"MINE AT LAST."

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9621, 14 October 1909, Page 5

"MINE AT LAST."

PEARY'S JOURNEY TO THE NORTH POLE. j ACCOUNT OF THE TRIP. By United Press Association—Electric Telegraph Copyright. Received October 13, 11.30 a.m. FREMANTLE, Octooer 13. "The Times" files to hand continue ths story of Commander Peary's journey to the North Pole, taking up the narrative at 87.48deg., where the fourth supporting party, under Captain Bartlett, and consisting of two Eskimos, one sledge, and eighteen dogs, returned. Peary saysMy party might be regarded as an ideal one It consisted of experienced men, who were loyal and responsive to my will as the fingers of my right hand. Four had most intimate knowledge of dogs and sledges, and ice and cold were their heritage. Two—Henson and Ootam — had been my companions to the Farthest North three years before; the two others —Eingingwau and Siglou—had been in Clark's narrow escape, and at that time were will ing to go anywhere with my irame- : iliate party. The dogs were the pick of 133 with which I left Cape Columbia. They were powerful males, as hard as nails, in good flesh, with not a superfluous ounce. Supplies were ample for 30 days, and with the reserve—represented by the dogs themselves—we could have made them last fifty more. I "A little after midnight we hit '< | the trail. As I climbed the pressure 1 [ ridge I drew up another hole in my < belt, the third since we started. A I good pace was kept up for ten hours, i till we reached twenty-five miles beyond the 88th parallel. A few hours sleep, then on again, with the sun circling, now practically horizontal. Ten hours, and we had covered twenty miles and half the way of the j 89th parallel. "The ice was grinding audibly in every direction, but there was no j visible motion. After a march of something over twenty hours, the dogs being otten on the trot, we found ourselves twenty miles nearer the end. We rushed across a lead 100 yards wide, which buckled under the sledees, and finally broke as the last sledge left it. "The temperature was 41 deg. below zero again. We snatched a sleep, and on once more over the 89th parallel. The dogs occasionally galloped, and twenty-five miles were thrown behind. A bitter wind was blowing, burning the face till it cracked. We had a little longer sleep here, as all had need of it; then on again. The weather was thick, but gave me no uneasiness. I had taken observa< tions, which indicated our position as 89.25deg. "A dense, lifeless pall • hung overhead—black at the horizon, the ice beneath ghastly chalky white, witto no relief. The going was even better there There was scarcely any of the hard granular last summer's surface of the old floes, dotted with sapphire ic<i of the previous summer's lakes. There was also a rise in the temperature to 15 degrees below zero. The friction cn the sledges was reduced. Twelve hours, and we had travelled forty miles, and had met no sign of land during the march. I had made my fiv& marches, and was in time for hasty noon observations, which indicated our position as 89.57. "I now quote from my journal, referring to some hours later:— "The Pole at last' The prize of three centuries, my dream and goal for twenty years has been realised. IVline at last! 1 cannot bring myself to realise it." "It all seems so simple, so common place. 'Thirty hours were passed at the Pole, and were spent in observations. I sent some ten miles beyond the camp and eight miles to the right of it, taking photographs, planting flags, depositing records, and studying the horizon with my telescope for possible land, and searching for a practicable place to make a siunding.

"Ten hours after our arrival the clouds cleared before a light breeze, and until our departure after noon on the 7th, the weather was cloudless and flawiess. The minimum temperature during the twenty hours was 33 degrees below zero, and maximum 12 degrees below. "We had reached the goal, but our return was still before us. It was essential that we 'should reach land before next spring tide, and must strain every nerve. We would try double marches on the return. . . In our marches we could make ten miles, eat our lunch in the igloos, cover another march, eat and sleep, and in a few hours do it over again. As a fact, we nearly did this all the time, covering on the homeward journey five outward marches in three return marches."

A MUCH HEKALDED STATEMENT. Received October 13, 10.20 p.m. LONDON, October 13. The Peary Club has issued a much heralded statement disproving of Dr. Cook's claims. It states that Commander Peary examined Eltah Esquimos, including the boys Itookashoo and Ahpelah, and all acrt-ed that Dr. Cook only reached the first stretch of open water in the shore ice to the north of Cape Thomas Hubbard. Dr. | Cook's dash to the Pole may be de-

scribed thus:—After the other Esquiraos had turned back Dr. Cook and two boys wenS in a northerly northwesterly direction with two sledges anad twenty odd dogs. They made one more march, wbere they encoun- < tered rock ice and 5 a lead of open | water. They turned westward, and j then south-westward for a short distane. They then returned to Heibergland, and subsequently moved to a f small island visible from Cape 'j North-west, and returned to Amun- i dritngesland. The boys tofd Com- I mander Peary that they killed no game, lost no docs and returned with ! loaded sledges. Bartlett, McMillan, Borup and the negro Hansen, also sign the statement, which includes a chart drawn by the boys indicating the principal incidents of the alleged journey.