PURSUIT OF THE POLE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 254, 20 July 1908, Page 7

PURSUIT OF THE POLE.

. PEARY'S EXPEDITION. (BY TEUCORAPH—TRESS ASSOCIATION—COriEIOHT.) ' (Rcc. July 19, 4.30 pim.) • , 'London, July -18: ' , Commanclor'Poary. has sailed in the ship. Roosevelt from Sydney, Cape Breton, for fcho Arctic. . - • : Ho declares that'he will spend threes years in an attempt to reach'the Pole. . . '. V . .PEARY'S PROSPECTS. .HIS. LAST. DASH AND HIS,NEW PLAN. , Commander Peary, • perhaps the greatest of Arctic explorers, established on his last trip' the farthest north record.'ln the barque Rdo'sevelt he arrived at Hebron, Labrador, on October 13, and Sydney; Gape Breton, on November' 23/ 1905, , The. vessel was ice-hound at Cape Sheridan.- On February 21, 1906, Peary started 1 for'the Pole. ■ On April 21 he readied 87deg. 6min.. N'.,-thus passing by . about thirty miles ,the, Duke ofAbruzzi's: farthest north :m 1900. Supplies being almost exhausted, and'comlmifn'ication with the relief parties being -out off-by the ice opening, lie was obliged to return. v - - Peary, the. Duke of Abruzzi, and Nansen. were really within telephoning distance of. thePole. Poary was distant littlo more than 200 miles. " Peary," says one writer, "might actually have reached the. Pole, but for a sudden break in' the Pojar Sea, which left him idle, eating his provisions, for just the right length of time to eiisure failure. Nansen might have got there if he had had p. few more dogs." ROOSEVELT'S LAST TRIP. Commander Peary was to have gone north last year, but delay in fitting out the Roosevelt compelled him to postpone his effort till this year. On her last trip " the Roosevelt (writes the "Manchester Guardian") prored a powerful ice-breaker, and' mado her way/in spite of. unfavourable iveather, to tho' appointed destina.tion, about two miles beyond the Alert's winter quarters;. During the winter of 1905-6: Mr: OPeary, .with his crew and the Eskimos whom lie' had brought from Greenland, Temained in good, health. The scurvy that almost destroyed l Admiral Nares's expedition in the. Alert did not trouble Ml'. Peary, thanks to tho progress of modern science ana to the supplies of game found in Grant Laud. The first piece of ill-luck was tho loss of about. eighty'dogs. through poisoning. This weakened the,siedge-parties to a very serious extent.The march- began lato. in.Fcbruary, 1906. Mr. Peary's plan seo'med to be forking well. The parties easily reached.'B4dee. north latitude, and fine weather prevailed. ' Here, however, they were stopped by a wide 'lead'—the'channel made by the tide between the land'ice and'tho 'central Polar-pack, which had stopped Mr. Peary fonr years earlier. Having no boats, theyjwore forced to wait for (the lead'-'to close up. \'; T ' ■ -iv '. FATAL LOSS OF TIME. . X ' "The loss of time was fatal. After'a week Mr. Peary was able to cross and push'/horthr : ward. But-ho was again delayed for days by' a violent'storm. . Ho.advanced once riiore.'ifor about ten days, and on April 21> 1906, reached latitude 87deg. (Smin.—the highest- on recSrd. ,Here,' he was compelled to turn back. 'He was cut off from his base'by the.'lead,' and the unexpected delays had caused his provisions to ruii low. He regained', the ship after , a very long and arduous march, half starved. If he could have taken boats with him to cross the 'lead,' as Nares's men did| in 1876, and if tho fine vreather had lasted; a little'longer, there seoms no ■ doubt at all'that , Mr. Peary would have reached the Pole;' His , rate.of travelling proves that dogs are.indisi ponsable for Arctic work. • The British sailors from the Alert, who dragged, their own sledges, and boats, could not advance three milos a day, but Mr. P«ary sometimes marched thirty miles. An- equally resolute -and experienced man, !if good luck attends him, wilr attain tho Pale ■ some day by following' Mr. Peary's route-and adopting, his methods." . :• 'THE.NEW PROCEDURE.' ; j ' Peary' was recently interviewed as to his present plans. . ■ ! "I mean this time," he said'in his resolute tone, "when I start from tho northern shore qf Grant Land,, in tho sledging part'of. tho expedition, to set my course to the north-west-, ward, in order'to counteract the eastorly drift of tho ice, and not to head directly for the, Pole duo north. I shall bear, as it wore, tb : > windward, and trust to the drifting ice pack to help me eastwards to tho Polo." • . .up " You haven't any doubt of tho ice field 1 stretching right across the Polar region? Thero. • is no open sea likely to bo found at. tho Polo itself,'or any land?" " "No; tho old theories of that sort are ab- ■ solute nonsense;" , ;