Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1920-02-20
.DISCOvERER OF
NORTH POLE DIES
Admiral Peary Was Easily Amer
ica's Most Famous Explorer
His Life Story
NY Associated Pressl

Admiral Robert Edwin Peary, re-
tired Arctic explorer and dis
icovere of the north pole, died at
his home here today of pernicious
anemia, from which he had suf-
tered several years.
1t was on the afternoon of Septem
6, 1909 that the following few words
reported - the civilized world for the
first time this crowning achievement
of three centuries of effort
INDIAN HAHBOR- via Cape Ray N
r., september TO the Associated
Stars and Stripes Nailed to North
Poe, cary"
rearS's actual attainment of the
Poe lad been yust five months before.
or April 6, 1903.
When this dispatch came the world
was. quite unknown to Peary. already
ia sLIs.n-s I'r. Frederick A. Cook as the
uiacoverer, Only tour days previous to
tE@ ''e-,ry announcement. Cook who
"n BOARD a Danish steamer, had tele-
I4phc1 the claim that he reached the
!"re oh April 4, 190S-nearly year
While Dr. Cooks claim did not go
un1ucstioned from the first. he had
four days at lea It been widely acclaim-
- discover er of the Pole. With
Pearya message there arose one of the
greatest CONTROVERSIES of all ages over
E Ihe llonOI OF actual HfSt discovery
Inelc can be no one who has forgotten
! the dispute. Peary'S assertions We're
I 40. seriously Questioned but among
! newspaper readers there came to be
,wo 7ieat camps, Tor and against
Cook.
Peary with his record of seven sue
| Cc.,. tIIp., u the Arctic, his official
standing III the United States Navy
and III scientific circles, easily held the
,ToTey But PoS1Sa Maa only P the alter the
scIenttnc hOdies one by one had sifted
tlI'- evidence and pronounced Cooks
claims unfoundcd that Peary's title
+ as dIscoverer of the Pole was really
/ won.
The bitterness of this episode is
on. Zone item IN the price which Peary
I paid for the immortal fame that is
Now al lllnowledged to be his. He spent &
! pi a"ticaliy all he had ID in a me money; gave
suffered all that the human frame
13n'd endure iiom hunger; cold and
journeys into the Arctic, spent up
wards of half a million dollars and
se.eTai times he barely escaped the {.
| the fate of more than 700 explorers !
/ be him. -
The first step, that led Peary toward
tn" ole was taken in Washington one 4
! day when he walked into book store
to browse and picked up fugitive ac-
cunt of Greenland. He became an
/ \, c+IC.
Iio vas then 50 years old, He was
I i;E5i,er died when he was three years
old. and his mother took him to Port
land Ne. where he spent his hoyhood,
roaming about Casco Bay. He went
/ TO Bowdon College. won fame there as
| a runner and jumper. and stood in the
honor column Of scholarship 1t was
" Washington to work as draughts-
man in the Coast and Geodetic Survey
Offices He spent his spare time
rstulylne civil engineering and passed
In that branch into the naval service.
!Jo became Lieutenant Peary. U: S. N
His first ssienment was to the
tropics. He was leader of the survey
IIs for NicaraEuan canal route. 1t
vas when he returned to Washington
land and thereafter virtually conse-
eieted himself to polar exploration.
Obtaining leave from the naval SER
vice be led an expedition into Greens
land. to determine the extent of TINS
mister iouJ land. He determined its
iinsujarlty discovered and named many
iaIctic PORTS which today are familiar
oalnes such as Independence Bay,
.ae!viIle Land. and Hellprin Land, and
cred the famous meteorities which he
brought ra"k to civilization. One. of
them weighing so tons. is the wonder
of visitors to the Museum of Natural
HiGtory III New York.
Between voyages Peary resorted to
the lecture platform to raise funds Tor
further exp ptoIa atIop& In one instance
he delivered 1C8 lectures in a6 DAYS
on his sixth voyage with the Pole in
view, he hJH to give because polH VI
his feet became frozen. Although he
ihad rea"hed the most northerly land IN
the 'world.--namine 1t Cape Morris n;
tIessup. at the tip Of Greenlsnd-and al d .,
most northmoSt record of the western y
l,voild he was still in great despair i
The game is off My dream of 1s
years is ended. ! have made the best
fisht l Fnew. believe it was a gooc
: one But [ cannot accomplish the I'M
= ipnSsihle''
Py the time Peary had reached civil-
ization however. he had decided upen
Ee.iH anether trip. With the specially
designed ship. Roosevelt. Peary drove
further into the frozen ocean than nav
he advanced until his record Tor tnas
seventh trip stood at. Se6 where star
vation and cold again checked the par-
The explorer was 50 years old when.
lin July 1905. he set out on his eighth
and successful invasion of the Potaf re-
CAPTAIN Bartlett the veteran navi-
gator for Peary. shouted to Col Roosez
at New York: Its the Pole or BUST
tl,is time MIR. President
The method of attacking. the Pole
was in five detachments. pushing north
in the manner of a telescope. Al ire
SSth parallel Peary parted with captain
Baruett. in chayge of the 4th detaen-
fnents-and he with one member OF MS
, crew affa>> four F.SlSjmos made the finai
dash. They covered the 135 miles IN
4 tive DAYS.
Thirty hours from April to were
lspent at and around the Pole-a greas
: tract of frozen sea--none of the land
,hi ;, Dr. Cook reported; The wealth
, or cloudless aud flawless FneN
!, temperature ranged from SS below 70
liz i.eiow4 Where open places permitfeaV
so,IndineS, 9.a00 feet of wire. when
was all that Peary had, failed to touchE
3 tho t,nttc N.
2 When he got back to civilization,1
, Peary. was surprised. to find such
l fierce controversy raging over him ant.
. his rival. Dr. Cook. bit he easily es-
> ia Klished his claim before scientlf1c
bodies throughout the world. II way
raised to the rank OF Rear Admiral OF
1.-THE United States Navy and retired o.
Ipay: Congress voted him its ithankssiq
a special act. and gold medals. declara7
u tians and honors OF many kinds were
> showeIed upon him. 81
scientific and popular narratives o9
Ibis suecess he !wove into a hook called
..'The North Pele.y while his other ex
z peditjops are described in detail in Ms
i"North ward Over the Great lee and
<sft'Nearest the Pole"
Peary'S closing years were spents1{
. lweil-earned rest .livinesfor' larre par1
, tofsf the time with his family of three
{ | wife, daughter, and Son,-zon Fagle Isl
. 1ef f,%<>x I9<,s~f1 f1ox, n IN