My Attainment of the Pole Part 49

[29] When Mr. Peary first returned from the North, and began his attacks upon me, he caused a demand for "proofs" through the New York _Times_ and its affiliated papers; he had them call for my instruments; he insinuated that I had had no instruments with me in the North (despite the fact that Captain Bartlett had informed him that my own Eskimos had testified that I had); he declared that any Polar claim must be established by an examination of observations and an examination of the explorer's instruments.

In view of the unwarranted newspaper call for "proofs," I was embarra.s.sed by having left my instruments with Whitney. Mr. Peary had his, however. But were they carefully examined by the august body who so eagerly decided he reached the Pole? Was the verdict of the self-appointed arbiters of the so-called National Geographic Society based upon such examination as Mr. Peary--concerning my case--had declared necessary?

Testifying before the subcommittee of the Committee on Naval Affairs, when the move was on to have Peary made a Rear-Admiral, Henry Gannett, one of the three members of the National Geographic Society, who had pa.s.sed on Peary's claim, admitted that their examination of Mr. Peary's instruments was casually and hastily made in the Pennsylvania Station at Was.h.i.+ngton. When Peary later appeared in person before the committee, he admitted having come to Was.h.i.+ngton from Portland, Maine, to consult with the members of the National Geographic Society who were to examine his proofs, and that he had brought his instruments with him in a trunk, which was left at the station. The following took place (See official Congressional Report, Private Calendar No. 733, Sixty-first Congress, Third Session, House of Representatives, Report No. 1961, pages 21 and 22):

"Mr. Roberts--How did the instruments come down?

"Captain Peary--They came in a trunk.

"Mr. Roberts--Your trunk?

"Captain Peary--Yes.

"Mr. Roberts--After you reached the station and found the trunk, what did you and the committee do regarding the instruments?

"Captain Peary--I should say that we opened the trunk there in the station.

"Mr. Roberts--That is, in the baggage-room of the station?

"Captain Peary--Yes.

"Mr. Roberts--Were the instruments all taken out?

"Captain Peary--_That I could not say. Members of the committee will probably remember better than I._

"Mr. Roberts--Well, do you not have any recollection of whether they took them out and examined them?

"Captain Peary--Some were taken out, I should say; whether all were taken out I could not say.

"Mr. Roberts--Was any test of those instruments made by any member of the committee to ascertain whether or not the instruments were inaccurate?

"Captain Peary--_That I could not say. I should imagine that it would not be possible to make tests there._

"Mr. Roberts--Were those instruments ever in the possession of the committee other than the inspection at the station?

"Captain Peary--NOT TO MY KNOWLEDGE."

NOTE.--This, then, was the basis of the glorious verdict of the packed jury which a.s.sailed me; which demanded as necessary instruments of me which had been left in the North, and which posed as a fair body of experts!

All important questions asked of Peary, t.i.ttman and Gannett were hedged, their aim being to avoid publicity. In substance, they admitted that in the "Peary Proofs," pa.s.sed upon a year before, there was no proof. They admitted that their favorable verdict was reached upon an examination of COPIES of Mr. Peary's observations, and that the examination and decision occurred at a sort of social gathering in the house of Admiral Chester, who had attacked me. Chairman Roberts, commenting on the testimony, wrote (see page 15):

"From these extracts from the testimony it will be seen that Mr.

Gannett, after his careful examination of Captain Peary's proofs and records, did not know how many days it took Captain Peary from the time he left Bartlett to reach the Pole and return to the _Roosevelt_, that information being supplied by a Mr. Grosvenor. It will be also observed that Mr. Gannett, as a result of his careful examination of Captain Peary's proofs and records, gives Captain Peary, in his final dash to the Pole, the following equipment: Two sledges, 36 or 32 dogs, 2 Eskimos, and Henson. It will be seen later from Captain Peary's testimony, that he had on that final dash 40 dogs, 5 sledges, and a total of six men in his party. This discrepancy on so vital a point must seem quite conclusive that the examination of the Geographic Society's committee was anything but careful."

APPENDIX

COPY OF THE FIELD NOTES

The following copy of the daily entries in one of my original note-books takes the expedition step by step from Svartevoeg to the Pole and back to land.

As will be seen by those here reproduced, the original notes are mostly abbreviations and suggestions, hasty tabulations and reminders, memoranda to be later elaborated. The hard environment, the scarcity of materials, and cold fingers did not encourage extensive field notes.

Most of these field notes were rewritten while in Jones Sound, and some were also copied and elaborated in Greenland.

In planning this expedition, every article of equipment and every phase of effort was made subordinate to the one great need of covering long distances. We deliberately set out for the Pole, with a desperate resolution to succeed, and although appreciating the value of detail scientific work, I realized that such work could not be undertaken in a pioneer project like ours. We therefore did not burden ourselves with c.u.mbersome instruments, nor did we allow ourselves to be side-tracked in attractive scientific pursuits. Elaborate results are not claimed, but the usual data of Arctic expeditions were gathered with fair success.

(Notes usually written at end of day's march.)

---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date. Miles OBSERVATIONS, ETC.

Covered. (Exact copy from original Field Papers) -----+-----+--------+------------------------------------------------- March 18 26 Svartevoeg. Made cache here for return.

1908. Supporting party goes back. Noon start; 4 men, 46 dogs, 4 sleds; 26 miles. Ice heavy, wavy; little snow; crystals hard; land screened by drift. Camp on old field. Night uncomfortable; air humid, penetrating.

Snowhouse of hard snow imperfectly made.

(Other notes of this date so dim that they cannot be read. _Compa.s.s directions, unless otherwise noted, are true._) 19 21 Clearer, overland thick; -56 F.; Wind 2 W.; sun feeble; blue haze. On march, ice smaller; use of axe; crossings troublesome. Camp lee of big hummock. Cannot send supply back; must follow for another day.

20 16 Land more clearly visible; sky overcast; wind W. S. W. 1; ice worse. Small igloo. The last feed men return.

21 29 Awoke, sun N. E.; orange glow; -63 F.; bar. 30.10, steady; no clouds; sky pale purple.

More snow (on ice); groaning sledges; mirages, lands, mountains, volcanoes. Air light; wind sky N.; Grant Land a mere line; -46. Torture of light snow; march 14 hours.

22 22 A. M.; wind E. 3; -59. Start 12 (noon); sky clearer; wind 2; water sky N. Grant Land visible P. M. (Later) Temp. rose to -46. Wind tolerably high; pressure lines; the big lead. Camp on old field on bank; ice noises; search for the crossing. Young, elastic ice.

23 17 Cross the big lead. Young ice elastic and dangerous; western sky again threatening; ice movement east; fields small; narrow open lanes.

Course for 85th on 97th; -40; march 11 hours; 23 miles, credit 17 miles. Ice noises; night beautiful; sun sank into pearly haze. (Later) Orange glow; pack violet and pale purple blue; sky late--partly cl. appearance of land W.

24 18 Observations 83.31--96.27; -41; bar. 29.70.

West bank of fog and haze. Start afternoon; no life; old seal hole and bear tracks; long march; ice improving. 10 h.; pedometer 21 m.; camp in coming storm; rus.h.i.+ng clouds; signs of land W. 18 m. (credited on course).

25 18 Early awakened by dogs. Storm spent soon; sunrise temp. -26, later -41; west again smoky. Back to the bags; cracking ice; the breaking and separating ice and the creva.s.se episode; in a bag and in water; ice-water and pemmican; masks of ice. Good march over newly-fractured ice; ice in motion.

26 17 Still windy; some drift snow; another storm threatening. How we need rest! Strong wind during the night. Position D. R. 84.24--96.53.

27 16 In camp until noon. Strong winds all night; eased at noon; clearing some; sun; weather unsettled. Short run; squally en route; made early camp. Bar. 29.05.

28 0 Weather still unsettled. Temp. -41; Bar. 29.15; west ugly. No progress. The drift. In camp.

Anxious about stability of igloo. The collapsed camp. Midnight; north cloudy, but ice bright; many hummocks.

29 9 Start early P. M. A little blue in the west; sun bursts; pack disturbed; hard traveling, due to fresh creva.s.ses. Camp midnight; only 9 miles.

30 10 Land, 9 A. M., cleared; land was seen; westerly clouds settled over it. Observations 84.50, 95.36; bearing of land, southern group, West by South to West by North true. Other bearings taken later place a coast line along the 102 meridian from lat. 84 20' to 85 10'. There must be much open water about the land, for banks of vapor persistently hide part. A low fog persistent; cannot see sh.o.r.e; for days we have expected to see something W., but never a clear horizon. Probably two island S. like Heiberg, 1,800 ft. high, valleys, mountains, snow N., table 1,000, thin ice sheet, bright nights.

From observation paper: Bar. 30.10, had risen from 29.50 in 2 hours; wind 2-3 mag. S.; clouds mist, East, water-bands W.; shadow (of 6 ft. pole) 39 ft.

31 10 Land screened by mist; wind W. 2-0. Ice fracture; no sign of life--none since 83.

April 1 18 (Time of traveling) 9 to 6; ice better; fields 1908. larger; creva.s.ses less troublesome; temp. -32.

There is no more darkness at night.

2 12 (Start) 9.30; (stop) 8. Smooth ice; hard snow; ice 28 ft. and 32. Night bright but cloudy.

Temp. -35; bar. 30.10; leads difficult.

3 10 8.30 to 6.30. Temp. -39; bar. 30.12; sky clearing at noon, but low clouds and frosty haze persist in the W. and N. Night bright; sun at midnight under cloud and haze.

4 14 8.45 to 6.10. Snow softer; used snowshoes; have crossed 11 creva.s.ses; much chopping; brash and small hummocks.

5 14 9 (A. M.) to 5.45 (P. M.). Snow better.

Ice larger. Oh, so tired! Snowshoes.