PEARY'S EXPEDITION (1898) 309 



States. This meteorite is the largest known, and its 

 estimated weight is between 90 and 100 tons. 



On 12th January 1897, Peary announced his plan for 

 reaching the North Pole. A sufficient sum was to be 

 raised to continue the work of exploration for five years, 

 if necessary. A ship was to be taken north through 

 Robeson Channel to the highest latitude possible along 

 the Greenland coast. Stores were then to be landed 

 and advanced in stages until the northern terminus of 

 the North Greenland Archipelago was reached, and from 

 this point a dash to the Pole would be made. Should 

 the ship be unsuccessful in the passage of Robeson 

 Channel, the party was to land at Hayes Sound and 

 devote the first year to explorations of that unknown 

 region. 



In the spring of 1897, Morris K. Jesup suggested the 

 formation of the " Peary Arctic Club, 11 which raised funds 

 for the expedition. At the end of 1897, Alfred Harms- 

 worth offered the Windward to Peary, who accepted it. 

 As it could steam only at the rate of 3| knots at most, 

 Harms worth offered to have the Windward re-engined, 

 but unfortunately this could not be done owing to an 

 engineers 1 strike. In consequence of this, Peary had 

 also to charter the Hope as an auxiliary ship. 



The Windward left New York on 4th July 1898, but 

 Peary sailed from Sydney, C.B., in the Hope on the 7th. 

 As soon as the Whale Sound region was reached, Eskimo 

 were engaged, and the work of hunting walrus for dog- 

 food was prosecuted by both ships. 



At Etah, on 13th August, the two ships separated, 

 the Hope bound for home, and the Wind-ward for the 

 north. After a good deal of trouble with the ice, the 

 Wind-ward reached Cape D'Urville, near Cape Hawks, 

 on the 18th, but was here stopped by a large floe, and 

 before the ship could get farther it was frozen in. 



