The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1932-07-29

beacon to ships which come that far into the
Arctic regions. This monument will be memo
rial to one of the greatest Arctic explorers in
history, the man who first reached the North
Pole, Admiral Robert E. Peary of the United
States navy.
One of the members of the party will be a
woman, Mrs. Marie Ahnighita Peary Stafford,
famous three decades ago as the Snow Baby"
For this daughter of the explorer was born with
In the Arctic Circle farther north than any
other white child was ever born and went on
five northern expeditions before the days when
the airplane and the radio made Arctic explora-
ton a less hazardous venture than it was in
the days of Peary and the other pioneers into
the frozen north
"The form of the monument originated with
my father" said Mrs. Stafford before she sailed
an the last year of his life when he knew
he would never be well again, he spent most
Of the summer lying in the sunshine on a musk
skin, spread on the lawn of our island home
In Maine AS he looked out to sea- directly In
his line Of vision was rough stone monument
nearby island marking the ship channel.
AS boy. dad had camped by that monument
and as grown man his happiest times had
been spent within sight of it on his own Eagle
island. 1t was his wish that a similar marker
should be set upon his grave
However, when Peary died in 1920 and was
buried in Arlington national cemetary in WASH
ington, the rule governing the height of monu-
ments there prevented his wish being carried
out So the sort of monument he wished will
be erected In the land he loved. 1t will be
three-sided column of masonry, with one angle
pointing due north. Its material will be blocks
of the rough gneissose stone which lies there
I'm great profusiOn. Set in the stonework high
on each side will be the letter "P" the ex-
plorers initial. and at the base will be tablets
concentrating his work and acknowledging
gifts to the monument fund.
The story of Peary's career and his final at
tanment of the North pole, the goal of explor-
ers from every nation for centuries, is the story
of an heroic American to whom there was lit
orally mo such word failure" More than
that he has justly been called "the first per-
feet Arctic scientist" for In his preparations
for his Polar expeditions he never left any
thing to chance
While still student in Bowdoin college Peary
became interested in the Arctic regions and
took well planned course in Arctic geography,
polar science and dietetics. His civil engineer
degree from Bowdoin had been the result of a
carefully planned course to fit himself for polar
exploration. He applied and given COM
mission in the navy in 1881 and during his tour
of duty in Central America spent all his leisure
studying further in polar navigation. In 1886
he secured leave of absence to test out his
theoretical knowledge by short trip to Green
land.
His next trip 1891, was such another recon
naissance of the ice cap He went north up
the Greenland coast to within few miles of
Elisha Kent Kanes old base and proceeded with
three companions on a sledge trip across the
island. AT point $50 miles from camp. he
sent two companies back, they having fulfilled
their mission of carrying food for the
two who were to make the final dash. He COM
pleted the overland journey on July 4. 1892,
scaled cliff 1900 feet high to get down to
the sea, making on the outward journey nearly