D. Sigsbee, U.S.N. Sigsbee, commissioned captain in 

 1897, was in command of the battleship Maine when 

 she blew up in Havana harbor in 1898. A naval 

 court of inquiry exonerated Sigsbee, his officers, and 

 crew from all blame for the disaster; and the temperate 

 judicious dispatches from Sigsbee at the time did much 

 to temper the popular demand for immediate reprisal. 

 The cup bears the following inscription: 



The Commercial Club of St. Paul Minn. Sends Greetings to 

 Capt. Charles Dwight Sigsbee who as Commander of the 

 Auxiliary Cruiser St. Paul had a brilliant share in the Naval 

 Exploits of the Spanish War of 1 898. 



May you live long and prosper. 



Marks on the cup are those of the Gorham Silver 

 Company and the words "Sterling," "Patented," and 

 " 5 pts." 



Admiral Sigsbee achieved greater distinction for his 

 services as a scientist than as a naval hero. An out- 

 standing hydrographer, he made a deep-sea survey of 

 the Gulf of Mexico, and from 1893 to 1897 he was 

 chief of the Navy's hydrographic office. 



FOR ARCTIC EXPLORATION 



In the midst of the myriad of soldiers, sailors, and 

 politicians who have been presented with silver 

 through the past two centuries, we find an arctic 

 explorer being given similar recognition at the begin- 

 ning of this century. Rear Admiral Robert E. Peary 

 was the first man to reach the North Pole, and the 

 United States National Museum has a collection of 

 silver presented to him in recognition of this achieve- 

 ment. 



Peary became interested in arctic exploration as 

 early as 1886 and discovered he had an aptitude for its 

 grueling demands on several minor expeditions to 

 Greenland and the arctic ice cap. In 1893 he became 

 determined to reach the North Pole, and he spent the 

 next 15 years in unsuccessful attempts to achieve his 

 ambition. In 1908 Peary left on another polar 

 expedition; after a hazardous trip, he reached his 

 goal on April 6, 1909. His victory seemed a hollow 

 one because of the claim of a rival explorer that was 

 finally proven spurious. In October a committee of 

 experts appointed by the National Geographic Society 

 supported Peary's claims, and in 1911 he was tendered 

 the thanks of Congress. Admiral Peary's work as an 

 explorer had immense scientific value, as he developed 

 a highly efficient method of exploration which has 

 continued to be used advantageously. 



Three loving cups and a replica of a ship in silver^* 

 that were presented to Peary are in the collections of 

 the United States National Museum. Two of the 

 cups were gifts to Peary from cities in his home state 

 of Maine. One loving cup (cat. 12186), 10 inches 

 high, is marked with the old English "T" of Tiffany 

 & Company, "7072," and "5 pts." It is inscribed: 

 To Commodore Robert Edwin Peary, U. S. N. in recogni- 

 tion of his remarkable achievement in placing the flag of the 

 United States at the North Pole, April 6, 1909. Presented 

 September 23, igog by the City of Bangor, Me. 



The other loving cup from Maine (cat. 12187) is 12 

 inches deep and bears the Tiffany "T," "7056," 

 "Sterling," and "5% pts." The inscription reads: 

 Presented by the citizens of Portland, and South Portland, 

 Maine, To Commodore Robert Edwin Peary, U. S. N. 

 September 23, igog in recognition of his achievement in 

 nailing the stars and stripes to the North Pole. 



The third loving cup (cat. 12188) is 18 inches high 

 and is marked with the lion, anchor, and "G" of the 

 Gorham Silver Company and with "Sterling," 

 "332A," "7 pints," and "D. Kappa Epsilon." The 

 inscription reads: 



Presented to Commodore Robert Edwin Peary, U. S. N. by 

 the Delta Kappa Epsilon Association of New York City, 

 December 18, 1909. 



In 1910 the Royal Scottish Geographic Society pre- 

 sented Admiral Peary with a silver replica of a ship 

 (fig. 1) of the type used by Henry Hudson, John 

 Davis, and William Baffin in their explorations for 

 the Northwest Passage. The replica, representing a 

 ship under full sail, is 24 inches high and 20 inches 

 long. The foresail bears a long inscription in Latin 

 likening Peary to other early arctic explorers. The 

 marks indicate the piece was made in Great Britain. 



Also in the Museum's collection is a silver plaque ^' 

 presented to Peary by the Circumnavigator's Club in 

 New York. It bears the mark of Tiffany & Company 

 and is inscribed: 



Circumnavigator's Club Presented to the Immortal Naviga- 

 tor Peary on the Occasion of his presence as guest of honor 

 at our Annual dinner held at Delmonico's New York City, 

 the Eleventh of December, 1913. Officers: President W. 

 Tyre Stevens, ist V. P. Wilson D. Lyon, and V. P. W. D. 

 Oelbermann, Treasurer, F. C. Schulze, Sec. F. W. Hilgar, 

 Gov. E. H. Paterson, J. H. Burch Jr., George L. Carlisle, 

 W. G. Paschoff, C. A. Haslett, William H. Zinn. 



28 Loan of Robert E. Peary (ace. 52878), Division of Naval 

 History, USNM. 



29 Loan of Mrs. Robert E. Peary (ace. 177710, cat. 46014), 

 Division of Naval History, USNM. 



102 



BULLETIN 24 1 : CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE MUSEUM OF HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGY 



