PEARY AND THE NORTH POLE 



THE announcement of Commander 

 Robert E. Peary that he is to 

 make one more attempt to reach 

 the North Pole has been received with 

 much enthusiasm. Every one has been 

 hoping that he would be able to carry 

 out the plan which he has adopted for 

 his next Arctic campaign, a plan which 

 he outlined some months ago when it 

 was doubtful whether he would ever go 

 north again. This plan differs in one 

 very important respect from all his for- 

 mer campaigns in that he proposes to 

 make his winter camp fully one hun- 

 dred miles north of his previous winter 

 quarters ; so that when he is ready to 

 start on his dash in spring he will be 

 ioo miles nearer his goal. The dis- 

 tance thus saved — from Cape Sabine to 

 Cape Joseph Henry — is the most diffi- 

 cult of traverse, and to overcome it has 

 in the past taken several weeks of the 

 short working season. 



The distance from Peary's proposed 

 winter camp near Cape Joseph Henry 

 to the Pole and back again is less than 

 the average distance of four sledging 

 trips which he has made, and each of 

 these trips was over rougher ice than 

 it is believed will be encountered be- 

 yond the 84th parallel. Mr Peary will 

 start north in July, 1904. He hopes to 

 be able to reach Cape Joseph Henry 

 with his vessel in the fall of that 5 r ear, 

 and to make his dash in 1905. In case 

 he does not reach the cape in 1904, he 

 will spend 1905 in getting there, and 

 make his dash in 1906. His plan is 

 outlined in the following letter, ad- 

 dressed to the Secretary of the Navy, 

 asking for three years' leave of absence: 



Washington, D. C, 



September 2, igoj. 

 Sir : Referring to my application for 

 leave of absence accompanying this, I 

 beg to state for your information that I 

 propose to secure a suitable ship, put 

 her into one of our best shipyards, have 



her reenforced and strengthened to the 

 maximum degree and fitted with Amer- 

 ican engines, possessing the maximum of 

 strength and' power with the minimum 

 weight and space, so that she may go 

 north as an exponent of American skill 

 and mechanical ability. 



With such ship I should sail north 

 about the 1st of next July, and on reach- 

 ing the Whale Sound region should take 

 on board my Eskimo, establish my per- 

 manent sub-base at Cape Sabine, and 

 then force my way northward to my 

 proposed winter quarters on the north- 

 ern shore of Grant Eand, establishing 

 caches as far as practicable en route. 

 By the earliest returning light of the 

 following February I should start due 

 north over the polar pack with a small, 

 light pioneer party, followed by a large, 

 heavy main party. I should expect to 

 accomplish the distance to the Pole and 

 return in about 100 days or a little more, 

 an average travel of about 10 miles a 

 day. Returning, I should break the 

 ship out late in the same season and 

 return home. 



If ice conditions the first year were 

 such as to prevent reaching the north- 

 ern shore of Grant L,and, I should winter 

 as far north as practicable and force the 

 ship to the desired location the follow- 

 ing year. In this event the expedition 

 would be gone two years. 



This plan is the result of some twelve 

 years of almost continuous experience 

 in those latitudes, and is based upon an 

 extended personal acquaintance with 

 the region from Sabine to 84 ° north 

 latitude and a thorough familiarity with 

 climatic and other conditions and with 

 Eskimo. 



The distinctive features of my plan 

 are: The use of individual sledges with 

 comparatively light loads, drawn by 

 dogs, giving a traveling unit of high 

 speed and radius of reach, as opposed to 

 the man sledge, with its heavy load, 

 slow speed, and limited radius; the 



