State Sentinel (Stigler, Okla.), Vol. 4, No. 27, Ed. 1 Friday, September 17, 1909 Page: 2 of 12
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PEARY’S 01
Top of the World Reached by Won
derfully Swift Rush Over the
Immense Helds 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
The following account by Command
r Robert E Peary of hla successful
voyage to the north pole waa laaued
on September 10 by the New Torlc
Tlmea Company at the requeat of
Commander Peary and for hla protec'
tlon as a book only copyrighted and
exposed for sale before any part of it
waa reproduced by any newspaper
In the Vnlted States or Europe in
order to obtain the full protection of
the copyright laws The reproduction
of this account In any form without
permission la forbidden The penal
ties for violation of thla form of copy
right Include Imprisonment for any
person aiding or abetting such viola-
tion This article la copyrighted In
Great Britain by the London Tlmea1
Copyright 1909 by the New York
Tiroes Company Thla narrative la
also copyrighted aa a newspaper artl
cle by the New York Times Company
REPORT OF THE DISCOVERY OF
THE NORTH POLE by Robert E
Peary Commander IT S N Copy-
right 1909 by the New York Times
Company
Deniee Cook Reached Pole
Battle Utrboi Ixbradnr (via Marconi
wireless Cape Kay N K)t Bcpl 10— lo
not trouble about Cook' aiory or at-
tempt to explain any discrepancies In hla
Statements Tlia affair will aeltla Itaelf
He liaa not bwn at the pola on April
SI 10 or at any other time He haa
simply handed the public a sold brick
These statement are made advisedly
and I have proof of them When he
make a full statement of hla Journey
over hla signature to anina geographical
society or other reputable body If that
statement contains the claim that he haa
reached the pole I shall be In a posi-
tion to furnish material that may prove
"silnctly Interesting reading for the pub-
l ROBERT E PEARL
Battle Harbor Labrador (via Marco-
ni wireless Cape Hay N F) Sept- —
The steamer Roosevelt besrlng the
north polar erpedltlon of the Peary
Arctic club parted company with the
2£rlk and steamed out of Etah ford late
to the afternoon of August II 10
petting the usual course for Cape Ba-
blne The weather wee dirty with
fresh southerly winds We had oi
board 12 Eskimo men 17 women and
! children 22 dogs and eoms forty
odd walrus
We encountered the Ice a short dis-
tance from the mouth of the harbor
but It waa not rlosely packed and waa
negotiated by the Roosevelt without
aerlous difficulty
Find Much Water
Aa we neared Cape Babins the weath-
er cleared somewhat and we passed by
Three Voort Island and Cape Bablne
easily making out with the naked eye
the bouse at Hayes harbor occupied by
me In the winter of 101-02
From Cape Babtne north there was
so much water that wa thought of set-
ting the lug sail before the southerly
wind but a little later appearance of
Ice to the northward stopped this
There was dean open water to Cape
Albert and from there scattered Ice
In a point about abreast of Victoria
Head thick weather and dense Ice
brtnalng ua some ten or flfteen miles
away
From here we drifted south somewhat
and then got aslant to the northward
out of the current We worked a little
further north and stopped again fur
some hours Then we again worked
westward and northward till we
reached a series of lakes coming to a
stop a few miles south of (he Wind-
wards winter quarters at Cape Dur-
vllle From her after some delay we
slowly worked a way northeastward
through fog and broken Ire of medium
thickness ihrouith one night and the
forenoon of Ihr next day only emerg-
ing Into open water and clear weather
off Cape Eraser
Strike Ice and Fog
From this point we had a clear run
through the middle f Koheson channel
wnlntr rrnpled liv either loe or fog to
Lady Franklin bsy Here we encoun-
tered hnlh be and fog and while
working along In search of a practi-
cable opening were forced across to
the flreenland coast at Thank God
llarhor
The fog lifted there and enabled us
to make oul our whereabouts and we
atesnied nn-th through a series of lends
past Cape I union and thence south-
ward toward Cape I'nlon A few miles
off that cape we were stopped by Im-
practicable Ice and we drifted back
south to Cupe Union where we stopped
gain
Ship Forced Aground
We lay for some time In a lake of
water and then to prevent being drift-
ed south again took refuge under the
worth shore ol Lincoln liny In nearly
the le'entleal place where we had eur
unpleasant experiences three years be-
fore Here we remained for aevereal
days during a period nf constant and
mt times violent northeasterly winda
Twice we were forced agruund by
ffhe heavy loe we had our port quar-
ter rail broken and a hole stove In the
Bulwarks and twice we pushed out In
u attempt to get north but were
forced back each time to our precarl-
aua shelter
Heavy Running lea
Finally on Bcptrinhrr 2 we aqueexed
ground Cape Cnlou and made fast in a
wbnllow niche In the be but after some
(tours we made another short run to
Black cape and bung on lo a grounded
Bit of Ice At last a little after nild-
ight of September we passed through
extremely heavy runnlug Ice Into a
stream of open water rounded Cape
Baweon and passed Cape Sheridan
Within a quarter of an hour of the
time we arrived three years before
ran a no September I— wa reached
STORY OF
the open water extending beyond Cape
Bherldan
We (teamed up to the end of It and It
appeared practicable at first to reach
Porter bay near Cape Joseph Henly
which I bed for my winter quarters but
the outlook being unsatisfactory 1 went
back and put the Roosevelt Into the
only opening In Ilia floe being barred
close to the mouth of the Bherldan liv-
er n little north of our position three
years prior
Put Up for W Intar
Tbs season was further advanced than
In 1M there was more snow on the
ground and Die new les Inside tlx floe
bergs waa much thicker
The work of discharging the ship waa
commenced at once and rushed to com-
pletion The supplies and equipment we
sledged across Ice and sea and deposited
on shore A house and workshop were
built of board covered with sails and
fitted with stoves and tha ship waa
snug for winter In elioal water where It
touched bottom at low tide
The settlement on the stormy shores of
the Arctic ocean waa christened Hub-
bardvllle Hunting parties were sent out on Sep-
tember 10 and a bear was brought In on
the 12th and some deer a day or two
later
Preparq for Sledge Trip
On September IS the lull work of trans-
ferring supplies to Cape Columbia waa
inaugurated Marvin with Dr Good-
sail and Borup and the Ktklmoi took It
sledge loads of supplies to Cape Belknap
and on tlie 27lh the same party started
si ll loads to Porter bay
Tha work of hunting and transporting
supplies waa prosecuted continuously by
the members of the party and the Eski-
mos until November t when the sup-
plies for the spring sledge trip bad been
removed from winter quarters and de-
posited at varloua places from Cape Co-
in n to Cape Columbia
The latter part of Bepiembee the move-
ment of tlie Ice subjected the ship to a
pressure which listed It lo port some
eight or ten degrees and It did not re-
cover till Hie following spring
On October 1 I went on a hunt with two
Eskimos arrose the Held and Pass bay
and tlx peninsula made the circuit of
Clemente Markham Inlet and returned
lo the ship In seven days with 15 musk
oxen a bear and a deer
1-atrr In October 1 repented the trip
obtaining five musk oxen and hunting
parties secured some 0 deer
Supplies Moved to Base
In tlx F'ebruary moon Bartlett went to
Cape Herla Goodaall moved some more
supplies from II vela to Cape Colan and
Borup went to Markham Inlet on a hunt-
ng trip On F'ebruary 15 Bartlett left
the Roosevelt with hie division for Cape
Columbia and Parr bsy
Uoodsall Borup MacMillan and Han-
sen followed on successive days with
their provisions Marvin returned from
Cape Bryant on F'ebruary 17 and left for
Cape Columbia on February 21 1 brought
up tha rear on F'ebruary 22
The total of all divisions leaving the
Roosevelt was seven members of the
party 5S Eskimos 140 dogs and 23 sledges
Make Ready for Daeh
By February 27 such of the Cape Cotan
depot a a was needed had been brought
up to Cape Columbia tha doge were
rested and double rationed and harnessed
and tbs sledges and other gear over-
hauled F'our months of northerly winds during
tlx fall and winter Instead of souther-
ly ones as during Ilia previous season
led roe to expect less open water than
before but a great deal of rough Ire and
1 was prepared lo hew a road through
I lx Jagged Ice for the first hundred miles
or so then cross the big lead
Bartlett Leads the Way
On tlx last day of February Bartlett
with hla pioneer division accomplished
this and his division got away due
north over tlx Ice on March L The rent
of the party got away on Bartlett's
trail and 1 followed an hour later
Tlx party now comprised seven mem-
bers of the expedition 17 Eskimos 122
doge and I sledges One Eskimo and
seven dugs had gone to pieces
A strong easterly wind drifting
snow and temperature In the minus
marked our departure from tlx camp at
Ca Columbia which I had christened
Crane City Rough Ice In the first march
ilumsg-d several sledges and smashed
wo beyond repair tlie teams going back
lo Columbia fur oilier aledges In reserve
there
Pass British Record
Wa ramped leu milts from Crane City
The easterly wind and low temperature
continued In tliu uecond march we
passed the Krlltali record made by Mark-
ham In May l!7e-J22i— and were slopped
by open water which had been formed
by wind after Haitlelt passed
(n thla inarch we ncgoiiutrd the lead
and leached Bartlett's third camp Borup
hud gone back from liere but missed Ids
way owing to the faulting of the trail
by tlie movement of the Ice
Marvin came back alao for more fuel
and alcohol The wind continued form-
ing open water all about us At the end
of the fourth iiihivIi We came upon
Bartlett who had been atopped by a
wule luke of open wuter We remaned
here from March 4 to March 11
Gets Glimpse of Sun
At noon ol March 5 the sun red and
shaped like a fool bull by eveesaed re-
flection Just raised Itself abo9 tlx hori-
Koi for a few minutes and then disap-
peared again It was the first time I hud
keen It alms October 1
I now began to feel a good deal of
anxiety because there were no sign
of Marvin and Borup who should have
been there for two days Besides they
hud the alcohol and oil which were In-
dispensable for us
We concluded that they had either lost
the trail or were Imprisoned on an Is-
land by open water probably the latter
Fortunately on March 11 the lead was
practicable end leaving a note for Mar-
vin and Borup to puah on after us by
forced mar-hes we proceeded northward
Tlx sounding of tbs lead gave liv
fathoms
During this raarrh we crossed tha
eighty-fourth parallel and traversed a
succession of Just frosen leads from a
few hundred yards to a mile In width
This march waa really simple
On the fourteenth we got :eo of the
leads and came on decent going White
we were making ramp a courier from
Marvin cams and Informed me he woe
on the march In tha rear Tha temper-
ature waa 69 below xero
The following morning March 16 I sent
Hansen with bla division north to pio-
neer trail for five marches and Dr
Uoodsell according lo the program start
ed back to Cape Columbia
McMillan Turn Back
At nlglit Marvin and Borup came spin
nlng in with llielr men and dogs steam-
ing In tlx bitter air Ilka a squadron of
battleships Tlielr arrival relieved me
of all anxiety as to our oil supply
In the morning I discovered that Mac
Mlllan's foot was badly frost bitten The
mishap had occurred two or three days
before but MacMillan had said nothing
about It In tlx hope that It would come
out all right
A glance at tha Injury showed me that
the only thing was lo send him bock to
Cape Columbia at once The arrival of
Marvin and Borup enabled me lo spare
sufficient men and dogs to go back with
lilm
Lots Is Serious Ons
This early loss of MacMillan was seri-
ously disappointing to me He had
sledge all tlx way from Cape Columbia
and with his enthusiasm and tha powers
and physique of the trained athlete 1
had confidence In lilm for at least tlx
Mth parallel but there was no alterna-
tive The beat sledges and dogs were select
ed and the sledge loads brought up to
tlx standard Tlx sounding gave
depth of 326 fathoms
We were over the continual shelf and
as I had surmised tha successive leads
crossed In the fifth and sixth marches
composed the big lead and marked tha
continual shelf
On leaving the camp the expedition
comprised 1 men 12 sledges and 100 dogs
The next inarch was satisfactory aa re-
gards distance and tha character of tlx
going In the latter part there were
pronounced movements In the Ice both
visible and audible
Borne leads were crooned In one of
which Borup end his team look a bath
and we were finally stopped by an Im-
practicable lead opening In front of us
We camped la a temperature of 50 de-
grees below
At tlx end of two short marches we
came upon Hansen and his party In
rump mending their sledges Ws de-
voted the remainder of tha day to over-
hauling and mending sledges and break-
ing up our damaged ones for material
Make Forced Marches
The next morning I put Marvin In the
lead to pioneer tlx troll with Instruc-
tions to make two forced marches to
bring up our average which had been
rut down by the lost two short ones
Marvin carried out hla Instructions im-
plicitly A considerable amount of young
Ice assisted In thla
At tha end of the tenth march latitude
623 Borup turned bark In command of
the second supporting parly hating trav-
eled a distance equivalent to Nansen's
distance from this far to his farthest
non h
1 was sorry to lose this young Yale
runner with hla enthusiasm and pluck
He had led hla heavy sledge over the
floes In a way that commanded every-
one's admiration and would Jiava made
his father's eyes glisten
Change His Plan
From this point the expedition com-
prised 20 men 10 sledges and 70 dogs It
was necessary fur Marvin to take a
sledge from here and I put Banlett
and hla division In advance to pioneer
he trail
The continual daylight enabled me to
make a moderation here that brought my
advance and main parties closer together
and reduced tlx likelihood of their be-
ing separated by open leada
After Bartlett left camp with Hender-
son and tlielr division Marvin and I re-
mained with our division 20 hours long-
er end then followed When we reached
Bartlett'ai camp he broke out and went
on and we turned In By this arrange-
ment the advance party was traveling
while the main party was asleep and
vice versa and I was In touch with my
advance party every 24 hours
Move Expeditiously
I had no ressoh lo complain of tlx
going for the next two marches though
for a less experienced party less adapt-
able sledges or lees perfect equipment It
would have been an 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 641 Tha result
agreed satisfactorily with the deed reck-
oning of Marvin Bartlett and myself
t’p to this time the alight altitude of
the sun had made It not worth while to
waste time In obaervatlona
On the next two marrhes the going Im-
proved and we covered good distances
In one of tliesa marches a lead delayed
us a few hours We finally ferried across
tlx Ice rakes
Makeg Record Run
The next day ltartlett let himself oul
evidently for a record and reeled off 20
miles Here Marvin obtained anothei
satisfactory sight on latitude which gave
the position as M3X tor beyond tlie farth-
est north of Nansen and Abruxxi) and
showed that we had covered 50 inlnutea
of latitude In three marches
In these three marches we had passed
the Norwegian record of 6614 by Nan-
sen and the Italian record of M34 by
Csgnl
From this point Marvin turned bark In
command of the third supporting party
My Inst words to him were: “Be care-
ful of the leada my hoy"
The parly from this point comprised
nine men seven sledges and tn dogs
The conditions at this camp and the ap-
parently unbroken expanse of fulrly level
Ice In every dirrrtton reminded ms of
I'ugnl's dmcrlpilnn of his furthest north
Danger Is Encountered
But I waa not deceived hy the appar-
ently favorable uutk'ok for available
onditlune never eonilnue for any dis-
tant r or any length nf time In the nre-
Jc reglona
The next mnrrh was over good go-
ing but fur the first lime since leaving
land we evtierlonced Hint condition fre-
quent over these he fl irts nf a hazy sl-
mirplierc In wilr-h the I slit Is equal
everywhere All relrf Is destroyed and
It is Impoasllile to aee for any distance
We were otdtged In this march to make
a detour around an open lend In the
next march we encountered the heaviest
and deepest antnv of the Journey through
a thick smothering mantle lying In the
depiess'nrs of heavy rubble Ice
Temporarily Discouraged
I came upon ltartlett and Ida party
fagged out and temporarily discouraged
ly the heartracklng work of making
road
I knew what waa the matter with
them They were limply spoiled by the
good going on the previous marches I
rallied them a bit lightened tlielr sledgre
and sent them on encouraged again
During the next march we traveled
through ' thick haze drifting over the
Ire before a biting air from tlx north-
east At the end of the march we came
upon ttie captain ramped bealde a wide
open lead with a dense black water aky
northwest north and northeaaL
The next march was ulao a long one
It was Bartlett's laat hit He let him-
self out over a series of large old floes
steadily Increasing In diameter and
covered with herd snow
Wind Helps Out
During Ihe last few miles I walked
beside him or In advance He wee sol-
emn and anxious to go further but the
program waa for him to go back from
here in command of tho fourth sup-
porting party and there were no sup-
piles for an Increase In the main parly
Whea ha left I felt for a moment
pangs of regret he disappeared In
the distance but It was only notion
tery My work was still ahead not In
the rear
Bartlett had done good work and had
been a great help to me Circumstances
had thrust tho brunt of Ihe pioneering
upon him Instead of dividing it among
several as I had planned
Me had reason lo take pride In the
fact that he had bettered the Italia
record by n degree and a quarter and
had covered a distance 'equal to Ihe
entire distance of the Italian expedi-
tion from Frans Josef's land to Cagnl's
farthest north
I had given Bartlett this position and
post of honor In command of my
fourth and laat supporting party and
for two reasons: first becauae of hla
magnificent handling of tha Roosevelt
second because he had cheerfully stood
between me and many trifling annoy-
ances on the expeditions
Then there leas a third reason It
seemed to me appropriate In view of
the magnlflceat British record of arc-
tic work covering three centuries that
It should be a British subject who
could boast that next to an American
he had been nearest tlx pole
Last Btrugglq at Hand
With the disappearance of Bartlett I
turned to tha problem before me This
was that for which I had worked for 22
years for which I had lived ihe simple
life for which I had conserved all my
energy Hn the upward trip for which
I had trained myneif as for a race crush-
ing down every worry about success
In apite of my years 1 fell In trim—
lit for Ihe demands of the coming days
and eager to ba on the trail
Aa fur my party my equipment end
my supplies 1 was In ehupe beyond tny
most sanguine dreams of earliest years
My party might be regarded as an
Ideal which had now come to realisation
— aa loyal and responsive to my will ns
tha Ungers of my right hand
Party Ideal for Effort
Four of them possess the technique of
dogs aledges Ice and cold aa tlielr heri-
tage Two of them Hunern and Ootam
were my companions to the furl Meet point
three years before Two others KgliVuk
and Bigloa were In Clark's division
which had such a narrow escape at that
time and now were willing to go any-
where with my Immediate party and
willing to risk themselves again in any
supporting party
The fifth wee a young man who had
never served before In any expedition
but who waa If possible even more
willing and eager than Ihe others for
the princely girts— a boat n rifle n shot-
gun ammunition knives etc which I
had promised to earh of Ihetn who
reached tha pole with me for lie knew
that these riches would enable hlin to
wrest from a 'stubborn fatlirr tlx girl
whose Image piled hie hot young heart
Had Confidence in Him
All had blind confidence so long aa
I aee with them and gave no thought
for the morrow sure that whatever hap-
pened I should somehow gel them back
to land But I dealt with the party
equally 1 recognised that all Its Im-
petus centered In me and that whatever
pace 1 set It would make good If any-
one played out I would atop for a short
time
I had no fault to find with tlie condi-
tions My dogs were tha best the pick
of 122 with which we left Columbia Al-
most all were powerful males hard as
nails In good flesh but without a super-
fluous ounce and what whs better yet
they weie all In good spirits
My sledges now that the repairs were
completed were In good condition My
supplies were ample for 40 days and
with the reserve represented by the dogs
themselves could be made to last 50
Hie Program Planned
Pacing bark and forth In lh Ire of Ihe
pressure ridge where (lie Iglooe were
hullt while my men got llielr loads
ready for the next marches I settled on
my program I decided I should strain
every nerve to make five marches of 15
miles each crowding these marches In
such a way as to bring us to tha end nf
the fifth long enough before noon lo per-
mit the Immediate taking of an observa-
tion for latitude
Weather and leada permitting I be-
lieved I could do this If my proposed
distances were cut down by any chance
1 had two means In reserve for making
up the deficit:
First— To make the last march a forced
one slopping to make tea and rest tlx
doge hut not to eleep
Second— At the end of the fffth march
to make a forced march with a light
sledge a double team of dogs and one
or two of tlie party leaving the rest In
camp
Sees Danger In Gale
1‘ndsrlylng all these calculations was a
recognition of the ever present neighbor-
hood of open leads and Impassable water
and the knowledge that a 24-liour gale
would knock all my plans Into a cocked
list and even put us In Imminent perl)
At a little after midnight nf April I
after a few hours of sound sleep I lilt
tlx trail leaving the others to break
up camp and follow
As I climbed the pressure ridge linck
of our Igloos I set another hole in my
licit the third since I started Every
man and dog of ua was lean and flat
brllled as a hoard and as hard
Conditions All Favorable
It was a fine morning The wind of
the last two days had subsided and the
going was the best and most equable
of any I had had yet The flues were
large and old and clear and were sur-
rounded by pressure ntlgis some of
which were almost stupendous
The biggest of them however were
easily negotiated either through some
crevice or up some huge brink I set
a good pace for about ten hours
Twenty-five miles took me well be-
yond the eighty-eighth parallel
While I was building my Igloos a
long lead forward by Hie enst and
sum h west of us at a distance of a few
miles
Travel Waa Easy
A few hours' sleep and we were on
the trail sguln As tlie going was now
pnictlcullly horizontal we were un-
hampered and could travel ms long ns
we pleased and sleep as little as we
wished
The weather waa One and the going
like that of the previous day ezeept
at the beginning when plckuxes were
required This and a brief stop at an-
other lead cut down our distance But
we had made 20 miles In ten hours and
were half way to 111 eighty -ninth
pa rail el
The Ice was grinding audibly in evrry
direction but no motion wan visible
Evidently It was settling back Into
squlllbrlum and probably sagging due
northward with Its release from the
wind pressure
Surface Almost Laval
Again tners was a few hours' sleep
and ws hit the trail befors midnight
Ths wsather and going were even bet-
ter The aurface except oe interrupted
by Infrequent rldgea was as level as
lha glacial frlnga from Heels to Colum-
bia and harder
We marohed something' over ten
hours tha dogs being often nn the trot
and mads 2 milts Near the end of
’ the march we rushed serosa a lead IB
yards wide whlrh buckled under our
aledges and finally broks as ths last
sledge left It
We stopped In eight of the eighty
ninth parallel In temperature of 40
degrees below Again a scant sleep
and we were on our way once more
and across the eighty-ninlh parallel
Thla march duplicated the previous
one as to weather and going Ths last
few hours It was on young les and oc-
casionally ths dogs were galloping
Ws made twenly-flvo miles or more
the air the aky and tha bitter wind
burning the face till It cracked It was
like the great Interior Ice gap of
Greenland Even tlie natives com-
plained of the bitter air It was as
kern aa froien steel
A little longer sleep thxn lha previ-
ous ons had to be taken here as we
were all In need of It Then on again
I'p to this lima with each successive
march our fear of an Impsssabls lead
had Increased At every Inequality of
Ihe Ice 1 found myself hurrying breath
leasly forward fearing that It msrksd a
lend and when 1 arrived si the summit
would catch my breath with relief— only
to find myself hurrying on In the same
way at the next one
Hut on thla march by some strange
shift of feeling this fear fell from me
completely The weather was thick but
It gave me no ureo!ne
Before 1 turned In I took an observe
tlon whlrh Indicated our position ns 9
degrees Si minutes
A danse lifeless pall hung overhead
Tha horlson was black and lha lea be-
neath was n ghastly chalky wrhltewlth
no relief— a striking contrast to tho glim
merlng sunlit fields of It over which we
had been traveling for the previous four
days
Weather Becomes Milder
The going waa even heller and there
wras scarcely any snow on the hard
granular last summer's surfaca of tha
old floes dolled with tha aspphlra lea
of tha previous summer's lakes
A rise In temperature to 15 degrees be-
low reduced tbe friction of Ihe aledges
and gave the doge the appearance of
hiivlng caught the spirits of tlx party
Tlx mors sprightly ones as they went
along with tightly curled tails frequent
ly tossed their heads with short sharp
barks and yelps
In 12 hours we had made 40 miles
There was no sign of a lead In tlx
march
Arrival at the Pola
I had now made my five marches and
was In time for a hasty noon observation
through a temporary break In tlx clouds
which Indicated our pixitlon as 967 I
quote an entry from my Journal come
hours later:
The pule at last The prise of three
centuries my dream slid goal for 30
years mins at last I cannet bring my-
self to realise It
It all seems so simple and common-
place As Bartlett said when turning
back when speaking of Ills being In
these exclusive regions which no mortal
has ever penetrated before: 'it la Just
like every day”
Of course I had my sensations that
mads sleep Impossible for hours despite
my utter fatigue— tlx sensation nf a life-
time but I have no room for them here
The first 20 hours at the pole were
spent In taking obaervatlona In going
soma ten miles beyond our camp and
some eight miles to the light of It: In
taking photographs planting my flags
depositing my records studying th liorl-
son with my telescope for possible land
and searching for a practic able pises to
make a sounding
Plan for Return Trip
Ten hours after our arrival the cloud
cleared before n light hreexe from our
loft end from that lima unit! our depar-
ture in Ihe afternoon of April 7 (ha
weather was cloudless and flawless
Tlx minimum temperature during lh
20 hour was 23 below Ihe maximum 12
We had reached tlx goal but tha re-
turn waa still before us It was essential
(list wa reach th land before tlx nsxt
spring tide and w must strain every
nerve to do thla
I had n brief talk with my men From
now on It was to be n big travel little
sleep and a bust Is every minute
W would try I told I hem to double
march on the return— that Is to start
and cover one of our northward
marches make lea and eat our luncheon
In th Igloos then cover another march'
eat and sleep a few hours and repeat
this dally
Speed Nearly Doubled
Aa a matter of fact w nearly did
this covering regularly on our return
Journey fly outward marches In thra
return marches
Just as long aa w could hold tha
trail ws could double our speed and
we need waste no time In building
new Igloos every day so that lh time
wa gained on the return lessened lh
chances of a gals destroying tlia track
Just above the eighty-seventh paral-
lel waa w region some ffrty miles wide
which caused me considerable uneasi-
ness Twelve hours of strong easterly
westerly or northerly wind would
make this region an open sea
In the afternoon of the 7th wa start-
ed on our return having double fed
Ihe dogs repaired th sledges for Ilia
last lime and discarded all our spars
clothing to lighten th loads
Tries to Sound Sea
Five miles from the pole a narrow
crack Ailed with recent Ice through
which we were able to work a hole
with a pickax enabled me tn make a
sounding All my wire 1600 fathoms
wax sent down but there was no bot-
tom In polling up Ihe wire ported a few
faih om from lh vurfaci and lead and
wire went to the bottom Off went reel
and handle lightening tlx sledges still
further IV had no tnors use for them
now
Three marches brought ua back to
the Igloos where the coplsln turned
buck The Inst mnnii was In tlx wild
sweep of a northerly gale with drift-
ng snow and the ice rocking under aa
we dashed over It
Not Delsyed by Leads y
South of where Martin hod turned
hurk we came to where his party hud
hullt several Igloos while delayed hy
open leads Bull further south we
found where the raMnln lind been held
up by an opin lead slid obliged to
camp
Fortunately the movement of these
leuds was simply open and shin and It
took considerable water motion tu fuult
the trail seriously
While the captain Marvin and an I
found nter Borup hud been delayed
by open lends we seemed to beur a
charm and with no single lead were we
delayed more than a couple of hours
Sometime the Ice was fust and firm
enough to carry us across sometimes
a short detour sometimes n brief halt
for tlie lead to close sometimes an Im-
provised terry on an Ice cake kept the
trail without difficulty down lo th
tenth outward march
Loss Bartlett's Trail
Igloos there disappeared completely
nd Ihe entire region waa unrecognis-
able Where on (he outward journey
had been narrow cracks there were
now broad leada on of them over live
miles In width caught over with young
lea
Here again fortune favored ua and
no pronounced movement of th lea
having taken place since th captain
passed w had hla trail to follow W
picked up the old trail again north of
the seventh igloos followed It beyond
th fifth and at lh big lead lost It
finally
From her we followed Ihe captain's
rail and on April It our sledges
passud up lb vertical edge of tha
glacier fringe a llltl wt of Capo
Columbia
When the last sledge came up I
thought my Eskimo had gone erasy
They yelled and called and danced
themselves helpless Aa Ootah eat down
on hla sledge he remarked In Eaklmo:
"Th devil la asleep or having troublo
with hla wife or w never should havo
coma back so easily”
A few hours later ws arrived at
Crane City under the bluff oi Cap
Columbia and after putting four
pounds of pemmlran Into each of tho
faithful dogs to keep them quiet wo
had at laat our chanr to sleep
Long Sleep Welcome
Never shall I forget that sleep at Cap
Columbia It was sleep sleep then turn
over and sleep again W a slept glorious-
ly with never a thought of th morrow
os having to walk and too with no
thought that there waa to be never a
night more of blinding headache
Cold water to a parched throat Is noth-
ing compared with sleep to n numbed
fatigued brain and body
Two days w spent here In sleeping and
drying our r'othes Then for th ship
Our doge like ourselves Ixd not been
hungry when w arrived but simply life-
Ires with fatigue They were different
animals now and th better ones among
them swept on with tightly curled iwlln
and uplifted head and their hind leg
treading the anew with plstonllke regu-
larity Marvin' Fat Lqarnad
W reached Herla In on march and
lha Roosevelt In another Whea w
got to the Roosevelt I was staggered bjr
lha news of the fatal mishap to Marvin
He had either been leaa cautious or less
fortunate than tlx rest of ua and hln
death emphasised the risk to which w
all had been subjected for there was not
one of us but had been In the sledge at
some time during th Journey
The big lead cheated of lie prey three
years before had at last gained Its hu-
man victim
The rest ran be told quickly McMIllao
and Borup had started for tha Greene
land roast lo deposit cache for me Be-
fore 1 arrived a flying Eskimo courier
from me overtook them with Instructions
that the caches were no longer needed
and they were to concentrate their ener-
gies on the Ideal obaervatlona etc at
Cape Morris K Jrsup and north from
there
Roosevelt Start Back
These Instructions were carried out and
after their return In the latter part of
May McMillan made dime further tidal
observations at other points Tlx sup-
plies remaining at Ihe various caches
were brought In and on July U th
Roosevelt left Its winter quarters and
was driven out Into tlx channel back of
Cape Nlon
It fought Its way south In the renter
of the channel and passed Cap Bablne
on August S or 29 days earlier than In
190ft and 32 day earlier than th British
expedition In 176
We picked up Whllney and hla party
and (lores at Etah We killed seventy-
odd walrus for my Eskimo whom I
landed at their home We met the
Jeanle off Buundrra Island and took over
Its coal and cleared from Cap York on
August 26 one month earlier than In
190
Announces His Triumph
On September 6 w arrived at Indian
llarhor whence the message "Blare and
stripes nailed to north pole” was sent
vibrating southward through tha crisp
I-ahratlor air
The culmination of kmc experience a
thorough knowledge of the condition of
the problem gained In tlie lost expedition
—these together with a new type of
sledge which reduced (lie work of both
dog and driver and n new type of camp
cooler which added to the comfort and
Increased Ihe hours of sleep of the
members of Ihe party combined to make
the present expedition an agreeable Im-
provement upon the lost In respect to the
rapidity and effectiveness of Ha work and
the lessened discomfort and strain Upon
tlx member of tlx party
HIs Capable Aids
A to the personnel I have again been
particularly fortunate Capt Bartlett Is
Just Bartlett— tlrelr sleepless enthusi-
astic whether on Ihe bridge or In the
crow's nest or at the head of a ldga
division In the Held
Dr Goodeell the surgeon of the expe-
dition not only looked after Its health
and his own specialty of microscope but
took his full share of Ihe field work of
the expedition as well and was always
ready for any work
Profs Marvin and McMillan have se-
cured n mas of scientific data having
made all Ihe tidal and moat of the field
work and their servlcrs were Invaluable
In everv way
Borup and Othars Pralatd
Borup not only made the record aa to
the distance traveled during th Jour-
ney but to hla aslatance and hla expert
knowledge of photography la due what
I believe to be the unrqualed eerie of
photographs taken bv the expedition
Henson In the field and Percy aa
steward were the same a ever Inval-
uable In their respective lines
Chief Engineer Wardwell also of
th lut expedition aided by hla aa-
slstunt Bcotl kept the machinery up
to a high state of efficiency and has
given the Roosevelt the force and pow-
er which enabled It to negotiate appar-
ently Impracticable Ice
Mr Uiiehue tlx mnte who was In
charge of tlie Roosevelt during the ab-
sence of Capt Bartlett and myself sod
Hoatswaln Murphy who was put In
rhsrre of tha ststion at Etah for the
relief of Cook were both trustworthy
an-1 reliable men and I count myself
fortunate In having had them In my
Service
Had a Willing Crew
The number of the crew and the
firemen were a dlstlnrt Improvement
over those of ouf last expedition Every
one nf them wax willing and anxluus
to he of service In every possible way
Connor who whs promoted to be
hoe'n In the absence of Murphy proved
to be practically effective
Barnes senman and Wiseman and
Joyce firemen not onlv assisted Mar-
vin end McMillan In tlielr tidal and
meteorological Observations on the
Roosevelt but Wiseman and Barnes
went Into the field with them on their
trln tn Cape Columbia and Condon
and Cody covered 1000 miles hunting
and sledging supplies
Present for Eskimo
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
gnu rifles ammunition knives hatch-
els trap etc
For the splendid four who stood be-
side me at the pole a Imut and tent
each to requite them for tlielr energy
and the hardship and toll they under-
went to help their friend Peary to th
nortll pole
But all of thla — the dearly bought
years of experience the magnlflrent
strength of the Roosevelt the splen-
did energy and enthusiosm of my party
the loyal faithfulness of my Eskimos
ou Id have gone for naught but for
th faithful necessaries of war fur-
nished so loyally by the members and
friends of th Peary Arctic club
Tribute to Jesup
And It la no detraction from th liv-
ing to may that to no single Individual
has the fin result been more signally
due than to my friend the late Morris
Jv Jesup th first president of th club
' Their assistance has enabled ms to
tell the last ol th great earth storlee
the atory tha world has been waiting
lo hear for 200 years— the story e t
tho discovery of tho north pole
ROBERT £ FiCAjCff
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Milam, C. D. State Sentinel (Stigler, Okla.), Vol. 4, No. 27, Ed. 1 Friday, September 17, 1909, newspaper, September 17, 1909; Stigler, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc2027888/m1/2/?rotate=270: accessed July 18, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.