Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-02-20

Robert Edwin Peary, American
naval officer and Arctic explorer, was
born at Cresson, Pa, May 6, 1856.
He was graduated from Bowdoin Col
lege and in 1881 entered the United
States navy as a civil engineer with
the rank Of lieutenant. From 1884
he was assistant engineer in connec-
tion with the surveys for the Mica
raugua Canal, and later engineer in
charge of these surveys. In 1886 he
made his first trip to the North, re-
connoitering the Greenland ice cap,
east of Disco Bay. In 1892 as
Chief Of the Arctic expedition of the
Academy of Natural Sciences of
Philadelphia, he made further ex-
plorations, traversing Greenland from
Mccormick Bay to Independence Bay,
in the northeast angle, a trip of
1900 miles, considered one of the
most remarkable polar sledge jour
neys ever made.
He discovered and named Melville
Land and Heilprin Land, proved the
conveyance of the east and west
coast of Greenland and determined
its insularity. In 1893-95 he again
visited Greenland, made a thorough
study of the tribes known as the Arc
|, tic Highlanders, and discovered the
so-called Iron Mountain, a group of
three large meteorites. In the sum-
mers of 1896 and 1897 he made short
voyages and in the latter year
brought to the United States the me-
teorltes of Cape York.
In 1899-1902, he made his most
important expedition in search of the
North Pole, under the direction of
the Peary Arctic Club of New York
City. In August, 1898, his ship. the
Windward, had reached the northern
side of Princess Marie Bay, where
her progress was stopped by the ice. !
In December he left the ship, and
by sledge reached Fort Conger. He
returned to the fort again in April,
1899, explored the region of Lady
Franklyn Bay, and rescued the in
struments and records left by Gree
ly at the fort in 1888. From June
to July he explored the Princess
Marie Bay region, crossed the Ellis
mere ice cap and established line of
caches from Cape Sabine to Fort
Conger In 1900 he again visited
Fort Conger, and from there, sledg-
ing over the ice, along the northwest
coast, reached Cape Washington, lat.
S3 degrees, 80 seconds, but finding
further progress barred by an i'm
passable sheet of water turned and
explored the east coast to within a
degree of Independence Bay. In
March, 1902, he made another start
from Payer Harbor, and travelling
over the frozen Polar Sea reached
Crozier Island but after that finding
every days march more difficult, and
encountering open leads and foes he
had to abandon his hope of reaching
the pole. He had gone as far as lat.
81 degrees, 10 minutes. In August
he sailed on his return voyage in the
new Windward, which had been sent
north by the club for him.
Careful surveys were made at all
stages, and much useful information
gained; he determined conclusively
the northern limit of Greenland, prov
ed that non-eXistence of land for a
considerable distance to the north
eastward and determined the origin
of the foe bergs and palaeocrystic
ice. In 1906 he reached 81 degrees,
6 minutes in the Roosevelt, within
about 203 miles of the pole. On
July 6, 1908, he embarked on the
steamer Roosevelt for what proved
his successful attempt to reach the
long-sought-for-goal On September
6, 1909, word was received from
Peary that he had reached the pole
on April 6, 1909.
In recognition of his achievement,
learned societies throughout the
world honored Commander Peary in
Various ways. Besides the LID. de-
gree from the University of Edin-
burgh and silver ship from the
Royal Scottish Geographical Society
of Edinburgh, he was awarded the
gold medals of the National Geo
graphical Society of London and of
numerous foreign geographical socie
ties. On March, 1911, by special
act, he received the thanks of con-
gress and promotion to rear-admiral.