ch. xl] Attempts to reach the North Pole 357 
his negro servant and four Eskimos, five sledges and 
40 dogs. It was a great mistake to enter upon what 
he considered the most important part of his journey 
without any white companion, more especially as bearings 
and distances do not appear to have been ascertained by 
observations. For help in making these rough estimates, 
and for such observations as were taken, a colleague was 
imperatively necessary. 
Directly Peary parted from Bartlett his estimated 
distances were more than doubled, and the course was 
assumed to be due north. Peary refers to the meridian 
of Cape Colombia as if he had never deviated from that 
meridian during the whole journey. Yet there is no record 
of the latitude and longitude of Cape Colombia having 
been fixed 1 , and no mention of any observations for 
amplitude during the whole journey. Without such 
observations it would not be possible to keep on the 
same meridian. Yet, after journeys during four days 
estimated at from 25 to 30 miles a day, a meridian altitude 
of the sun was taken which gave a latitude of 89° 25' N. 
or 97 miles due north from the position where Bartlett 
observed. Without amplitude observations this would 
not be possible, so that there must be mistakes in the 
observations for this and subsequent meridian altitudes. 
The sun was very near the horizon at noon at that time 
of the year. The distances were, perhaps naturally, 
over-estimated. Peary was very fortunate in being able 
to follow his tracks during his return journey, in spite 
of a furious gale which might have obliterated them. 
It is to be hoped, in the interests of geographical 
discovery and of science, that there will now be an end 
of the North Pole except as a necessary point on maps 
of the world, and that the energies of explorers will 
hereafter be turned to more useful work. A complete 
series of magnetic observations at the 90th degree of 
north latitude would, however, be important in the 
opinion of those who believe that terrestrial magnetism 
is connected with the earth's axis. 
1 He may have adopted the position fixed by the observations of 
Lieut. Aldrich. The sun was below the horizon when Peary started. 
