THE NORTH POLE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2896, 15 September 1909, Page 23

THE NORTH POLE.

UEUTENANT PEARY "MAKES GOOD." REACHED ON APRIL 6. "STARS AND STRIPES NAILED TO IT." . THE COMMANDER WELL. COMMANDER PEARY'S MOVEj MENTS. I DETAILS OF THE JOURNEY* ONE MAN DROWNED. „ {ACCUSATIONS AGAINST DB COOK. OFFERED TO PRESIDENT TAFT. INTERESTING , DEVELOPMENTS. sk MISCAIiOULATION^ SUGGESTED. I JL FATIGUING UNDERTAKING. \ IX>NDON, September 7. Renter teas received a telegram from •Lieutenant Peary from Indian Harbour, j ■Labrador, stating that he has nailed the Stais and Stripes to the North Pole. ! "Lieutenant Peary has telegraphed to his wife as follows: — "JEave 'made good * at feet ; have the old Pole ; am well ; love ; •will wire again from Chateau Bay." Mrs Peary replied: "All well; best love; God bless you; hurry home." When Dr Cook was informed of Lieutenant Peary's success he said : "He must ] have reached the Pole by quite another Toute than mine." Dr Cook added that i there was enough honour for the- two. j The newspapers unreservedly accent lieutenant Peary's cablegrams. September 8. Commander Peary, aboard the Roosevelt, left Indian Harbour as he did not know that the Chateau Bay teltgraph office was recently closed. . A messenger was Bent after him to suggest that he should proceed to Red Harbour, 30 miles west of Chateau Bay, or to fßlanc Sablon, 65 miles west, and telegraph thence. It is expected that Commander Peary and Dr Cook will both reach New York ] about September-20. The Royal Geographical Society has congratulated Commander Peary, and has invited Trim to lecture: '- | No invitation has been sent to Dr" <3ook. September 9. 'Commander Peary telegraphs: "Don't ■worry about Dr Cook. I have him nailed." I The London Times, in publishing the'j etory, issues further editions as the continuation of the narrative is received. The Home and Canadian papers are already claiming the North Pole under old boundary arrangements. September 10. The Morning Post comments on Peary's remarkable rate of travel, which equals that of Dr Cook. This shows that during the actual marching Peary covered 16 miles daily, and in the closing stages of the northward journey be covered at the rate of 35 miles a day. This phenomenal rapidity suggests the possibility of Peary having miscalculated his position. The Times has receiveel the second portion of Peary's narrative, now being published in the New York Times. It covers from the 18th of August until he was near the 88th parallel, when Captain Bartlett, of the Roosevelt, turned back in accordance with their pre-arrangemerrts to constitute supporting, parties. The narrative records 4>he explorer's monotonous experiences of snow and haze, - and the difficulties of negotiating the leads of .water. n September 11. The Times continues Peary's record beyond the 88th parallel. He covered 20 miles in one day, the dogs' sometimes running on ice which was grinding in every direction. The keen air was like frozen steel. A few miles from the Pole there was scarcely any snow. He covered 40 miles in 12 hours. He made a stop of 30 hours with four Eskimos at the Pole, and planted flags there. There was no special incident during the return to Colombia, where he arrived almost lifeless with fatigue. September 13. Commander Peary states that he went 10 miles beyond the camp at the Pole and eight miles to the right of the camp, .taking photographs, depositing records, and studying the horizon with the telegcope for possible land. Commander Peary informs the American State Department that he took possession of the entire region on behalf of the President of the United States. ST. JOHN'S, September 7. The Governor of Newfoundland has deceived a message couched in similar terms to that received by Reuter, and ftlso containing Lieutenant Peary's congratulations because the captain and crew qI his steamer were Newfoundlanders. NEW YORK, September 7. •Mr Herbert Bridgeman, secretary of the I&rctic Club of America, has received a faggsage in Lieutenant Peary's code stating

that the Pole has been reached, and that the steamer Roosevelt is* safe. The New York Times states that lieutenant Peary telegraphs from Indian Harbour, via Cape Ray, as follows: — "Reached th© North Pole on April 6; expect to arrive at Chateau Bay on September 7; secure control of the wire for me there, and arrange to expedite the transmission of a big story." Mr M'Millan, a member of Lieutenant Peary's party, Eas cabled to the Worcester Academy, Massachusetts, where he is instructor of mathematics: "Top of the earth reached at last. Greetings to the faculty and the boys." The Times Tecalls the fact that lieutenant Peary stated before he left: "If I reach the Pole during the coming winter my friends will hear of my triumph between August 15 and September 15." September 8. Commander Peary has telegraphed to the director of the American Museum of Natural History in New York as follows :—": — " lam bringing a large amount of material for the museum." September 9. The New York Times publishes a letter which- Commander Peary wrote in May, 1908, as a record, stating: "Dr Cook has located himself at Etah, which has been my depot for years. He has appropriated the Eskimos whom I trained, and has taken the dogs which were collected ready for my coming." The letter concludes as follows: — "Dr Cook's action in going north sirb rosa for the admitted purpose of forestalling me is one which no man possessing a sense of honour would i be guilty of." Commander Peary sends from Battle Harbour, Labrador, by wireless telegraph j

via Newfoundland, to the New York Times the following summary in case he is unable to get the full etory in time for to-day's issue : — " After wintering at Cape Sheridan, Grant Land, the sledge expedition left th« Roosevelt on February 15, and started north of Cape Columbia 'on March 1 We passed the British record on March 2, but were delayed by open water until March 11, when we crossed the 84th parallel. We encountered an open lead on March 15, and crossed the 85th parallel jon the 18th, and the 86th on the 22nd. We then encountered another open lead, end we passed the Norwegian record on March 23, and the Italian record on the 24th. We encountered another open lead on the 26th, and passed the 87th parallel on the 27th and the American record on the 28th." Commander Peary continued his narrative as follows: — " We were held up by open water on March 29. We crossed the 88th parallel on April 2, the 89th ' on April 4, and reached the Pole on the 6th. We left again on April 7, and reached Cape , Columbia on the 23rd, arriving aboard the Roosevelt on the 27th. The Roosevelt reached Cape Sheridan on July 18, and • passed Cape - Sabine on August 8 and Cape York on the 26th. j " All ihe members of the expedition are in good health, except Professor Marvin, , who was drowned on . April 10, 45 miles ! north of Cape Columbia while returning ! from the 86th degree in command "of the supporting party." ! Commodore Peary telegraphed President Taft as follows: — "I have the honour to place the North Pole at your disposal." { The President replied : *" Thanks. It is

an interesting and a generous offer, but I do not know exactly whaf to do with it. I, however, congratulate you most sincerely." September 10. The Polar war is eclipsing all other topics in America, where the partisans of Commander Peary and Dr Cook are engaging- in a campaign of Vituperation. Mr Ofborne, secretary of the Arctic Club of America, threatens that when Commander Peary sets foot in New York he will have affidavits and facts published stamping Commander Peary as the most colossal faker which America has ever produced. He alleges that he has an affidavit proving that Commander Peary opened Dr Cook's trunk, read his observations, and opened a letter addressed to Mrs Cook. September 11. Lieutenant Peary telegraphs that he will prove that Dr Cook never Teached the Pole. The United .States Geodetic Survey Department has offered to arbitrate between the claims of Peary and Cook.

The record which has just been beaten by Dr Cook *>nd Commander Pear> was held by the Italian expedition under the Duke of Abruzzi. The dark band on the map shows the track of that expedition. The expedition sailed from Christiania on June 12, 1899, for, Archangel, the Russian port, where final provisions and dogs were taken aboard. The Stella Polars then sailed direct for Cape Flora on Franz Joseph Land, under the shelter of which the Jackson-Harmsworth expedition had its headquarters. The narty then pushed on towards the Crown Prince Rudolph Islands to the north of Franz Joseph Land. The vessel got badly damaged on the way, and had to be abandoned for a time. From this point four sledge expeditions were sept out, one, under Captain Cagni, reaching 86deg 33min, thus just beating Nansen'a " farthest north "of 86deg 14min. After three months' labour the Stella Polare was freed from the: ice, and the expedition finally i-eturned to Norway on September 5. For the purposes of comparison the route of the Fram is also indicated by a lighter track. Nansen started on July 21, 1893, and on March 14, 1895, reached 84deg 4min. Here he left the Fram, and in company with Johansen pushed on foot to 86deg 14min, about 20 miles ehort of Captain Cagni's mark. How the Fram broke into op^en water and sailed for Norway on August 13, 1896, the same day as Nan^en reached Vardo, is remembered by everyone. The curvature of the earth at the Pole is one of the most important points to bo decided by polar exploration. Al presen? the ignorance of the exact curvature lead-s to incorrect charting. A mistake in making the proper allowance in connection with this element of error at sea sometimes runs a vessel on to shoals and rocks. Fewer wrecks, then, would be one- result of successful observations at the Pole.

WHAT IS THE NORTH POLE?

The North Polo is the mathematical point which marks the northern termination of the axis of the eartK. The actual point will probably not differ from its surrounding.* in outward character. Nanpen has found that the ioe drifted freely northward wbenevei a Bouth wind blew, showing that the sea continued ai> far as the Pole, and probably beyond. No greati rounded mountain for the earth to turn upon wilL be found. The explorer will probably know only by calculation of his latitude when lie has arrived at the Pole. The latitude will have to amount to 90deg, or none, and 360deg of longitude, or none, just as one prefers to look at it. When the traveller has attained the Pole, there will ro longer be any north for him, neither will there be west or east. There is only one possible movement for him— sou&wards^ ~ "