The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-02-20
PEARY, WHO
DISCOVERED
POLE, DEAD
Northern Explorer Succumbs
to Pernicious Anemia -
Hero of Famous Contro-
versy With DR.. Cook.
WAS 81 YEARS old
fBy Associated Press)

tby associated PreSs)
WASHINGTON. Feb. 20.-Rear Ad-
m1ral Robert Edwin Peary. retired.
Arctlc explorer and discoverer OF the
North Pole, died at his home here to-
oay from pernicious anemia from
which he had suffered for several
years. Arrangements for the funeral
nave not been completed. but he will
De pur1ed with full naval honors.
Admiral Peary submitted to blood
TRANSMISSION at a hospital here 10 days
ago. He later was removed to his
home and his condition then was re-
ported as somewhat improved. He
gradually grew weaker, however. and
the end came early this morning.
Dr. H +. Strine. the admiraPs phy-
slclan, disclosed that the TRANSMISSION
thls month was the thirty-fifth to
which Admiral Peary had submitted
within two years.
1t was on the afternoon OF Septem.
Der 6, 1909 that the following few
words reported to the civilized world
Tor the first time this crownine
achievement of three centuries OF
effort:
Indian Harbor. via Cape Ray, N. F.,
sept. 6.-To the Associated Press.
New York:
Stars and Stripes nailed to North
| Pole
"PEARY.r
"Peary's actual attainment of the
Pole has been just five months before.
On April 6. 1909. -.- = =
When this despatch came, the world
was, quite unknown to Peary. already
praising DR.. Frederick A. Cook, as the
c1scoverer Only four days previous
to the Peary announcement, Cook, who
was on his way back to Copenhagen on
board Danish steamer, had tele-
i eraphed the claim that he reached the
Pole on April 21, 190S-nearly year
ahead of Peary. -- -.
cook-Peary Dispute Recalled.
While DR.. Cooks claim did not go
unquestioned from first, he had for
four days at least been widely acclaim
ed as the discovered of the Pole. With
Peary's message there arose one of the
greatest. controversies of all ages over
The honor Of actual first discovery.
! There can be no cne who has forgot
ten the dispute. Peary's assertions
were not seriously questioned, but
among newspaper readers there came
to be two great camps, for and against
| Cook
| Peary with his record of seven sue
cessful trips to the Arctic, his official
standing in the United States navy
and in scientific circles, easily held
the commanding position in the con-
troversy. But it was only after the
scientific bodies one by one had sifted
| the evidence and pronounced Cooks
claims unfounded that Peary's title
was really won.
| The bitterness OF this episode is only
one item in the price which Peary
paid for the immortal fame that is now
acknowledged to be his. He spent
practically all he had in money. gave
all that was in him for hard work. and
suffered all that the human frame
could endure from hunger. cold and
disappointment. He made eight jour
neys into the Arctic, spent upwards Of
S500,000 and several times he barely
escaped the death which in various
forms had been the fate of more than
700 explorers before him.
Became Interested in Arctic.
The first step that led Peary toward
the pole was taken in Washington one
DAY when he walked into a book store
to browse and picked up a fugitive ac-
count of Greenland. He became an
Unsuitable reader on the subject of the
Arctic.
He was then 80 years old He was
born in Creasson, Pa, in 1856. His
father died when he was three years
old. and his mother took him to Port.
land. Me-, where he spent his boyhood
roaming about Casco Bay. He went
to Bowdoin College, won fame there
as runner and jumper, and stood in
the honor column of scholarship. 1t
al 4I~oA l. 4
Washington to work as draughts-
man in the coast and geodetic survey
offices. He spent his spare time
studying civil engineering and passed
in that branch into the naval service
He became Lieutenant Peary, U. S. ~
His first assignment was to the
tropics. He was a leader of the sur
veying for the Nicaraguan canal route
II was when he returned to Washing
ton that he fell upon the book about
Greenland. and thereafter virtually
consecrated himself TO polar explora-
ton.
Charted Unknown Greenland.
Obtaining leave from naval service,
he led an expedition into Greenland.
to determine the extent of this myster-
ious land. He determined its insular-
ity. discovered and named many Arctic
POINTS W NlCu touds are lduliiidI utuicS
such as Independence Bay. Melville
Land. and Heilprin Land. and In one
of his later voyages he discovered the
!, famous meteorities which he brought
hack to civilization. One Of them.
weighing so tons. is the wonder of
visitors to the Museum OF Natural
History in New York. '--z
Between voyages Peary resorted to
: the lecture platform to raise funds for
: further exploration. In one instance
he delivered 1853 lectures in 96 days.
/ raising $4,000.
On his sixth voyage. with the Pole
| in view. he had to give up because
: both of his feet became frozen AL
though he had reached the most north.
: erly land in the world. naming It Cape
? Morris K. Jessup, at the tip of Green.
: land-and had also attained latitude
| S4.17. the northernmost record In the
: Western world, he was still in great
dispair. He wrote in his diary:
The game is off. My dream of 1e