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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 15, 1908)
THE SODAT OREGOXIAX, PORTLAXD, NOVE3IBER 15, 1J)08. wmmmtr" mm wiW mmsmv, mwm. IT DHPSNDLTOQBTKEK. ON THB"WEATHER liWLP THE tSFURGBOObT OF THE, HXPSDITION OFISOSv-OS ' ' , - C5gBIT- " 1 yv - ' -4"- r-y' ' .v' i - - . -t y1' "iy s';yr - """y i III,. ...;,?'';''. : II I ' r.-n7T.i I ... J - I III ...... ... wwr-ivi. ll t I' - rVffiRADOE , - K..y N 4 At Xhf vnliHtatlon of The Hundny Onnlan, this article haw brro ron tribnted by lr. 1 J. oTf. of Fort tsnd. h rM tmon of the Trmrj erpedltlon. mhich 4iuid from New 1 ork In -Ui " rajiuih tp KooaevelC, Jul. . lUOi. axil mnrn-d Iecgrnbrr X4. lOG. Ir. Molf la n dmIIt Or rcin Mil U n -tt a p rc t Icln J OT.K. M. T TIT I w -Ar oftn ashed th question: "To I you tbit.k that Peary will reach th pole Uiis Lime?" Ttirr is n- Mti'Hu but tliat Com mander Vcry is- better qualified than any orlier 'living man fir ItIar re earri. lie inaJ his first trip porth In lSfi. AVliile en rout on his second trip his If? tv a broken anil the mem ber of 'ins parly " i.slied him to re turn v lili the hip but to this he would not consent. Since then he has been back to the -Arctic regions eight or ten timej. Not a U of Peary's trips nor tli have been attempts for the pole. Twice -l;e hay eroded the northern portion of Greenland and on one ex pedition brought back the largest known rucLeorita In the world. It is nor iu the American museum, New York. . Peary has" never lest but one man and ti at una lu direct disobedience to Ms orders. Such an accident occurs very j ear In the Alps, namely, by falling into a iarj:e crevasse on the Klaciers. Hut with all of Peary'a knowledge of the north trained by .JO years experience and Captain Bart lett's knowledge of navigation of the northern waters, much depends on the conditttn of the Ice. One year one may rind an open reason and probably the folif.wjns year rind a closed sea son, that is. practically no leads or open ws ter w hereby a vessel can be forced Into the far north. Of course, cne realizes that a ship of the Koose veTt type can force its way through from one to flve or nix Inches of Ice. but it in absolutely Impossible to build a ship that could negotiate ice several feet thick. One must force a passage by taking advantage of the leads as they open up. It is necessary to get your vessel somewhere near the lati tude S3 North so as not to be com pelled to make a long sledge Journey over the land before starting out for the pole proper, as Peary has had to do in all except his last expedition. In the expedition of 1905-6. the Roosevelt wintered at Cape Sheridan, CSrantland. latitude North. No other ship ever wintered In a latitude as Tar nort h except one and no ship ever went as far north under her. own ettam. We l'rt New York In July. 19t5. and arrived In Winter quarters Uie follow- !ng September. Fifteen minutes after we arrived at Cape Sheridan we were unable to steam further north, al though there was a large lead of open water within a short distance of us. "We were completely frozen In the Ice and the ship was never able to move out of that position until the Ice broke up July 4 the following year. Preparations were Immediately com menced for Winter. All supplies were placed on shore so in case of any ac cident to the ship either by being rrushehd In the Ice or being carried away from her moorings or Are, our provisions would be saved. K very thing was utilized. The boxes of canned goods were made into four walla and covered with a tarpaulin, so an to be utilized as a refuge In case of necessity. This was left standing nearly all the time we were there, for when we wished the tins of provisions they were tHken and the boxes left In situ. The Kskimos utilize this crude hut as a place to live during most of the Winter. A great deal of the coal was placed ashore. The sailors were put t work chopping the Ice about the ship so as to maks a soft bed for hr. The fires In the engineroom were drawn and all of the machinery over hauled. Many of the Kskimos were sent out Into the fields to procure game. The sun set October 13, 1305, and we did not see hi in again until the fol lowing March. The darkness of the Arctic night Is one of the hardest and most depressing parts of Arctio work. If one is Inclined to be melancholy or Irritable It will surely manifest Itself during the Arctic nights, living in cramped Q larters on an exploring shin. The Eskimo women, and occasionally an Eskimo man, during the Arctio night are very prone to hysterical at tacks. The Eskimos call it "peblock to.M During one of these attacks an Kaklmo will go about simulating all the phases of hysteria. On one occa sion. I remember, an Eskimo woman with her baby on her back jumping over the vessel's side and running a distance of about two miles before she was overtaken and brought back by the Eskimos In an apparently uncon scious condition. This was during the middle of the Arctic night. Commander Peary Is a man of strong personality and cheerful disposition and he exerts a wonderful influence over those associated with him. In his book, "Nearest the Pole, detailing his last expedition. Peary says that personally he never spent a Winter In the Arctic region so free from petty annoyances and dlsnomtorts. ootn phyi-loal and mental. The members of the party were congenial, cheerful an.d energetic and Interested in the work. The ship's people were interested and willing and the atmosphere of the ship lacked entirely the clement of friction which so often proves an ex tremely disagreeable part of Arctic Winter life. We had a pianola and a graphophone aboard which helped while away the hours. The Arctic Winter is spent by making preparations for the coming campaign for the Pole, which begins by making the first sledge trips in Feb ruary by moonlight. Sledges were built and tents, harnesses and fur clothing were made, the Eskimo women doing all of the sewing they have learned to use our needles and proving them selves invaluable. The pemmican was taken from the cases and put in can vas bags convenient for stowing on the sledges. We started on the Ice trip with 120 dogs, so one can readily see that dog harness itself is an im portant equipment. Peary and his men wear Uie same style and cut of clothes as the Eski mos. One of the essentials for coming through an ice campaign without loss of limb or life is the perfect fit of one's fur clothes. We had a full moon during each Winter month and the Es kimos were sent out hunting. In all sbout 600 musk oxen and reindeer were killed, also a number of Arctio hare foxes and some salmon trout were caught. Every ounce of meat, of course, was utilized. We had not the slightest trace of scurvy and one rea son for this, no doubt, was because we had fresh meat. We lost many of our Valuable Eskimo dogs, they being poisoned by our whale meat. Commander Peary, knowing; the resources of the country. Immediately sent the Eskimos with the remaining dogs Into the field, where they subsisted off the country. Had this accident occurred to one not familiar with the country the expedition would have been seriously crippled, for without dogs one could make but little northing, as was experienced by the English expedition in li76, when they endeavored to haul their sledges by man power. Six dogs constitute an aver age team, and they can haul oOO pounds. An Eskimo dog requires little attention after the day's work is completed; the dog is- tied out on the snow and ice, fed, and If the wind Is blowing a block or two of snow is erected to act as a wind break. In each team there is always one dog known as the king dog. He re ceives the honor by having whipped ev ery other dog in that team, dhould an Eskimo driver touch up the king dog with his whip this one is not satisfied until he has snapped every other dag In the team. At one time I was amused by watching two dogs when we had taken the best dogs of two teams and transferred them to one team. The two leaders had watched each other for several days, sparring very much as two prizefighters, each waiting for a favorable opportunity. Finally one, a black dog, catching the other unawares in a path of rough Ice, gave him such a whipping that he kept him cowed the rest of the trip, and he could not call his lifo his own, for at the slightest provocation the black was sure to Jump on him. They show no merry to one another. If one dog was crippled or sick 1 have soep the whole pack on board ship Jump on it and If no one was about they would tear it to pieces. Instances are cited along the Iabrador coast where the teams have turned on their drivers and killed them. But again, the Eskimo dog In the hands of an Es kimo driver is as faithful and will do as hard work as our horse, requiring little attention, no shelter in any degree of cold, unless the wind Is blowing, and requiring but one pound of pemmican in S4 hours. Again, the Eskimo dog can be utilized for human food should the occasion require It. The Eskimo dog can be made as much of a pet as any of our domesticated ones if properly handled. A new species of reindeer was discov ered by Peary. We brought back tle .first specimens of trout that have ever been returned from that region. All of the specimens of the expedition were turned over to the American Museum of Natural History, New York. The Winter as a whole passed much more pleasantly than I anticipated. Per sonally I amused myself by cleaning up the skeletons of arctic hare, foxes and seals, which were turned over to the museum; taking measurements of the en tire Eskimo tribe, doing a little bac teriological work, the Board of Health of New York having fitted us out, and also experimenting in taking moonlight pictures, some of which turned out well. By the light of th Winter moons sup plies were sledged out with dog teams to Cape Hecla, a distance of 60 miles north of our Winter quarters. Cape Hecla was made the base of supplies, and from this point we struck out on the ice in quest of the Pole. From Cape Hecla to the Pole the distance is 600 miles. In the latter part of February, by the light of the last Winter moon, we left the ship for the last time and did not return until about June 1. One cannot stay out on the ice later than the latter part of May- or early June, because the Ice begins to break up and may leave you stranded on the northern side of big bodies of water with no food. Such an acciaent nearly cost Peary his life on his last expedition. Peary does not use sleeping bags, but sleeps in the same clothes that he has worn all daj'. erect ing a snow hut each night. It requires from one ar.d a half to two hours to build en igloo or snow hut. This must be done nft-r a hard day s work, and it is sur prising" how comfortable an Igloo can he a 1 made with tlie thermometer from 50 to 70 degrees below zero. During the middle, part of the season, when the sun is up 24 hours each day, we pay nor particular attention to the time of day in refrard to work, but it is to get a sleep, - then ' to make a good long march. Peary has found out in his Polar work that more can be accom plished on two meals each day. One loses too much time stopping for a third meal. Eating is more or less a simple affair. Coal oil Is carried for fuel with which to melt the ice for tea. A pound of hard tack and a pound of pemmican, which is composed of meat, tallow and a little sugar, are the rations for one man for 24 hours. One dog is allowed a pound of pemmican for the same period of time. Peary has the question of eating sifted down much better than most explorers. In making an extended trip over the Ice, where you cannot replenish your sledges, one has to know just how many days" rations he has. By Peary's method you are allowed so many biscuits, one pound of pemmican and your tea. Even preparing your lamps to melt water for tea is at ,times. to say the least, incon venient with the temperature as low as TO below xero or 100 below the freezing point of water. The oil congeals and matches nip one's fingers when trying to ignite them. Whn one stops to think that for every drop of water used one had to consume his precious oil to melt the tee you can rest assured no water was wasted for such vain purposes as washing bands and faces. I shall never forget Peary's appearance the first time I saw him after his re turn from his ice trip. He is a man who carries no excess weight at any time, but after his starvation trip in quest of the Pole, having been out longer than he Intended, and eaten all his dogs, and having bten very sparing with the dogs at that, he was surely flown to a wire ecig? But to show the indomi table will of the man, he stayed on board I the Roosevelt only one week and was off again on another of his exploring trips along 1 lie western coast of Grantland. All who had taken part in the dash for the pole were on board the ship again by the 1st of June. We had left the ship by moonlight and the sun was high in the heavens and the Arctic Summer ' well advanced on our return. Peary did not reach the Pole, but had planted the Stars and Stripes at latitude 87 degrees 6 minutes, farther north than any living man had ever trod, or 170 nautical miles from the Pole. In answer to the question with which I started this article, Will Peary reach the Pole? it nearly all depends on ice conditions. Peary will endeavor to get his vessel in about the same latitude as the 1905 expedition. Fifty miles further North if possible. At present no doubt, he is frozen in. He probably will attack the ice at a most westerly point from Grant Land in or der to take advantage of the easterly ice drift, from experience gained by his last trip. One has from 90, and at the outside, 100 days to make the ice trip and get back on land. The dis tance from land to the Pole is over BOO miles, making the round trip 1000 miles. This means that if one can make an average of 10 miles each day he can secure the prize. Some days one can cover only two or three miles. In the 1905 expedition Peary was held up for six days at one place by the Ice going abroad or separating. One must remember that when held up or doing nothing your teams and men are still consuming food and that cuts you out of that many days northing.' When the ice came together again a terrific storm arose and ice that had been comparatively smooth was piled up 50 and 60 feet high and looked as if an earthquake had struck it. This ob literated the trailT There was another detachment only two or three daya I TriAT TOOK HIM south of Peary with provisions to stocW his ' sledges. . They were unable to reach him because the trail was brok en up. Peary made the final dash with, what supplies he had. He designated his point Camp Delay. From Camp De lay north he averaged about 20 miles daily. One ran see that the time los by open water and bad weather, had It been a normal season and he been able to travel, it would have put him to his last goal the North Pole. By taking advantage of the experience gained in the previous expedition and other things being' equal it is reason able to expect that Peary will be suc cessful this trip. A word about the Eskimos. The cen sus of the Whale Found tribe taken in 1906 numbered 202. About 15 years ago the total was 250. Many die of ac cidents. Males and females are about equally divided. The women carry their babies on their backs much the same as Indians. Child birth is much easier for them than among civilized women. They are very fond of chil dren. However, a family seldom consists-of more than three children. The tribe has no chief. Every ona hunts for himself, but should some family run short of food before the Winter is over he is quite welcome to call on a neighbor. There is no bartering among them. An Eskimo In his native state lives entirely on ani mal diet. Reindeer, Arctic hare, wal rus, narwhale, seal, rlsh, ' auk, geese and ducks compose the bill of fare. They never fight among themselves, are absolutely honest and truthful. I believe they are the most contentei people on the face of earth. As far as I know they have no form of worship. In the Summer time they live in seal skin tents and in the Winter, when not traveling, they live In a sort of a dug out, made of sod and rock. An Eskimo says that he Is superior to a white man because a white man can do only one thing. They tan the skins by chewing and sucking them. This is usually the duty of the good housewife. They are ex cellent seamstresses. When sewing they sit on the floor and hold one end of the garment with their toes. When a man dies he is buried in the rocks In a sitting position. It is imprac ticable to dig a grave, as the ground Is frozen. All of his belongings are- placed by his side. His gun. his canoe, his harpoon and other of his personal possessions are burled with him. His dogs are harnessed to his sledge and then strangled and deposited with his other belongings. If a woman dies her possessions likewise are burled with her. ' If she has a child in arms It Is strangled also. One of the reasons for thus disposing of the young on the death of the mother is that the Eskimo live In scattered settlements and the women object to nursing children other than their own.
