Peary, << PEER ee, >> Robert Edwin (1856-1920), was an American Arctic explorer. Along with Matthew Henson, Peary is generally credited with the discovery of the North Pole in 1909.
Early life.
Peary was born in Cresson, Pennsylvania, and raised in Maine. He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1877 and joined the United States Navy as a civil engineer in 1881. In 1886, the Navy assigned Peary to survey a canal route across Nicaragua. Peary hired Henson in 1887 as an assistant for this assignment.
Arctic expeditions.
Early polar explorers had searched across the region for a Northwest Passage that would allow ships to sail between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. But in Peary’s time, explorers of several nations were competing to be the first to reach the North Pole. Each new record of “farthest north” achieved by explorers created international excitement. Peary was determined to win the race.
To reach the pole, explorers would have to overcome a number of obstacles. These difficulties included the bitterly cold temperatures, the hazards of a shifting ice pack, and impassable open channels of water called leads between drifting masses of ice. To have adequate supplies, explorers would have to haul sledges (heavy sleds) themselves or use dogs to help.
Peary began his first Arctic journey in the summer of 1886 to investigate the prospects for reaching the North Pole from northern Greenland. After only about three weeks, however, Peary was forced to turn back. In 1891, Peary led a major expedition to Greenland. The expedition included Henson; Peary’s wife, Josephine; and his future rival Frederick A. Cook. The trip lasted 13 months. During it, Peary proved that Greenland is an island.
Peary and Henson made long dog sled trips over the polar icecap on several more expeditions (1893-1895, 1898-1902, and 1905-1906). By learning from the Inuit about proper dog handling, clothing, diet, and survival techniques, Peary made himself an expert Arctic traveler.
A number of wealthy Americans established the Peary Arctic Club to support Peary’s expeditions. In 1904, the club commissioned a special ship, the Theodore Roosevelt, for his use. The Roosevelt sailed on Peary’s 1905-1906 trip, during which the explorers achieved a new record for “farthest north” at 87°6′ north latitude.
“The Pole at last.”
Peary sailed to Cape Sheridan on Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic in September 1908. He then established his supply base at Cape Columbia at the northern tip of the island. Peary’s main party left Cape Columbia on March 1, 1909. The group included 24 men, 19 sledges, and 133 dogs. They faced more than 400 miles (640 kilometers) of broken and drifting ice to reach the pole. The group was delayed several times by having to wait for leads to freeze before they could continue their journey. Several support teams assisted Peary on early stages of the journey, then returned to base after leaving food at various points for the return trip. Robert A. Bartlett led the last support party and left Peary, Henson, and four Inuit about 140 miles (225 kilometers) from the pole.
With 40 dogs and five sleds, the men left on April 2 for the final assault on the pole. On April 6, Peary calculated that he had reached the North Pole. The explorers began their return journey the next day. They reached Cape Columbia on April 23, but ice prevented the Roosevelt from sailing south until July.
Dispute with Cook.
Before Peary arrived back in the United States, he heard that Cook had claimed to have reached the pole from Greenland in 1908. Peary was outraged at Cook’s challenge and claim of success. He doubted that Cook’s experience and resources were adequate for a polar victory and quickly declared that Cook’s claim was a fraud. Peary’s supporters rallied to his cause and denounced Cook. Suspicions about Cook grew as he failed to submit adequate evidence to geographical societies. By 1910, Cook had been generally discredited, and Peary was recognized as winner of the polar race. Congress honored him with a promotion to rear admiral in 1911. After Peary died, he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full honors.
The controversy about the first journey to the North Pole continues. Over the years, a number of books have been written about Cook that portray him as the underdog of polar adventure who was wrongly treated by the public and the influential Peary Arctic Club. However, no further evidence has been found to support Cook’s claim. Meanwhile, scientists and modern polar travelers have examined Peary’s geographical evidence, and some of them have questioned his achievement. Most experts believe that Peary possibly gave himself the benefit of the doubt by claiming the pole, but that he, unlike Cook, was certainly close to it.
