Читать книгу Beyond Adventure - Roy Chapman Andrews - Страница 18

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Back in America, Peary had definitely decided to make the North Pole the goal of his life. In 1898, when in London to receive the Patrons' Gold Medal of the Royal Geographic Society, he announced his plans, which had already been outlined to the American Geographic Society. He wanted an especially strong ship that could push through the ice into the Arctic Ocean, where he intended to locate an advanced base. Lord Northcliffe, publisher of the Daily Mail, became interested in Peary and offered him the Windward, which was to be re-engined for the expedition.

Morris K. Jesup was not only president of the American Museum of Natural History, but of the American Geographic Society as well, and he, with other prominent men, undertook to assist in financing the expedition. But immediately difficulty was encountered from the navy. In Europe and England, the great Arctic explorers had been mostly naval men and their respective services looked upon their work with national pride. Not so the American Navy. Its officers envied Peary's continual leaves, and failed to recognize either his splendid courage or his amazing achievements in the face of incredible obstacles. Peary's request for leave to attempt to reach the Pole met with a flat refusal, in spite of letters from Mr. Jesup and other eminent men and scientific institutions. He was ordered to report to the commandant of the naval station at Mare Island, California, "for such duty as he may assign."

But fortunately, Mr. Charles A. Moore, a Republican businessman who had helped McKinley attain the Presidency of the United States, solved the difficulty by going directly to the President on Peary's behalf.

Under Mr. Jesup's stimulation, and that of Herbert L. Bridgeman, twenty-five men had pledged $100,000 during the four-year period of the expedition. But the war with Spain broke out, and only eight fulfilled their promises. In addition, the Windward could not be re-engined, due to a mechanics' strike in England. As she was, she had nowhere near enough power to buck the ice. Then, a Norwegian expedition, under the command of the veteran Arctic explorer Sverdrup, announced that it was to start at the same time from the same region with the Pole as its goal. Moreover, Sverdrup would have Nansen's famous ship, the Fram.

Since Peary's plans had been announced far in advance, this was contrary to the best traditions of exploration, and might produce all sorts of complications in the discovery and naming of new lands. Peary could not wait for the slow Windward if he were not to lose out entirely, and so went north in the Hope, which the Peary Arctic Club now provided for the purpose. The Windward followed at her own speed.

Sverdrup was unable to force the Fram into the ice-jammed Kennedy Channel, and did not attempt to reach the Pole. Nevertheless, his field of exploration overlapped and caused dispute as to priority in the discovery and naming of a large land area. Peary never forgave Sverdrup. It was the latter's endorsement of Dr. Cook which played so large a part in Cook's temporary acclaim at Copenhagen as the discoverer of the North Pole.

Peary, too, found the ice impassable, and the weak-engined Windward was imprisoned in Kane Basin, far to the south. Thus, he would have to track his supplies four hundred miles before commencing his dash for the Pole, which was another four hundred miles away across the sea ice. He landed his equipment at Cape D'Urville, and decided to transport it to Fort Conger, the base which Greely had abandoned fifteen years earlier.

While waiting for the ice to be in condition for sledging, Peary explored and mapped the unknown region to the west of Kane Basin. Here he met Sverdrup, and while the two great explorers shook hands, their greeting was cold. During this exploration, Peary demonstrated that Greely's "Schley Land" and "Hayes Sound" were nonexistent.