The Siege and Conquest of the North Pole

The storm confined Peary and Henson to the tent six weary days. Peary’s thoughts during this time were far from pleasant. He saw that this terrible storm was destroying the last chance of finding his caches, and this meant not only the destruction of all the work of that year, but also of the resources on which depended his chance of success next year.

When the storm passed over, a diligent search was made for the cache, but no trace of it could be found. Peary had to acknowledge the terrible fact that all his alcohol and pemmican, which with other provisions weighed nearly a ton and a half, were buried beneath the ice-cap.

The blow was a severe one, but with his characteristic tenacity of purpose Peary determined that venison and walrus-meat must take the place of pemmican, and that coal-oil must serve instead of alcohol. The idea of abandoning the journey, even after this overwhelming disaster, he could not entertain.

During December, Peary and Lee made a sledge-journey to Cape York. One of the main objects was to determine accurately the positions of some of the capes, but the weather was unfavourable most of the time. During the last stage of the return journey Peary was without food or sleep forty-six hours, and travelled 60 miles.

Several other journeys were made during the winter, for dog-food and various articles of equipment. Every effort was made to be prepared for the ice-cap journey, but when the time came to depart Peary was far from satisfied with his resources.

On 1st April 1895, Peary, Henson, and Lee, with six Eskimo, six sledges, and sixty dogs, left the Lodge. On one of the sledges, drawn by thirteen picked dogs, were the supplies for the return trip, and also those for consumption at and beyond Independence Bay. It had also the tent and sleeping and cooking-gear, the total weight being about 1000 lb. Another sledge drawn by ten dogs held about 750 lb. of dog-food.

On the second day’s march the vicinity of one of the caches was reached, and another determined attempt was made to find it, but in vain.

When the neighbourhood of the next cache was reached, a stop was made, and the Eskimo were sent out to make a search. In a short time a bag was found attached to a pole projecting only 3 inches above the surface. Peary had stopped within 100 yards of it. This cache contained ten cases of biscuit and a case and a half of milk, and was very acceptable. During the search, one of the Eskimo took the opportunity to decamp with his sledge and dogs.

During the next three days, journeys of 22, 28, and 30 miles were made, and carried the party well into the snow-shed of the Humboldt Glacier. They had now arrived near the pemmican cache, and a twenty-four hours’ search was made for it, but it ended in failure. Peary and Henson had their noses frozen, and Lee and Peary each had a frost-bitten toe. Peary had hoped against hope that this cache would be found, although he had made up the rations of the journey without reference to it.

From this point the Eskimo returned along the tracks made by the sledges. Never before had any of their tribe penetrated the heart of the ice-cap.

Peary now took the lead with a sledge drawn by twelve dogs, and set the course by means of a boat-compass lashed on the top of the load. Henson followed next with a sledge and trailer drawn by sixteen dogs; and Lee brought up the rear with a long sledge and trailer drawn by fourteen dogs.

When near the Petermann Fiord Basin, a storm delayed them forty-eight hours. At this camp two dogs were fed to the others. During the next week the long sledge was abandoned, and the loads rearranged.

An average elevation of 7670 feet had now been attained, and breathing was much more rapid on increased exertion. Henson and Lee frequently bled at the nose. The maximum elevation was found to be 7865 feet.

At the 400th mile one of the runners of Henson’s sledge broke, and the greater portion of a day was spent in repairing the sledge with a runner from one of the trailers. This new runner, however, only did duty for 12 miles, when it broke beyond repair. The sledge was now converted into a three-runner one. On this day the last of the walrus-meat was fed to the seventeen remaining dogs. It was now a case of dog eat dog, and in a few days only eleven were left.

Peary saw that the land must be reached with all speed. He therefore dismantled the three-runner sledge and cached everything except a week’s supplies. They were now on the downward grade, and on the second day they sighted land.

They were now over 500 miles from the Lodge in a direct line, and three of the eleven dogs were thoroughly exhausted. Peary decided to leave Lee here with the dogs, and push on with Henson in search of musk-oxen.

Peary and Henson started out from an elevation of 4800 feet above sea-level. Four miles from the tent many huge crevasses were passed. Peary recognised the group as one he had seen in 1892. Some miles beyond these large crevasses a great number of small ones were met, into which both Peary and Henson frequently fell, but were always able to save themselves.

At the junction of the ice-cap with the land was a vertical wall of ice impracticable of descent. Finally a glacier was found over which they had to pick their way among crevasses.

The land consisted of bare jagged rocks which cut their boots and bruised their feet. Leaving the sledge behind, they wandered about the greater part of a day in a drizzling snowstorm in search of a practicable route, but failed to find one, or to see any game. Next day they returned to the tent on the ice-cap.

A serious condition of affairs now stared them in the face, but after very little discussion all agreed to stake everything on finding musk-oxen. They therefore started back for the cache, and when it was reached Peary and Henson were quite used up.

One sledge and scant rations for themselves on the return journey were left at this camp, and everything else was taken on towards the north.

When a point about 15 miles from the edge of the ice-cap was reached, Peary found that they were approaching the land on a course about 5 miles east of the one on which he had descended to it in 1892. He was here able to look over the eastern edge of the Academy Glacier basin, and make out the summits of the east-coast land considerably farther to the south than in 1892. Away due north a magnificent mountain was seen which was not observed in 1892.

A large cone of detritus passed in 1892 was reached just in time to take shelter from a storm which held them prisoners two days.

Peary here decided to leave Lee in the tent to give a frozen toe a chance to recover, and to take Henson and all the dogs with him in an attempt to find musk-oxen.

After travelling some miles, the sledge was stopped by a shallow cañon when abreast of Musk-ox Valley. Here Peary left the sledge and dogs and examined the valley, but could find no trace of musk-oxen. After making an attempt to pass down the cañon, and failing, they climbed out of it and made across country. A few miles beyond the valley, Peary shot a hare. Previous to this they were having recourse to the dog-food, but they now cooked and ate the entire hare. It was the first full meal they had had in thirty-five days.

Next morning they started for a valley between Musk-ox Valley and Navy Cliff. At the entrance of this valley traces of musk-oxen were found, and ultimately they were tracked to near the crest of some mountains. When about 200 yards from the oxen, Peary and Henson lay down behind a large boulder to regain their breath. It was almost a matter of life or death with them, and they quivered with excitement. At last they made a rush for the oxen, and fortunately, instead of running away, the oxen formed in line with lowered heads. In a few minutes several were shot, and the remainder took to flight. So hungry were the men that as they skinned the animals they ate the meat raw and thought it delicious.

After resting, they took up the trail of the remaining oxen. Having followed them for twenty hours, Peary’s chagrin may be imagined when the oxen were ultimately found near the camp he had left. Being now thoroughly tired, they decided to take a few hours’ sleep before attacking them, but when they awoke the oxen had gone. The trail was again taken up, but after a chase of several miles a snowstorm came on, and completely obliterated all tracks.

They now returned to the sledge, and using the musk-oxen skins, they formed a kind of tent into which they crawled, and were soon asleep.

Next day, Henson was sent back with the sledge and a load of meat to the moraine where Lee was. On the way there he came across the musk-oxen, but the dogs gave chase and thoroughly frightened them.

About the fourth day, Henson and Lee joined Peary, and an attempt was now made to reach the sea. Several days were spent in incessant climbing, scrambling, and jumping over rocks, but at the end of it they found themselves still some 3000 feet above sea-level. To reach the bay ice it would be necessary to carry supplies on their backs for some distance over rocks, then down a precipitous shore, across a glacier’s lateral cañon, and then over several miles of crevasse-riven glacier.

Peary now found himself compelled to retrace his steps. A sharp look-out was kept for fresh traces of musk-oxen, but no signs were discovered.

To reach the moraine was a hard struggle, but they were able to leave it on the 1st of June to begin the homeward journey over the ice-cap. On the second day they were fortunate in finding the cache without much trouble.

Peary had now nine dogs and fourteen days’ rations for them. For himself and his two companions he had thirty days’ half-rations of tea, biscuit, and oil, and several days’ rations of frozen venison.

On the 3rd June the distance travelled was 25¼ miles, but all the party had trouble with their feet and legs as a result of the severe work among the rocks. On the 6th June, Lee was ill and quite used-up, but by means of a line from the sledge to support himself by, he managed to struggle along. On the 7th two dogs were quite exhausted, and were fed to the other seven. On the 8th the larger of the two sledges was abandoned. On the 9th, after 4 miles’ travelling, they were obliged to camp on account of Lee. After fifteen hours’ rest and an extra supply of milk, Lee was able to travel 20 miles during the following march. Another dog fell exhausted on the 11th, and another on the 12th, leaving five. On the 13th the five had been reduced to four, and on the 16th only three were left. On the latter date the last of the dog-food was consumed. On the 21st June the remainder of the venison was given to the two remaining dogs, and on the 22nd one of the two dogs died. On the 23rd the summits of the land appeared. The remaining dog was now given a pair of seal-skin boots and several yards of raw-hide line. Peary and his companions had four biscuits remaining for supper and breakfast. The Lodge was reached on the 24th June, and found to be intact.

The only dog to reach the Lodge was Panikpah, and it was fed by Peary before he ate anything himself. The memory of the famine-days on the ice-cap remained with the dog long after, and he might be seen at all times hiding away every bit of meat or blubber, and every bone he could find about the place. These noble dogs saved the lives of the party.

The journey of 500 miles across the ice-cap, from moraine to moraine, was made in twenty-five marches of an average of 20 miles. The weather on the whole was exceptionally good, or it would have been impossible to cover the distance in so short a time.

Early in the morning of the 3rd August the Kite arrived to take them home. On the way south two of the Cape York meteorites were successfully removed and shipped.

Peary made a summer voyage in 1896 for the purpose of obtaining the third and largest of the meteorites. Before, however, it could be got on board, the ship had to leave, in order to avoid being crushed by the ice.

Still determined to obtain the meteorite, Peary made another voyage in the summer of 1897, and was successful in shipping the meteorite and taking it to the United States. This meteorite is the largest known, and its estimated weight is between 90 and 100 tons.

On 12th January 1897, Peary announced his plan for reaching the North Pole. A sufficient sum was to be raised to continue the work of exploration for five years, if necessary. A ship was to be taken north through Robeson Channel to the highest latitude possible along the Greenland coast. Stores were then to be landed and advanced in stages until the northern terminus of the North Greenland Archipelago was reached, and from this point a dash to the Pole would be made. Should the ship be unsuccessful in the passage of Robeson Channel, the party was to land at Hayes Sound and devote the first year to explorations of that unknown region.

In the spring of 1897, Morris K. Jesup suggested the formation of the “Peary Arctic Club,” which raised funds for the expedition. At the end of 1897, Alfred Harmsworth offered the Windward to Peary, who accepted it. As it could steam only at the rate of 3½ knots at most, Harmsworth offered to have the Windward re-engined, but unfortunately this could not be done owing to an engineers’ strike. In consequence of this, Peary had also to charter the Hope as an auxiliary ship.

The Windward left New York on 4th July 1898, but Peary sailed from Sydney, C.B., in the Hope on the 7th. As soon as the Whale Sound region was reached, Eskimo were engaged, and the work of hunting walrus for dog-food was prosecuted by both ships.

At Etah, on 13th August, the two ships separated, the Hope bound for home, and the Windward for the north. After a good deal of trouble with the ice, the Windward reached Cape D’Urville, near Cape Hawks, on the 18th, but was here stopped by a large floe, and before the ship could get farther it was frozen in.

As soon as Peary saw that preparations for winter would require to be made, he landed a year’s supplies at the cape. He then took steps to secure fresh meat, and in a short time a considerable number of musk-oxen were obtained. He also began to survey the region near Hayes Sound. He discovered that Bache “Island” is a peninsula, and that “Hayes Sound” does not exist.

Peary now decided to utilise the winter moons in pushing supplies north as far as Fort Conger, where he purposed to take his party in February. From Fort Conger he intended to make an attempt on the Pole in the spring.

Now commenced a series of desperate sledge-journeys. Snow igloos were formed at several of the capes. At the end of October, Peary advanced some supplies as far as Cape Frazer. At the end of the November moon about 30 cwt. of supplies had been sledged as far as Cape Wilkes, on the north side of Richardson Bay. The mean daily minimum temperature was more than 40° below zero, and on four successive days it was 50° below zero.

In the first light of the December moon, Peary with Henson and the doctor and four Eskimo left the ship with the intention of reaching Fort Conger. On the 28th all the supplies had reached Cape Lawrence on the north side of Rawlings Bay. Next day Peary started from Cape Lawrence with light sledges for Fort Conger. On the way the cold was so intense that it was too much for one of the Eskimo, who had to be left in a burrow in a snow-drift with a companion to look after him. Before Fort Conger was reached the moon had departed, and Peary had to grope and stumble in complete darkness across Lady Franklin Bay. On the 6th January 1899 the party passed through the doorway of Fort Conger. Biscuit from the table where it had lain fifteen years formed a lunch. On reaching Fort Conger, Peary had a suspicious “wooden” feeling in his feet, and on having them examined it was found that both were frost-bitten. He ultimately lost eight of his toes.

The party remained at Fort Conger until the 18th February, when a start was made for the Windward, which was reached in eleven days. The mean minimum daily temperature during this period was the astonishing one of −56.18°F., and on the day the Windward was reached the temperature went down to −65° F.

During April the supplies left at Cape Lawrence were moved to Fort Conger. On 19th April, Peary again left for Fort Conger, although he could not move without crutches, and Discovery Harbour was reached on the 28th. Early in May he attempted to make a reconnaissance of the Greenland north-west coast, but found Robeson Channel impracticable.

On the 23rd May, Peary and his party started for the ship, and covered the 250 miles in six days.

In July, Peary crossed Ellesmere Land to the west coast. Soon after his return from this trip, the Windward was able to make its way to Etah, where Peary communicated with a relief expedition in charge of Bridgman. At the end of August both the Windward and the relief ship were sent home, and Peary and his party were left at Etah, where the winter was passed.

On the 19th February 1900, Peary sent off a division of seven sledges to Fort Conger; on the 26th February six other sledges left; and on the 4th March he followed with nine sledges. He reached Fort Conger on 28th March, and learned that the advance parties had killed twenty-one musk-oxen close to Conger.

At Fort Conger, Peary decided to make a sledge-journey along the north coast of Greenland. He left on the 11th April with seven sledges, and followed very much the same route taken by Lockwood, but did not go overland. The northern part of Cape Britannia Island was reached on the 4th May. From here he sent back the last of the supporting party, and pushed on north with Henson and one Eskimo. Lockwood Island was reached on the 8th May, and from the cairn erected by Lockwood, Peary took the record, which had been perfectly preserved. From here one march carried the party to Cape Washington, the farthest point seen by Lockwood. On rounding this cape, Peary saw another headland still farther north. Near this cape were very large glaciers which Peary believes are the birthplaces of the “floebergs.” Still farther north another cape was found, to which Peary gave the name “Cape Morris Jesup.” This was the most northern point of the Greenland Archipelago. From this point Peary started over the ice-pack towards the north, but found the ice impracticable. He reached 83° 50′, and returned. He then travelled eastward along the coast, which soon began to trend to the south-east. In the same latitude as Cape Washington was found a magnificent cape, which Peary named “Cape Bridgman.” Two marches beyond this cape brought Peary to a point from which he recognised a mountain he had seen from the ice-cap south of Independence Bay. The weather was now very foggy, and Peary was compelled to stop at what he believed was an island in the mouth of a large fiord. To this island he gave the name “Clarence Wyckoff Island.” He had now reached the 83rd degree on the east coast. After waiting two nights and a day for the fog to lift, he found it necessary to start on the return journey. He left records at this camp, and also at Cape Morris Jesup and Cape Washington. Quite a large number of musk-oxen were seen along this most northern land.

The return journey was begun on the 22nd May, and Cape Morris Jesup was passed on the 26th. They reached Fort Conger on 10th June.

The most northern point of the land to the north of Greenland had now been determined, and Peary arrived at the conclusion that it was not a favourable one from which to reach the Pole. The ice was very much broken, and there was a comparatively rapid motion towards the East Greenland current.

Peary now decided to winter at Fort Conger and make another attempt on the Pole, starting from Cape Hecla, on the north coast of Grant Land. During the autumn no fewer than 101 musk-oxen were killed.

On the 5th April 1901, Peary left Fort Conger with Henson, one Eskimo, two sledges, and twelve dogs for his northern trip. A few days after starting, he found that the condition of the party and of the dogs was such that he could not hope for success, and he therefore returned to Fort Conger.

On 17th April he started for the south with his entire party, and found the Windward at Payer Harbour on 6th May. He soon commenced to form new caches along the coast towards Conger; and in July no fewer than 128 walruses were killed for dog-food.

The winter of 1901−2 was passed at Payer Harbour, where six of the Eskimo died. On the 3rd March 1902, Henson was sent north in charge of six sledges, and on 6th March, Peary followed with seventeen sledges. The temperature was from 43° to 49° F. below zero. The distance of 300 miles to Fort Conger was covered in twelve marches.

On the 24th March 1902, Peary started north from Fort Conger with nine sledges for Cape Hecla. Finding deep snow near Cape Joseph Henry, Peary preferred to take the ice-foot route round it rather than cross Feilden Peninsula. At the very extremity of the cape the sledges had to be passed along a shelf of ice 3 feet in width and 75 feet above the sea.

On 6th April, Peary, Henson, and four Eskimo left Crozier Island, and when opposite Cape Hecla turned north over the polar pack. Now began a desperate struggle over rough ice. The route was a continual zigzag, and the pickaxe had to be used constantly. In deep snow the dogs floundered and were almost useless, and a sledge had now and again to be dug out of a hole among snow.

On the 12th April they were storm-bound by a gale from the west which caused leads to form. Under great difficulties the journey was continued till the 21st April. On this date the latitude was 84° 17′ 27″. The ice was still very rough, and the snow so deep that it was almost impracticable. The entire pack seemed to be in slow motion towards the east. Peary here decided to return. He hurried his departure in order to utilise as much of his outward tracks as possible. He found, however, that the movement of the ice had faulted the trail in various places, and it was only with great difficulty that it could be followed. Crozier Island was again reached on 29th April, and Fort Conger on 3rd May.

Fort Conger was left on 6th May, and Payer Harbour was reached on the 17th. The Windward arrived on the 5th August, and conveyed Peary and his party to America.

The year 1905 saw Peary again on his way to the north. His expedition sailed from New York on 12th July 1905 on board the Roosevelt. Etah was left on 16th August, and after various encounters with the ice the Roosevelt succeeded in reaching Cape Sheridan on 5th September. The vessel here suffered severe pressure, which did considerable damage. It was not floated again until the following summer, and this position perforce became headquarters. The winter proved much milder than that which the Alert experienced in the same region.

During October many of the dogs died, and it was found that the cause of the trouble was cured whale-meat, several tons of which had to be thrown away. To make good this loss, many musk-oxen were obtained in the Lake Hazen district and along the slopes of the United States Range.

At the end of February 1906, Peary started on a sledge-journey with the object of reaching the Pole. In three marches he reached Cape Hecla, where his whole party assembled. From here he advanced over the pack-ice with one main and several supporting parties. Open leads and rough ice made progress slow, and a considerable portion of the track had to be cut with pickaxes. At latitude 84° 38′ a broad lead extending east and west as far as it could be seen completely barred the way. After a delay of six days, Peary’s party managed to cross on young ice which bent beneath their weight. Three days later a gale began to blow, and lasted six days. The ice was broken up, and Peary and Henson were driven 70 miles to the eastward on a large floe. Peary could now receive no aid from his supporting parties, and he decided to make a dash northwards. His party now numbered eight. Everything was abandoned that was not absolutely necessary, and every energy was bent on establishing a record. The character of the ice was now much better than farther south, but cracks and narrow leads increased. By forced marches Peary reached 87° 6′ on 21st April. By this time his sledges were nearly empty, and the ice was still in motion towards the east. He was therefore compelled to start on the return journey.