V
m
B.
,
IflJi
I Oily
Top of the World Reached by Won
derfully Swift Rush Over the
Immense Fields of Ice.
Favorable Conditions Aid Bold American Ex
plorer in Realizing the Ambition of His Life
He Denies Cook Arrived at the Goal.
- Notice to Publishers.
Tho following account ly Command
er Hubert 10. I'oitiy of IiIh HiiccoHsfnl
voynKO to tho north polo was Ihhui'iI
on Huptninhr-r 10 hy tho Now York
TinioH Company at tho roiiuoHt of
Commantlor I'cary and for IiIh protec
tion, mi a hook only, oopyrlKhtod and
oxpoHcd for Halo licforo any part of It
wuh rcprodiicnd hy any nowHpapor
In tho United Htatos or Ktiropc, In
order to obtain tho full protection of
thu copyrlc.ht Iuwh. Tho roprodiictlon
of thlH account, In any fonn, without
pormlsHlon, Ik forbidden. Tho pcnnl
tloa for violation of thin form of copy
right Include ImpriHoumont for any
porwm aiding or ubottltiK such viola
tion. ThlH article Ih copyrighted In
Grout Itrltaln by tho Ivondon TIiiioh.
Copyright, 11)09, by the New York
TIiuoh Company. This narrative ft
nluo copyrighted iih a newspaper aril
olo by the New York Time.') Company.
ItUl'OltT OK THU DISCOVERY OK
TIIK NOItTII VOAi by Itohert K.
I'eary, Commander U. S. N., Copy
rlKht, 1.101), by tho Now York TIiiioh
Company.
Donlcs Cook Reached Pole.
Hat tip llr.rboi, Labrador (vlu Miiicniil
wireless, Capo Hay, N. !'.), Kept, lo. Do
not trouble about Cook's Hlury. or at
toniit to explain any discrepancies In his
Htutriucnts. 'I'lin nlTalr will settle Itself.
lie linn nut been at tlic polo on Apill
21, 1D0S, or at any other (line. I If linn
simply handed tint public a gold Irrh-k.
These Miitements nru iniulu advisedly,
noil I luivp proof of thrill. Whim he
makes a full statement of IiIh Journey
over IiIh signature to some geographical
Noclety, or oilier reputable hoily, If that
statement contains the claim that he has
reached the pole, 1 Hlmll bo III a posi
tion to furnish inntcilnl that may prove
illutliKtly interesting reading for tin- pub
lic. ItOHEUT 13. FEAUY.
lint tin Harbor, I-abrndor (via Marco
ni wireless. Capo Hay. N. !'.), Sept. 'J.
Tin' steamer llonsevclt, bearing the
north polar expedition of thu l'oary
.Arctic club, partoil coinpany with tho
Erik imil steamed out of Elnh foul latn
In the afternoon of August IS, r.)DS,
netting tho UHiiat course for Capo Ha
blue. Thu wpiitbcr was dirty, with
fresh southerly winds. We bad on
board 2'.' Eskimo nun, 17 woiiiuu. ami
10 children, 22G dogs, and Homo forty
odd walrus.
Wo encountered the Ice a slut ills
taace from tho mouth of the harbor.
lint It wan not ol".Moly pucKcd, and wuh
nciTotlated by tho Hoosovelt without
errloiiH dllllculty.
Find Much Water.
Ah wo n.iri-w Capo Sabine tho weath
er cleared sonioivhiit and we passed by
Three Voorr Island and Cape. Sahlne,
easily making out with tho naked eyo
the botiMu at Hayes harbor occupied by
mo in the winter of l'JOl-02.
From Capo Sabine north thero was
o tnuph water that wo thought of set
ting tho lug null lipforo the southerly
wind, hut u little later appearance of
Ico to tho northward Mopped this.
Thoro waa clean op- n water to Capo
Allrcrt, anil from thoro scattered leo
to a point about abreast of Victoria
Head, thick weather and dense leu
bringing uii sonio tea or fifteen miles
wny.
From here we drifted south Homewhat
nil then got aslant to the northward
out of tho current. We worked a llttlo
further north and stopped again for
inniu hours. Then we aaln worked
westward and northward till wo
readier! a scries of bikes, coining to a
stop a few HI lira south of tho Wluil
ward's winter quarters at Capo Dur
vlllo. From here, after some delay, we
iilowly worked a way northeastward
through fog and broken ice of medium
thickness through one night and the
forenoon of the next day, only emerg
ing Into open watrr and clear weather
off Cape Fraier.
Strike Ice and Fog,
From thlH point we hud a clear run
through the middle of Hoheson channol
uninterrupted by either Ice or fog, to
Lady Franklin bay. Hero wo encoun
tered both Ico and fojr, und while
working along; In search of a practi
cable oponltitf wero forced across to
the Greenland coast at Thank God
Jlnrhor.
The fotf lifted tlipro and enabled us
to niakP out our whereabouts and we
Otpained north tliroiiKh a series of lenila
piiHt Cairo l.uptou, nnd thence south
ward toward Cape Union. A few lalles
off that capo wo wero stopped hy tm
Draetlcahlo Icp. and wo drifted hack
south to Capo Union, whero wo stopped
AKln.
Ship Forced Aground,
We lay for Home time in a lajto of
water, and then, to prevent belnir drift
ed south njtaln, took refiiKo under tho
north iihuro of Lincoln bay. In nuarly
the Identical place whom wo bail our
unpleasant experiences three years be
fore. Here wo remained for novercal
days durlnK a period' of constant and
at tlnieH violent northeaBtvrly winds.
Twlco we wero forcod aground by
the heavy Ice; wo bad our port uuar
tcr rail broken and a bole stov In tho
bulwark, nnd twlco wo pushed out In
Rn attempt to net north, but wero
forced back each titno to our precari
ous shelter
Heavy Running Ico.
Finally on September s wo squeezed
eround Cape Union and mado fast in a
hallow niche la tho ico. hut after somo
hours wo made another short run to
Black cape and hum; on to a Krounded
bit of Ice. At last, a little after mid
night of September D, wo pasKod throuKh
extremely heavy runnlni; Ico Into a
stream of open water, rounded Cape
Xlawson and passed Capo Sheridan.
Within a quarter of uu hour of tho
am time wo arrived three years before
--seven a. in., September 6-we reached
r irrn rrx ir-k a n
the open wator cxlendlnK beyond Capo
Kl.iTldun.
We steamed up to tho end of It and It
npprari'd pracllruhle at ilrst to reach
1'oiier bay, near Capo Joseph Mealy,
whli h I had for my winter ipiartcrs, hut
the outlook heluK unsatisfactory, I went
Illicit Mini put the Itouscvolt Into the
only opeiiliu; in tho Hop, bclnR barred
i lose to tho mouth of the Klierldan riv
er a little north of our position threo
years prior.
Put Up for Winter.
The season was further advanced than
In 11M1; there was more snow on tho
nroiniil and tho new leu liisldo thu tloo
herus was much thicker.
The work of iliseliurKlnrf tho ship wns
commenced at onco and rushed to com
pletion. Tho supplies and ctpilpuicnt we
sledded ncroKS ice nnd sen and deposited
on shore. A house and workshop were
built of boatd, covered with sails, nnd
lilted wllb stoves, and the ship was
hiiiik for winter In shoal water, whero It
touched hoi torn at low tide.
The Heitlwncnt on tho stormy shores nf
the Arctic ocean was christened llub
baidville. lliuitliiK parties were sent out on Sep
tember 10 ami a hear was hroimht In on
the IJth and soniu deer a day or two
later.
Prepare for Sledge Trip.
On September 13 the lull work of trans
fer! Iiik supplies to Cape Columbia was
iliaumualed. Marvin with lr. Good
sail and Horup and the Ksklmos. took Iij
slcili;c loads of supplies to Cape llelkuap
and on tho LTIh the same party started
wl .h loads to Porter hay.
The work of limiting and transporting
supplies was proseeuted continuously by
the members of the party and tho Kskt
nniH until November fi. when the Klip
phis for the spline sledue ttlp had been
removed from winter (in.irteia and do
potdteil at various places from Capo Co
lon to Capo Columbia.
The latter part of September the mow
no III of the ,o subjeeted tho ship to a
prtssiire which listed It to port somo
elKlit or ten decrees, and It did not re
cover till (lie following HpllliK.
(in i)i toiler 1 I went on a hunt with two
MhIuuios iuioks the Held and Pass bay
and the pi ulusula. made the circuit of
Cleioaiils Miirkhaiti Inlet, and returned
to the ship in seven days with 13 musk
om'ii. a hear and a deer.
Later in Uetober 1 repeated tho trip,
obtalnlm; live musk oxen, and hunting
purtlcH i-eeiired some 40 deer.
Supplies Moved to Base.
In the February moon llartlett went to
C.ipe Heel. i, Goodxall moved some more
supplies from lleclii to Capo Colan. and
Horup went to Slarkhiiin Inlet on a bunt
liiK trip. On Febiiiury 15 Hartlett left
I be Itoosevelt with Ills division for Capo
Columbia and Parr hay.
Goods ill, Horup, Mac.Mlllau and Han
sen followed on HticccHHlve days with
their provisions. Man In leturued fiom
C.i lie Hryant on February 17 and left for
Cape Columbia on February "I. I brought
up the icar on February i.'2.
The total of all divisions leaving tho
Hoo.eelt WIIH heven Uleinhers of tho
puity. W) Ksklmos. 110 .Ioks and :a hludKcs.
Make Ready for Dndi.
Hy Fnliruaty L'7 such of the Cape Colan
depot as was needed had been btouKht
up to Cape Columbia, the doi;s wero
rested and double rationed and harnessed,
and the hIpiIkch and other wear over
hauled. Four months of northerly winds durim;
tho fall and winter Instead of souther
ly ones, as during the previous season,
led mo to expect less open water than
heroic, but a real deal of roiiKb lee, and
1 w.is prepared to hew a mail through
the JiiKK'd be for tho Ilrst hundred miles
or so, then cross the big lead.
Dnrtlett Lends the Way.
On thu last day of Fvbiuaiy Hartlett,
with his pioneer division, aciompllshid
tills, and Ills division got away duo
north over the leu on Match 1. Tho rest
of tho parly not away on Harllett's
trail, anil 1 followed an hour Inter.
The parly now comprised seven inem
beis of the expedition, 17 KsMmos, i!3
doKH and 1'J sledges, one Ksliliuu and
seven dogs had, gonu to pieces,
A strong easterly wind, drifting
snow, and temperature in tho minus
inurkc'd our depaiture trom thu camp at
Cape Columbia, which 1 had christened
Ciunu City. Hough Ice In the ilrst inarch
damaged several sledges and smashed
two In yond lepalr, tho teams going hack
to Columbia tor other sledges in resmo
there.
Pass Dritlsh Record.
Wo camped ten mlks trom Crane City.
The easterly wind ami low in rnimn
continued. In thu second man li wu
pubsed the Hiltlsh lecurd mode by Mark
ham In May, lsio -s.'.sv and wero stopped
by open water, which hud been foiuied
by wind after Hnrtlett passed.
In this mai'ih we negotiated the lead
ami leached Hartletfs ttilul camp. Horup
hail, gone back from heie, hut missed his
w.i), owing to tho faulting of the trail
t thu movement of the he.
Mai via came hack also for more fuol
and alcohol. Tho wind continued, form
ing open walei all abou( us. At tho end
of tho fourth march wo cumo upon
H.irllctt, who had been stopped by a
wide hike of open water. Wu remained
hero from March t to March 11.
Gets Glimpse of Sun.
At noon of March D the sun, red and
shaped like a loolball by e.eessed re
llectton, just i .lined Itstlf above the hurl
sum for a few minutes and then disap
peared uKuln. It was thu Hist time 1 had
been It sluie Oi tobur I.
I now began to feel a good deul of
anxiety In cuuu thero wero no signs
of Marvin and Horup, who should huvo
men mere ror ixo u.iys. IK'sldes, they
bud the ukohol and(oll, which wero In
di usable for us
We concluded that they had either lost
thu ti all or were impi ikiined on an Is
land by open water, probably tho latter
i'oriiinaiely, on .March li tho lend was
prucllcablo and, having a note for Mar
vin and Horup to push on after us by
foued inurihes, wo proceeded northward.
The sounding uf the lead guvi IW
fathom, '
During this march wo crossed the
eighty-tourth parallel and traverxed a
succession of Just fro?en leads, from a
lew hundred yards to n mllu In width.
This inarch was really wimple.
On tho fourteenth wo got free of tho
leads and came on decent going. While
we wero making camp a courier from
.Marvin carau uud Informed me he was
on the march in tho rear. The temper
ature was f9 below zero.
The following morning, March 13, I sent
Hansen Willi his division north to pio
neer a trail for five marches, and Dr.
Goodsell, according to the program, start
ed back to Cape Columbia.
McMillan Turns Back.
At night Marvin and Horup came spin
ning In with their men and dogs steam
ing In the bitter air llko a squadron uf
battleships. Their arrival relieved mo
of nil anxiety as to our nil supply.
In the morning I discovered that Mac
Mllliin's foot wuh badly frost bitten. Tho
mishap bad occurred two or three days
before, but MacMlllan had mild nothing
about It In tho hopu that It would come
out all right.
A glance at the Injury showed mo that
tho only thing was to send him back to
Capo Columbia at once. The arrival of
Marvin and Horup enabled mo to spare
sullicleiit men and dogs to go back with
him.
Loss Is Serious One,
This early loss of MacMlllan was seri
ously disappointing to me. He had a
sledge all tho way from Capo Columbia,
and with his enthusiasm and tho powers
and physique of the trained athlete 1
had conlldeiii e In him for at least tho
silth parallel, hut t lit i u wiu no alterna
tive. T H best sledges and dogs wero select
ed and tho sledge loads brought up to
the standard. The sounding gave a
deptli of 3?3 fathoms,
We were over tho continual shelf, and,
as I had sut mined, the successive leads
eiossed In thu llfth and sixth inarches
composed the big lead and marked thu
continual shelf.
On leaving tho enmp tlio expedition
comprised Hi men, U sledges and 10) dogs.
The next march was satisfactory as re
gaids distance and the character of tho
going. Ill the latter part there wero
pronounced movements in tho leu, both
Visible and audible.
Some leads were crossed, In ono of
which Horup and his team took a bath,
anil wo were finally stopped by un Im
practicable lead opening In front of us.
We camped in n tumperaturu of 01) de
grees below.
At tho end of two short mnrches wo
came upon Hansen and his party In
enmp, mending their aledges. Wo de
voted the lemalnder Of tho day to over
haullngjand mending sledges and break
ing up our damaged ones for muturlul.
Make Forced Marches.
Tho next morning I put Marvin In tho
lend to pioneer the trail, with Instruc
tions to inako two forced marches lo
bring up our average, which had been
cut down by tho last two short ones.
Marvin carried nut his Instructions Im
plicitly. A considerable amount of young
icu assisted In this.
At the end of tho tenth march, latitude
'::::, Horup turned back in command uf
the second supporting party, having trav
eled a distance equivalent to Nausea's
distance l'rum thin far to his farthest
north.
I was sorry to lose this youus Yale
runner, with Ids enthusiasm and pluck,
lie had led his heavy sledge over tho
Hoes In a way that coinniauded every
one's admiration and would have made
Ills father's eyes glisten.
Changes His Plan.
From this point the expedition com
prised 20 men, 10 sledges, nnd 70 dogs. It
was necessary for Mai via to tako a
sledge from here, and I put Hartlett
and Ids division In advaueu to pioneer
the trail.
The continual daylight enabled mo to
make a moderation here that brought my
advance and mala parties closer together
and leduced the likelihood uf their be
ing separateil by open leads.
After Hartlett left camp with Hender
son and their division, Marvin and I re
mained with our division L'U hours long
er and then followed. When We reached
Harllett's camp lie bioke out and went
on and wo turned In. Hy this arrange
ment tho advance party was traveling
while tho main party was asleep, and
vice versa, and I was In touch with my
advance party every '.'1 hours.
Moves Expeditiously.
I had no reason to complain of thu
going tor the 'next two niarcheii. though
for u less experienced party, less adapt
able sledges, or less perfect equipment It
would have been all Impossibility.
At our position at the end of the sec
ond march, Marvin obtained a satisfac
tory sight for latitude In clear weather,
which placed us at V.'i.lS. Tho result
agreed satisfactorily with tho dead reck
oning of Marvin. Hartlett and myself.
I'p to this time, the slight altitude of
the sun had made It not worth while to
waste time In observations.
On tho next two marches the going im
proved, ami wu covered good distances.
In one of these marches a lead delayed
us a few hours. Wu dually fenitd across
thu Ico cakes.
Makes Record Run.
Tho' next day Hartlett let himself out.
evidently, for a reconl, and leeb-d off 20
miles. Heie Marvin obtained anothei
satisfactory sight on latitude, which gave
tho position as S'J.SN tor beyond tho farth
est north of Naiisen and Abruzzl), and
showed that we had covered 50 minutes
of latitude In three marches.
In these three marches wo bad passed
thu Norwegian lecord of kO.ll, by Nan
Hen, and thu Italian record of 1)0.31, by
Cagni.
From this point Marvin turned back In
couunnud of the third supporting party.
My last words to him were: "Ho care
ful nf the leads, my hoy."
The party from this point comprised
nlno men. seven sledges, nnd CO dogs.
'Pit. a f.niiillllinu fit llilu .tdtti,. ti.t.1 ,1... ....
. .,w ..imil, ... . . . i.i,i, l,ll ,ll-
patently unbroken expanse of fairly level
leu In every direction reminded mo of
Cagnl's ih seripllon of his farthest north.
Danger Is Encountered.
Hut 1 wns not deceived by the appar
ently favorable outlook, for available
conditions nuver continue for any dis
tance or nay length of tlmo In tho arc
tic regions.
The next march was over good go
ing, but tor the Ilrst tlmo since leaving
land wo exppiteneeil that condition, fre
quent over these Ico Holds, of n hazy at
monpherp. In which tho light Is equal
everywhere. AH relief Is destroyed, nnd
It Is Impossible to see for any distance.
We were obliged In this march to make
a detour around an open lead. In the
noxt march wo encountered tho heaviest
and deepest snow of tho Journey, tluough
a thick, smothering mantle lying In tho
depressions of heavy rubble tee.
Temporarily Discouraged.
I Cnino llOllll H.irtloM nmt Ilia unrt.
fagged out and temporarily discouraged
hy tho heartracklug work of making
road.
I know what was tho mntter with
them. They wero simply spoiled by tho
good going on the previous marclus. I
rallied them a bit, lightened their sledges
and sent them on encouraged ugaln.
During the next march wo traveled
through a thick haze dilftlng over the
lo before a biting air trom the north
east. At the end of the march wo came
upon" tho captain camped beside a wide
open lend with a dense black water sky
uorthwckt, north nail northeast.
The next march vvas nlso a long one.
It was Hartletfs Inst bit. He let him
self out over a serlea of largo old Hoes,
steadily Increasing; in diameter und
covered with hard snow.
Wind Helps Out.
During tho last few miles I wnlkod
besldo him or In advance. Ho waa sol
emn and anxious to go further, but the
program was for him to tfo back from
here In command of the fourth sup
porting; party, and thero were no Hiip
plles for an Increase In the main party.
When be left I felt for a moment
pangH of rpgri't uh be disappeared In
tho distance, but It was only momen
tary. My work was still ahead, not In
the rear.
Hartlett bad done Rood work and hail
bocrt u great help to me. Circumstances
had thrust the brunt of tho pioneering
upon him instead of dividing it among
several, n I had planned.
He bad reason to tako prldo In tho
fact that bo had bettered the Italian
record by a degree and a quarter und
hail covered a distance equal to tho
entire distance of the Italian expedi
tion rrom Fran. Josef's land to Omul's
farthest north.
I bad kIvoii Hartlett this position nnd
post of honor In command of my
fourth and last supporting party, and
for two reasons: Ilrst. because of IiIh
magnlllceiit bamllliiK of tho Hoosovelt;
second, because he had cheerfully stood
between me und many trilling annoy
ances on the expeditions.
Then there was a third reason. It
seemed to mo appropriate in view of
the mngnlllcent Hrltlsli record of arc
tic work, covering three centuries, that
It should be a Hrltlsh Hiibjeet who
could boast that, next to an Amerlcun,
ho had been nearest the pole.
Last Struggle at Hand.
With the dlsappeatanre of Hartlett 1
turned to tho problem before me. This
wns that for which I had worked for 32
years, for which 1 bad lived the simple
life; for which I bad conserved all my
energy on tho upward trip; for which
I had trained myself as for a race, crush
ing down every worry uliout success.
In splto of my years, I felt In trim
flt for the demands of tho coming days
and eager to he on the trail.
Ah for my party, my equipment, and
my supplies, I was In shape beyond my
most sanguine dreams of earliest years.
My party might be regarded as an
Ideal, which had now come to realization
--an loyal and responslvo to my will us
the HngerH of my right hand.
Party Ideal for Effort.
Four of them possess the technique of
dogs, sledges, lee, and cold as their heri
tage. Two of them, Hansen and Ootnm,
wero my companions to the farthest point
threo years liefore. Two others, Fglnw-uk
and Slgloo, were In Clark's division,
which hud Hiieli a narrow escape at that
time, and now wero willing to go any
where with my Immediate party, and
willing to risk themselves again In any
supporting party.
The tilth was a young man who had
never served liefore In any expedition,
but who wus, If possible, even more
willing and eager than the others for
tho princely glfts-a boat, a rllle, a shot
gun, ammunition, knives, etc., which 1
had promised to each of them who
reached the pole with me; for he knew
that these riches would enable him to
wrest from a stubborn father tho girl
whose Image tilled his hot young heart.
Had Confidence In Him.
All had blind .onlldeneo so long as
I was with them, and gave no thought
for the morrow, sure that whatever hap
pened I should somehow get them back
to land. Hut 1 dealt with the party
equally. I recognized that all Its Im
petus centered III me, and that whatever
pace I set It would make good. If any
one played out. 1 would stop for a short
time.
I had no fault to n ml with the condi
tions. My dogs wero tho best, tho pick
of li.' with which we left Columbia. Al
most all were powerful males, hard as
nails, In good Hesh, but without a super
lluoiis ounce, anil, what was better yet,
they were nil In good spirits.
My sledges, now that the repairs wero
completed, were -In good condition. .Mi
sapplies were ample for 40 days, and,
with the reserve represented by tho dogs
themselves, could be made to last 50.
His Program Planned.
Pacing back and forth In th Ico of the
pressure ridge whero the Iglooa were
built, wiille my men got their loads
ready for the next marches, I settled on
my program. I decided I should strain
every nerve to make live marcher, of IS
miles each, crowding these marches In
such n way as to bring us to the end of
the llfth long enough before noon to per
mit the Immediate taking of an observa
tion for latitude.
Weather and leads permitting, I be
lieved I could do this. If my proposed
dlstunccs were cut down by any chanco
I had two means In reserve for making
up the delicti:
First To make tho last march a forced
one, stopping to make tea and rest the
dogs, hut not to sleep.
Second At the end of the llfth march
to make a forced march with a light
sledge, a double team of dogs, and ono
or two of the party, leaving tho rest In
camp.
Sees Danger In Gale.
Underlying all these cab illations was a
recognition of the ever present neighbor
hood of open leads and Impassable water,
and tho knowledge that a L'l-hour gale
would knock all my plans Into a cocked
hat. and even put us In Imminent peril.
At a' little after midnight of April I,
after a few hours of sound sleep, I hit
tho trail, leaving the others to break
up camp and follow.
As I climbed tho pressure rldgo back
of our Igloos I sot nnother hole In my
belt, tho third sincu I started. Fvery
man and dog of us vvas lean and Hat
bellied as a board and as hard.
Conditions All Favorable.
It waa a lino morning. Tho wind of
tho last two days had subsided, and the
going; was the best and most equable
of any I had had yet. The floea were
large and old, and clear, and were sur
rounded by pressure ridges, sumo of
which were almost stupendous.
Tlie biggest of them, however, wero
easily negotiated, cither through Home
crevice or up some hugo brink. 1 sot
a good pace for about ten hours.
Twenty-live inlleH took mo well be
yond the eighty-eighth parallel.
Whllu I wuh building my igloos a
long lead forward by thu east and
southwest of uh at a distance of a few
miles.
Travel Was Easy.
A few hours' sleep and wo wero on
tho trail again. As tho going wuu now
prnctlcallly horizontal, wu were un
hampered and could travel as lonir as
wo pleased and sleep an llttlo oh wo
wished.
Tho weather wuh tine nnd tho going
llko that of the previous flay, except
at the beginning, when pickaxes wero
required. This and a brief stop at an
other lead cut down our distance. Hut
wo had mado 20 miles In ten hours and
wero half way to the eighty-ninth
parallel.
The Ico waa grinding audibly In every
direction, but no motion was visible.
Fvldently It wuh settling back Into
equilibrium and probably Hanging duo
northward with Uh reluasu from tho
Wind pressure.
Surface Almost Level.
Again thero was a fow hours' sleep
nnd we Pit tho trull before midnight.
Tho woatl and going wero oven bet
ter. The Hurfaco, except as Interrupted
by Infrequent rldgeH, was as level uh
tho glacial fringe from Ilecla to Colum
bia, and harder.
We marched something over ten
hours, the dogs being often on tho trot,
und made 20 miles. Near thu ami nr
tho march we rushed across a lead 100
yards wide, which buckled under our
sledges and finally broke as the last
sledge left It.
Wo stopped In slcbt of tho elghty
nlntli parallel in a temperature uf 40
iIokitps below. Again a scant Bleep
and wo wero on our way onco moro
nnd across the eighty-ninth parallel.
ThlH march duplicated tho previous
one as to weather and going. The last
few hours it vvas on youn leo and oc
casionally the dogs were galloping.
Wo made twenty-Hvo miles or more,
the air. tlio sky. and thu bitter wind
burning the face till it cracked. It was
llko the great Interior ice gap uf
Greenland. Kvon the natives com
plnlned of tho bitter air. It wns as
keen as frozen steel.
A little longer sleep than tho prevl
ouh ono had to bo taken hen', aa wo
wero all In need of It. Then on again.
Up to this time, with each successive
march, our fear of an Inipassahlo lead
had Increased. At every Inequality of
the ice I found myself hut lying breath
lessly forward, fearing that It marked a
lead, and when I arrived at the summit
would cutch my breath with relief-only
to tlnd myself hurrying on In tho same
way at tho next one.
Hut on this march, by some strange
shift of feeling, this tear fell from me
completely. The weather was thick, but
It gave me no Uneasiness.
licforo 1 turned In I took an observa
tion which Indicated our position us 1D
degrees 25 minutes.
A dense, lifeless pall hung overhead.
Tho horizon was black and tlio ice be
neath was a ghastly, chalky white, with
no relief-a striking contrast to the glim
mering, sunlit Holds of It over which wo
bad been traveling for tho previous four
days.
Weather Becomes Milder.
The going was even better, and there
was scarcely any snow on tho hard,
granular, last summer's surface of the
old Hoes, dotted with tho sapphlro Ico
of tho prcvloui summer's lakes.
A rise In temperature to 15 degrees be
low reduced the ftlctlon of tho sledges
and gave the dogs the appearance of
hnvlng cnught the Bplrlts or the party.
The more sprightly ones, as they went
along with tightly curled tails, frequent
ly tossed their heads, with short, uharp
barks and yelps.
In 12 hours wo had made 40 miles.
There was no sign of a lead In tho
march.
Arrival at the Pole.
I had now made my Hvo marches, and
was In time for a hasty noon observation
through a temporary break In tho clouds,
which Indicated our position aa SD.57. I
quota an entry from my Journal some
bouts later:
The polo at last. The prlzo of three
centuries, my dream and goal for 20
years, mine at last. 1 cannot bring my
self to realize It.
It all seems so simple and common
place. As Hartlett said when turning
hack, when speaking of his being In
these exclusive regions, wbh h no mortal
has ever penetrated before: "It is Just
like every day."
Of course I had my seniatlons that
made sleep Impossible for hours, dcsplto
my utter fatigue the sensations of a life
time; but I have no room for them here.
The Hint 30 hours at the polo were
spent In taking observations; In goInK
some ten miles beyond our camp and
some eight miles to tho right of It; In
lulling photographs, planting my Hags,
depositing my records, studying tlio hori
zon with my telescope for possible land,
and searching for a practicable place lo
make a sounding.
Plan for Return Trip.
Ten hours after our arrival the elotidi
cleared liefore a light hrcezo from our
left and from that tlmo until our depar
ture In the afternoon of April 7 tlio
weather was cloudless and (lawless.
The minimum temperature during tho
30 hours was 31 below, the maximum 12.
Wu bad reached the goal, but the re
turn was still before us. It was essential
that we reach the laud before tho next
spring tide, and we must strain overy
nerve to do tills.
I bad a brief talk with my men. From
now on It wns to he n big travel, little
sleep and a hustle every minute.
We would try. I told them, to doublo
march on the return that is, to start
and cover one of our northward
mnrches. tnake tea and eat our luncheon
In the Igloos, then cover another march,
eat and sleep a r...vv hours, and repeat
this dally.
Speed Nearly Doubled.
Ah a matter of fact, wo nearly did
this, covering regularly on our return
Journey live outward inarches In threo
return marches.
.lust as long as wo could hold the
trail wo could doublo our speed, and
wo need waste no tlmo In building
new Igloos every day, so that the tlmo
wo gained un tho return lessened tho
chances of n gale destroying the track.
Just above the eighty-seventh paral
lel was a region somo fifty miles wldo
which caused mo considerable uneasi
ness. Twelve hours of strong easterly,
westerly, or ' northerly wind would
make this region nn open sea.
In tho afternoon of the 7th we start
ed on our return, having doublo fed
Him dogs, repaired the sledges for tho
last time, and discarded all our spare
clothing to lighten thu loads.
Tries to Sound Sea.
Flvo miles from the polo a narrow
crack tilled with recent Ice. through
which we were able to work a bolo
wltli a pickax, enabled mo to malco n
mounding. All my wire, 1,500 fathoms,
was bent down, but thero was nu bot
tom. In pulling up tho wlro parted a fow
fathoniH from the surface and lead and
wire went to the bottom. Off went reel
and handle, lightening tho sludges still
further. Wu had no moro uhu for them
now.
Threo mnrehcH brought us back to
tho Igloos whero the captain turned
back. The last march was la tho wild
sweep of a northerly gale, with drift
ing nnovv and tho leo rocking under as
wo dashed over It.
Not Delayed by Leads.
South of whero Marvin bad turned
back wo camo to where his party had
built several Igloos while delayed by
open leads. Still further south wo
found win re thu captain had been hold
up by an open lead and obliged to
camp.
Fortunately tho movement of thesn
leads was simply open and shut, and It
look considerable water motion to fault
the trail seriously.
Whllu tho captain, Marvin, and oh I
found later, Horup, had been delayed
by open leads, wo seemed to bear a
charm and with no single Kail were wo
delayed more than a couple of hours.
Sometimes tho leo wan fiiHt and Hrm
enough to carry us across; sometimes
a short detour, sometimes a brief halt
for the lead to close, sometimes an im
provised ferry on uu Ice cake, kept tho
trail without dlllleulty down to thu
tenth outward march.
Lose Bartlett'a Trail.
Igloos there disappeared completely
and the entlro region was unrecogniz
able. Whore on tho outward Journey
had been narrow cracks, thero woro
now broad leads, one of them over llvo
miles In width, caught ovur with young
Ice.
llore again fortune favored us, anil
no pronounced movement nf tho lea
having taken place since tlio captain
passed, we had bis trail to follow, Wo
picked up the old trail again north of
tho aovcuth Igloos, followed It beyond
tho fifth, and at tho big lead lost It
finally.
From hero wo -followed tho captain's
trail, and on April 23 our uledgeH
passed up tho vertical edgo of the
glacier fringe, a little west of Capo
Columbia.
When tho last nledgo came up I
thoiiRlit my Eskimos had Kono crazy.
Thoy yelled and called nnd dancod
themHelvps helpless. As Ootah sat down
on his sledge he remnrked, In Eskimo:
"The devil Is asleep or having trouble
with lils wife, or we never should havo
come back so easily."
A few hours lator wo arrived nt
Crane City, under tho bluffs of Capo
Columbia, and, after putting four
poundH of pemmlcan Into each of the
faithful dogs to keep thorn quint wo
bud, at last, our chanco to sleep.
Long Sleep Welcome.
Never shall I forget that sloep at Capo
Columbia. It was sleep, sleep, then turn
over and sleep again. Wo slept glorious
ly, with never a thought of tho morrow
or having to walk and, too, with no
thought Hint there was to bo never a
night' more of blinding headache.
Cold vvuter to a parched throat Is noth
ing compared with sleep to n numbed,
fatigued brain and body.
Two days we spent here In sleeping nnd
drying our clothes. Then for tho ship.
Our dogs, llko ourselves, had not boon
hungry when we arrived, but simply life
less with fatigue. They wero different
animals now, and the better ones among
them swept on with tightly curled tails
and uplifted heads and their hind legs
trending the snow with plstonllko regu
larity. Marvin's Fate (.earned.
Wp reached Hecla In ono march nnd
the Hoosevclt In another. When wo
got to the Hoosovelt I vvas staggered hy
tho news of the fatal mishap to Marvin.
He hnd either been less cautious or less
fortunate than tho rest of us, and his
death emphasized the tlsk to which wo
all had been subjfctril, for thpro was not
one of ua but had been In the slcdgo at
some time during the Journoy.
Tho big lead, cheated of Its prov threo
years before, had at last gained Its hu
tnnn victim.
Tlio rest can be told quickly. McMillan
nnd Horup had started for the Green
land eoast to deposit caches for me. Re
fore I nrrlwd a Hying Eskimo courier
from me overtook them with Instructions
thut tho caches wero no longer needed
nnd they were to concentrato their ener
gies un tho Ideal obsprvatlons, etc., at
Cape Moirls K. Jesup and north from
there.
Roosevelt Starts Back.
These Instructions wero carried out and
after their return In the latter part of
May McMillan made some further tidal
observations at other points. Tho sup
plies remaining at tho various caches
were brought In and on July IS tho
Itoosevelt left Its winter quarters and
vvas driven out Into the channel back of
Cape Nlon.
It fought Its way south In the center
of tlu channel and passed Cape Sahlno
on August 8. or 33 duys earlier than In
liOR. and 32 days earlier than tho Hrltlsh
expedition In 1S7C.
We picked up Whitney and Ids party
and stores at Etah. We killed soventy
odd walrus for my Eskimos, whom I
landed nt their homes. Wo met the
Jennie off Saunders island and took over
Its coal nnd cleared from Capo York on
August 20. one mouth earlier than la
190ii.
Announces His Triumph.
On September 5 wo arrived at Indian
Hnrbor, whence tlio message, "Stars nnd
stripes nailed to north pole," was sent
vibrating southward through tho crisp
Labrador air.
Tho culmination of long experience, a
thorough knowledge of the conditions of
the problem gained In the last expedition
these, together with a new type of
sledge which reduced the work of both
dogs and ililwr. and a new type of enmp
cooler which added to the comfort and
lm reused the hours of sleep of tho
members nf tho party, combined to makn
tho present expedition an agreeable Im
provement upon the last In respect to tho
rapidity and effectiveness of Its work and
tho lessened discomfort and strain upon
tho members of the party.
His Capable Aids.
As to tho personnel, I havo again i;win
particularly fortunate. Capt. Hartlett Is
Just Hartlett -tlrcl-'ss. sleepless, enthusi
astic, whether un tho bildgo or In thu
crow's nest or nt tho head of a sh-dgo
division In the Held.
Dr. Goodsell, the surgeon of the expe
dition, not only looked nfter Its health
and his own specialty of microscopes but
took his full shnre of the Held work of
the expedition as well, and was always
ready for any work.
Profs. Marvin and McMillan have se
cured a mass of scientific data, having
mnde all the tidal and most of the Held
work, nnd their services wero Invaluable
In everv vvav.
Borup and Others Praised.
Horup not only made the record ns to
tho distance traveled during tlio Jour
ney, but to bis nsNtnnco and his expert
knowledge nf photography Ih due what
I believe to bo tho unequaled series of
photographs taken bv the expedition.
Henson In the Held and Percy na
steward were the sumo ns ever, Inval
uable In their respective lines.
Chief Engineer Wardwell, also of
the last expedition, aided by his as
sistant. Scott, kept the machinery up
to a high state of cillclency and has
given the Itoosevelt the force and pow
er which enabled It to negotiate appar
ently Impracticable Ice.
Mr. Gushlie, the mate, who was In
charge of the Hoosovelt during tho nb
sence of Cnpt. Hartlett and myself, and
Boatswain Murphy, who was put In
charge of the station at Etah for the
relief of Cook, were both trustworthy
and reliable men. nnd I count myself
fortunate In having had thum In my
service.
Had a Willing Crew.
The members of tho crow and tho
firemen wero a distinct Improvement
over those nf our lust expedition. Every
one of them was willing and anxious
to be of service In overy possible way.
Connors, who was promoted to be
bi.a'n In the absence of Murphy, proved
to be practically uffcetlve.
Humes, seaman, und Wiseman nnd
Joyce, tlremeii. not only assisted Mar
vin and McMillan in tholr tidal and
meteorological observations on th
Itoosevelt, but Wiseman and HarnuJ
went Into tho Held with them on tliritr
trips to Capo Columbia, nnd Condon
und Cody covered 1,000 miles huntlnr;
anil Hlodglnar supplies.
Presents for Eskimos.
As for my faithful Eskimos, I have
left them with ample supplies of dark,
rich walrus meat and blubber for their
winter, with currants, sugar, biscuits,
gnus, rifles, ammunition, knives, hatch
ets, traps, etc.
For the splendid four who stood he
sldo mo at the polo a boat and tent
each to requlto them for their energy
und the hardship and toll they under
went to help their friend Peary to tho
north pole.
Hut all of this tho donrly bought
yenrs of experience, the magnltleent
strength of tlio Hoosovelt, tho splen
did energy and enthusiasm of my party,
tlio loyal faithfulness of my Ksklmos
could havo ponu for naught but for
tho faithful nocessarls of war fur
nished so loyally by tho members unj
friends of the Peary Arctic club.
Tribute to Jesup.
And It Is no detraction from tho liv
ing to say that to no slnglu Individual
has the line result buun more signally
duo than to my friend, tho Into MorrlH
lv. Jesup, tho ilrst president of tho club
Their nsslHtanco has enabled me to
toll tho last of tho great earth stories
tho story the world has been waiting
to hear for 300 yoars tho story of
thu discovery of thu north pole.
IIOIIEUT 13. I'EAIIV.
R
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