U . PEARY FINDS THE POLE 



"Indian Harbor, via Cape Ray, N. F., Sept. 6. — Herbert L. Bridgman, 

 Brooklyn, N. Y. : Pole reached. Roosevelt safe. 



"Peary." 



And then there was a third telegram, revealing a heart bounding with joy, 

 and eager to express itself to a loved one. It read :. 



"Indian .Harbor, via Cape Ray, Sept. 6, 1909. — Mrs. R. E. Peary, South 

 Harpswell, Maine : Have made good at last. I have the old pole. Am well. 

 Love. Will wire again from Chateau. 



"Bert." 



These, with a few messages to other men, none of which added to the in- 

 formation contained in the foregoing, was all that was heard of Peary for sev- 

 eral days. He did not find the same facilities for an immediate description of 

 his trip that Cook did. He was sailing along the Labrador coast ; intent on 

 reaching a large seaport as soon as possible. And he was content for a time with 

 sending the bare news of his victory. Only the date, of his discovery — April 

 6, 1909 — and the fact he and his ship were safe; that was all he vouchsafed. 



And with this silence the clamor of the debaters, and the fever of specula- 

 tion, rose higher. Higher, indeed, than they had over the mere question of Dr. 

 Cook's veracity. For now two men were involved in a gigantic problem that 

 concerned whether one man's story discredited the other, and raised the ques- 

 tion which was first at the pole. 



The Peary advocates, who had already, openly or by hints, sought to pour 

 cold water on Cook's claims, at once declared Peary's news wa3 true, and that 

 he was the real discoverer. One of the most enthusiastic of these was Rear- Ad- 

 miral Melville, of the United States navy, himself an old-time explorer, who 

 said: 



"If Peary has telegraphed that he has found the pole, I believe it, and say 

 bully for him. 



"I have known Peary personally for a long time and as he was well equip- 

 ped for an expedition I think he had at least as much chance as Dr. Cook had 

 for discovering the pole. Peary was within 200 miles of the pole in his last 

 expedition and was prevented from going there by the opening of the ice packs. 

 He has been gone long enough to have reached there. 



"It was the crazy dispatches purporting to have come from Dr. Cook about 

 the condition he found there and other things that caused a doubt in my mind 



