcome exceeded
 the extraordinary records made il
 Greenland, he explored -and mappet hundreds of miles of coast line o
 Greenland and of the islands wes
 and north of Greenland.
 On the next attempt, Peary insure,
 reaching the polar ocean by designin
 and constructing the Roosevelt, who's
 resistless fame crushed it's way to tn
 desired haven on the shores of tn
 polar sea. From here he made tha
 wonderful march of 1906 to S70 6, new worlds record. Winds of un usual fury, by opening big leads, rob bed him of the Pole and nearly of hi life