The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-02-20
PEARY OF NORTH
POLE FAME DEAD
The 35th TRANSMISSION of
Blood Within Two Years
Failed to Save Him
PERNICIOUS ANEMIA
CAUSE OF DEATH
Discoverer of North Pole
Will Be Buried With
Full Naval Honors

! ltIl ~ q tli AiChAOAo ~
Washington, D. c.. Feb. 20.-Rear
Admiral Robert Edwin Peary, I. ). NJ
retired, Arctic explorer and discoverer
of the North Pole, died at his home
here to-day from pernicious aenemia,
from which he had suffered for several
wears. Arrangements for the funeral
have not been completed, but he will be
buried with full naval bonors.
Admiral Peary submitted to blood
TRANSMISSION at hospital here ten days
ago He later was removed to his home
and his condition then was reported as
somewhat improved. He gradually grew
| weaker. however, and the end came
fearly this morning DR., H. T. Strine.
the admral's physician, disclosed that
the TRANSMISSION this month was the
35th to which Admiral Peary had sub
mitted within two years.
Admiral Peary was "a years old, and
entered the navy as civil engineer on
fOct. 20, 1881
In 1913 he was promoted to the rank
of rear admiral in the navy and given
the thanks of Congress by a special act.
| Turning his attention to aviation, Ad-
miral Peary became n strong advocate
of aircraft development by the govern
ment and time and again urged ade-
quate coast patrols in this country,
especially during he war period.
IT was on the afternoon of Sept 6,
1909, that the following few words re-
ported to the civilized world for the
first time this erowning achievement
of three centuries of effort:
"Indian Harhor. via Cape Ray, Y. r..
Sept 6--To the Associated Press New
! York
"Stars and Stripes nailed to North
Pole. Peary.'
Pearys actual attainment of the pole
had been just five months before, on
April ., 1909
When this dispatch came, the world
was. quite unknown TO Peary. already
praisng DR. Frederick A. Cook as the
discoverer, Only four days previous
to the Peary announcement, Cook. who
was on his way back to Copenhagen
on board Danish steamer had telc
graphed the claim that he reached the
pole on April q, 1908 nearly year
ahead Of Peary.
While DR.. Cooks claim did not 90
unquestioned from the first he had for
! four days at least been widely ac-
claimed as the discoverer Of the pole.
With Peary's message there arose one
OF the greatest controversies of all ages
over the honor of actual first discoy-
ery. There can be no one who has
forgotten the dispute, Pearv's asscr
tions were not seriously questioned. but
among newspaper readers there came to
be two great camps, for and against
Cook
Pearv with his record Of seven sue.
cessfu trips to the Arctic. his official
standing in the United States navy and
in scientific circles easily held the. com
mandng position in the controversy.
But IL was only after the scientific bod
les, one by one, sifted the evidence and
pronounced Cooks claims unfouuded,
! that Pearv's title as discoyerer Of the
| pole was really won.
The bitterness Of this episode is only
! one item in the price which peary paid
for the immortal fame that il now ac-
! knowledged TO be his. He spent prac
tically all he had in money, ga.e al
that was in him for hard work. aud
suffered all that the human frame could
endure from hunger. cold and disap
/ pointment He made eight Journeys
into the Arctic spent upwards Of half
million dollars and several times he
barely escaped the death which in va
rious forms had been the fate OF more
than 700 explorers before him.
The first step that led Peary toward
the pole was taken in Washington one
day when he walked into book store
to browse and picked up fugitive ac-
count of Greenland He became an in.
satiable reader on the subject OF the
Arctic
He was then 30 years old. lie was
born in Cresson. Pa, in 1855 His ia
ther died when he was three years old,
and his mother tool; him 10 Portland,
Me-. where he spent his boyhood. roam
ing about Casco bay He went 10 Bow
doin college won fame there as a
runner and jumper. aud stood in the
honor column Of scholarship. II was a
little later that he had gone to Wash
ington to work az a draught sman in
the coast and geodctic- survey Of
fee He spent his spare time study
ing civil engineering and passed in that
branch into the naval service. lie be-
came Lieut. Peary. L. :. y.
His first assignment was 10 The trop-
A.w n.a aHfr -nR-F IA RI
for tho Nicarqguan canal route. u WIS
when he returned To- Washington that
he fell upon the book about Greenland.
and thereafter virtually consccrated
himself TO polar exploration.
Obtaining leave from the naval scrV-
ice. he led an expedition into Green.
land - determine the extent of this
mV<terious land lie determined rs
insnlaritv. discovered and named many
Arctic points. which to-day are familiar
names such a : Independence haN. Mel
,iiie Land aud IIeiiprin Land. and IN
one ~ hi later voyages hr discovered
the famous mcteorites which hr
brought back 10 eiViligstion. one Of
them. weighing - tons. i The wonder
of visitors Is the Museum oi Natural
History in New York.
Between voyages Peary resortcd 20
tho lerturc platform % raise funds for
further exploration. ln one instaure he
delivered los lecture rs 9s daN-, rai--
ing slan0e
nn his sixth voyage. With The pole
i- tir-r. be had a. give up beeau=e h1th
of S.. fsrt hp-ame frazen Althsug =
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