The Alaska daily empire., 1920-02-20
Death Ends Two-Year Fight To Save Life By Blood
 Transfusion
FOUND POLE IN 1909
World Famous Controversy With Dr. Cook Recalled
 Was Sixty-Four.

1, Admiral Robert E. Peary, United States Navy. retired, the discoverer nf the North Pole, died in the naval hospital early today of pernicious anaenia. He was GA years old. Within the past two years Ad- niral Peary submitted to thirty-flve blood transfusions, in an effort to restore his health.
 It was announced that the Navy would conduct the funeral, with full honors.
 Admiral Peary recently became interested in aeronautics. having not long ago become president of St. Louis aeroplane firm. He also was president of the Aerial League of America.
 It was on the afternoon of Sep tesnber 6, 1909 that the following few words reported to. the civilized world for the first time this crown, ing achievement of three oentnrisa. of effort ..'
 INDIAN HARBoR, via Cape Bay. N. F., Sept. 6.-To the Associated Press, New York,
 Stars and Stripes Nailed to Ncrth Pole.
 "PEARY"
 Peary's actual attainment of the Pole had been just five months be- fore. on April 6, 1909.
 World Was Railing Cook When the dispatch came. the world was, quite unknown to Peary, already praising Dr. Frederick A. Cook, as the discoverer Only four days previous to the Peary an- nouncement, Cook, who was on his way back to Copenhagen on board a Danish steamer. had telegraphed the claim that he reached the Pole on April 21, 190S-nearly a year ahead of Peary. m r While Dr. Cooks claim did not go unquestioned from the first, he had four days at least been widely acclaimed as the discoverer of the Pole With Peary's message there arose one of the greatest contro- versies of all ages over the honor of actual first discovery. There can be no one who has forgotten the dispute. Peary's assertions were not seriously questioned, but among 1, newspaper readers there came to be two great camps, for and against Cook. R Peary, with his record of sevenl successful trips to the Arctic, hisl official standing in the Unitedt States Navy and in scientific cir-I cles. easily held the commandingt position in the controversy. But id was only after the scientific bodies one by one had sifted the evidencs and pronounced Cooks claims un@ ! founded that Peary's title as discov. erer of the Pole was really won. The bitterness of this epside is ,only one item in the price whicT Peary paid for the immortal fam that is now acknowledged to be hifs 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 journeys into tte Arctic, spent upwards of half . million dollars and several times he barely escaped death which in various forms had been the fate of , more than TOO explorers before him. Got Inspiration From Book | The first step that led Peary to-
 ward the Pole was taken in. Wash-
 ington one day when he walked in-
 to book store to browse and picked
 up a fugitive account of Greenland.
 He became an unsuitable reader on
 the subject of the Arctic.
 He was then 30 years old. He
 was born in Cresson, Pa. in 1856.
 His father died when he was three
 years old. and his mother took him
 to Portland. Me-. where he spent
 lis boyhood. roaming about Casco