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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.