The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1920-02-27

year dense packs of Ice blocked the
passage to the polar ocean, compell-
Ing him TO make hif base approx
uateiy 200 miles from the pole. or
200 miles south of the headquarters
Of Mares, too great a distance from
the pole to be overcome in one short
season. During this trying period. by
sledging feats which in distance and
physical obstacles overcome exceeaed
the extraordinary records made in
, Greenland. he explored and mapped
hundreds of miles of coast line of
Greenland and of the islands vest and
north of Greenland.
On the next attempt Peavy insured
reaching the polar ocean by designing
AID constructing the Roosevelt. whose
resistless frame crushed It's way to the
| desired haven on the shores of the
polar sea. From here he made that
wonderful march of 1896 to 81 degrees
s. new worlds record. Winds OF
! unusual fury. by opening big leads.
robbed him OF the pole and nearly OF
his life.
HIS LAST TRIP.
The last Peary expedition, 1905
1a4a. resulted in tho discoStry of The
pole and OF the deep ocean surround :
ing it. The 3s6 miles from tireeiy' i
farthest had been sanquisned as fol-
lows: 1900, thirty miles, 1907. twenty
three mitea. 1905. $50 miles: 1903. ia
miles.
] No better proof of the minute ca ~
with which every campaign was pre-
arranged can be given than the fact
that. though Peary has taken hundreds
of men north with him on hts various
expeditions, he has brought them all
back. and in good health, with the ex-
ception of two, who lost their lives in
accidents for which the leader was In
n. wise responsible. What contrast
this record Is to the long list of IA
taiities from disease, frost, shipwreek
and starvation which in the popular
mind has made the word Arctic syn
snenymous with tragedy and death!
Thus Robert f. Peary crowned a life
devoted to the exploration of the icy
north and to the advancement OF
science by the hard-won discovery OF
, the North Pole. The prize of four
centuries of striving yielded at last tc
the most persistent and scientific at
tack ever waged against IT, Paary's
success was made possible by long ex-
perience, which gave him thorough
knowledge Of the difficulties to be
. overcome. and by an unusual cembi-
nation of mental and physical power
resourcefulness which enabled him
to find way to Surmount all OBJ
staeles. u tenAcity and courage which
knew no defeat and a physical endow-
usnt such as nature gives to few men
II has been well said that the glory
Of Pearys achievement belongs to the
world and Is shared by all mankind
But we. his fellow -countrymen. whs
have known how he struggled these
many years against discouragemen'
and SOOTHING and how 70 Serseveree
under financial burdens that woult
have crushed less stalwart shoulders
specially rejoice that he made good
at last. and that an American has be
come the peer of Hudson, Magellan
and Columbus.
Pearys first address to the Nationa
Geographic Society was In the fail o.
1888, when the society was only few
months old He then described an ex.
petition which he had led across
Nicaragua. He has been actively as
sseiated with it's work ever since thoss
early days. and ON his return from
each of his expeditions to the fal
north his first public address was u
the National Geographic Society. His
last public appearance was on thu
platform of the National Geographic
Society, when. In January. 1919, HI
Introduced StefanSaon, who had jus
returned from the Canadian north,
I In 1897 he was presented the Hub
bard gold medal OF the society b!
President Roosevelt. and in 1903 spe
ciai gold medal for his discovery o
the North Pole and later was a mem
Der of it's board of managers for years