New-York tribune., 1920-02-21


sheridan. to the spot Chosen on The
former voyage for winter quarters.
That was September 8, 1908.
In the February following the ad-
vance began, with the establishment df
chain of depots reaching out ito Cape
Columbia. The start was made on Feb
ruary Is. There were seven men from
the Roosevelt, seventeen Esquimaus
and 1873 dogs, divided into five detach-
ments, all arranged with mathematical
precision. The road led over Arctic ice
was reached and weeks delay oc-
Cured, and the first Of the FIVE de-
tachments, led by DR.. Goodse1l, was
sent back to the ship. At latitude 85
degrees % minutes the SECOND detach-
ment, led by George Borup, returned
At the end of the next march the
third, under Ross G. Marvin, was sent
back, Marvin losing his life on the
way. The fourth detachment, under
Captain Bartlett, kept on until at 81
degrees 48 minutes higher latitude
was reached than ever before and then
it, too, returned.
The Pole at Last
1t was the first Of April. After his
years of endeavor Peary stood at the
eighty y-eghth parallel, only degrees
Of latitude from the pole. With him
we're one man from the Roosevelt,
Matthew Hansen, negro; four Esqui-
maus and forty dogs About 1870 miles
marches were made on five succeeding
days. At the end of the fifth, on April
&, Peary was so exhausted that he
could struggle no further. He had to
halt for rest, though sleep was impos-
slble. But he took observations, a tem-
porary break in the clouds giving him
the opportunity. The showing of the
Instruments Nas epochal, climateric,
he was IN latitude 80 degrees 81 min
utes north.-three minutes from the
pole! In his diary lie wrote:
The Pole at last! The prize of
three centuries, my dream and goal for
twenty years, mine at last! i cannot
bring myself to realize it. 1t all seems
so simple and commonplace. AS Bart
lett SAID when turning back, whom
speaking OF his being in those exclu-
sivc regions which no mortal man had
ever penetrated before, Tt is just like
every day"
The next day he went on to tie
actual Pole and beyond it. Thirty
hours were spent there in taking OBJ
servatlons and preparing for the re-
turn, each one crowded hour of glo-
certainly stable, beneath which sound
lngs showed the water of the Arctic
Ocean to be 1,500 fathoms deep. The
American flag was planted at the very
fole, though the treacherous ice Nigh.
soon shift it far away. But it had been
the hrst to get there, and for the time
at least, and historically for all time.
1T was mailed to the Pole"
Inc return journey was made az
rapidly as possible, amid increasing
difficulties Of head winds and open
water. From Cape Columbia to tn The e
toe there were twenty-seven marches:
the distance from the Pole back to
cape Columbia was covered in sixteen.
indian Harbor, Labrador, was reached
on September s, and the next day
Peary sent the message which startled
and immeasurably gratfied the world:
Stars and Stripes nailed to the Pole."
Cookery
The great discoverer returned. how
ever TO lind his laurels claimed by an
other Or. Frederick A. Cook. who Rad
participated in some former Polar ex-
peditlons, had himself led one toward
the Poleand had professed to reach
mat goal nearly q. year in advance OF
feary On his return, with fantastio>
tales Of solid land at the Pole coverad
with purple SHOWS" DR.. Cook was
hastily hailed as hero and his
claims were at first seriously regarded
by many scientific men. At the tine
OF Pearys return ne was at Copen-
hagen, where the Academy of Sciences
was giving him credence He did not,
venture to dispute that Peary had
reached the Fole, but insisted that he
himself had preceded him there by
nearly year.
A long and somewhat acrimonious
controversy ensued, both in scientific
circles and in the public press. The
issue was taken UP in Congress, where
Cooks partisans caused Peary-and the
natlon--some humiliation by preenting
for time the bestowal Of appropriate
offcial recognition upon the discov-
erer. In time, however, the spurious
character of Cooks pretensions became
evident, and were thus generally rec
ognized, while Peary's straightforward
and abundantly substantiated narr,-
tive was approed and irdubitably ac-
copied.
While the supreme honors of the
achievement of course rested and must
ever rest with Peary, the discoyerer
himself gave fullest credit to those
Who had given him indispensable aid.
Foremost among these were Morris X.
Jesup, who died before the culmina-
ton or the great enterprise; Thomas
H. Hubbard, Zenas Crane, Henry
parish, Anton "A. Raven, and Herbert
L. Bridgman.
Tokens of Honor
Congress in time did Peary justice.
On March 3, 1911, it voted him it's
special thanks and made him a rear
admiral, the promotion and the high
est salary permits ible, dating from
the actual discovery Of the pole. Spe-
cial gold medals were conferred upon
him by the National Geographic So
ciety, of Washington, the Royal Geo
graphical Society of London, the
Philadelphia Geographical Society, the
Peary Arctic Club and the Explorers
Club. The National Geographic So
ciety gave him the Hubbard gold
medal, the Chicago Geographical So
ciety the Culver gold medal. the
philadelphia Geographical Society the
Kane gold medal, the American Geo
graphical Society the Daily and Gull
lom gold medals. Other gold medals
came to him from the Imperial Ger
man, Austrian and Hungarian Geo
graphical Societies, from the Royal.
Royal Scottish. Italian and Belgian
Geographical Societies, from the
French Geographical Society, from the
Academy of Sports, Paris; from the
City Of Paris; from Marseilles, from
Normandy. In 1913 he was made q
grand officer Of the Legion Of Honor.
The University of Edinburgh made
him LII. D.