CHAPTER IX. 



EARLY LIFE OF PEARY. 



The career of Commander Peary, like that of Dr. Cook, has been given 

 over almost wholly to adventure and exploration. With Peary, however, it 

 has been, almost from the first, a ceaseless quest for that farthest north both 

 now have seen. 



Peary is a veteran of the Arctic. A chronology of his trips into polar 

 seas is as follows : 

 1886 — Reached 70 degress north latitude on Greenland's inland ice cape, east 



of Disco Bay. 

 1891-92 — Discovered Melville Land and Heilprin Land and proved Greenland 

 an island, working as chief of the expedition of the Academy of Natural 

 Sciences of Philadelphia. Reached latitude 81 degrees 37 minutes north. 

 1893-95 — Failed to reach northern Greenland, but discovered Iron Mountain. 

 1896-97 — Brought Cape York meteorites to the United States. 

 1 898- 1 902 — Rounded most northerly cape in the world — Cape Morris, 83 

 degrees, 39 minutes — and reached "farthest north," 84 degrees 17 min- 

 utes. In command of expedition of the Peary Arctic Club. 

 1906 — Attained nearest point to the pole at that time, 87 degrees 6 minutes. 

 1909 — Reached the goal of his ambition at last. 



■ Before presenting a narrative of these voyages, some account must be 

 given of the youth that went to mold Peary's illustrious maturity. 



Polar exploration was the great passion of Peary's life. That passion 

 had its beginning when, as a boy, he read the story of Kane's exploits in the 

 far north. Through all vicissitudes of fortune, changes of circumstances, 

 alterations in environment, his mind seemed to turn steadily and constantly 

 toward the North Pole. At an age when young men of his age were just enter- 

 ing upon their life careers, Peary set forth upon his first expedition into the 

 land of eternal cold. 



Peary was born in Cressen, Pa., May 6, 1856. As a boy he was big and 

 boisterous, .\fter he had finished the work of the schools at Cressen his parents 



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