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Robert Peary Biography

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PEARY, Robert Edwin (1856-) An American Arctic explorer, discoverer of the North Pole. He was born at Cresson, Pa., May 6, 1856, graduated from Bowdoin College, Maine, in 1877, became a civil engineer in the United States navy in 1881, and in 1884-85, under government orders, was assistant engineer on the route of the proposed Nicaragua Ship Canal. In 1887-88 he was engineer in chief of the Nicaragua Canal Survey. He was married in 1888 to Josephine Diebitsch. (See PEARY, JOSEPHENE DIEBITSCH.) His first expedition to the Arctic was merely a reconnoissance in 1886 of the Greenland inland ice cap east of Disco Bay, in lat. 70° N. From this time until he sailed in 1891 on an expedition to northwest Greenland all his leisure was given to detailed studies and preparations for his participation in Arctic research. During this expedition (June, 1891-September, 1892) he made a brilliant record of achievements, not the least of which was that he reduced to a science the problems of equipment. His journey over the inland ice, from 5000 to 8000 feet above the sea, from McCormick Bay to the northeast angle of Greenland (Independence Bay, lat. 81° 37' N.), a round trip of 1300 miles (including land travel on the northeast coast), was one of the most brilliant feats of polar sledge work ever accomplished. He proved that the northern extension of the great interior ice cap ends below lat. 82° N. He also established the insularity of Greenland and ascertained the existence of detached ice-free land masses-north of the mainland and the fact that the east and west coasts rapidly converge north of the seventy-eighth parallel. His ethnological work among the Eskimos known as the Arctic Highlanders (from Cape York to Smith Sound) was the most thorough and noteworthy that had been done in that region. The auxiliary expeditions in which well-known men of science participated gave opportunity for fruitful researches as to glacial and other Arctic phenomena. In 1893-95 Peary made another voyage to the same region, completed his study of the Arctic Highlanders, made a second journey across the ice cap to Independence Bay, and discovered the Eskimos' famous meteorites near the coast of Melville Bay. These were removed to New York in Peary's summer voyages of 1896 and 1897 and in 1909 became the property of the American Museum of Natural History, New York. One of them, weighing 90 tons, is the largest known to exist. Again in 1898 the explorer started north, intending to outline the northern extension of the land masses above Greenland and to reach the North Pole if possible. His work covered four years, during which he made resurveys of a considerable extent of coast line in the neighborhood of Smith Sound, surveyed new coast lines on the west side of Grinnell Land and north of the Greenland mainland, and made a number of notable and very difficult sledge journeys along the northern channels leading to Lincoln Sea. Passing Lockwood's (q.v.) farthest, he traced the northern limit of the land masses north of Greenland to its highest point, 83° 39' N., and then followed the southerly trend of the coast for many miles towards Independence Bay on the east coast.

In the spring of 1902 Peary started over the Arctic Ocean from Cape Hecla, on the north coast of Grant Land, in an attempt to reach the North Pole. At his farthest camp in lat. 84° 17' N. the polar pack became impracticable and further efforts to advance were given up. In the summer of 1905 he led another expedition, in the ship Roosevelt (especially constructed for Arctic exploration), and in the following summer reached 87° 6′, the nearest approach to the North Pole up to that date. It was in July, 1908, that Peary turned to the last great task of his life. For 30 years he had been preparing for it. He had spent a longer period in North Greenland than any other explorer, had lived through more winters, had mapped a larger area. He had suffered severely. The amputation of part of one foot had lamed him for the rest of his life. At 52 he was older than had been other great explorers at the height of their achievement (Franklin 46, Mackenzie 42, Parry 37, McClure 47, Greely 37). Long years of exposure had had their inevitable effect, but he had the supreme advantage of experience, of skill, of courage and capacity for endurance, of enthusiastic and able assistants, and of Eskimo acquaintance and confidence. At Etah were well-equipped, trained natives who owed him everything.

On his final expedition, Peary left New York on the Roosevelt July 6, 1908. Robert A. Bartlett (q.v.) was master of the vessel, George A. Wardwell was chief engineer, Dr. J. W. Goodsell was the surgeon, and there were the following assistants: Ross G. Marvin, Donald B. MacMillan, George Borup, and Matthew A. Henson, a negro. Etah was reached August 11. A week later, having taken on 22 Eskimo and 246 dogs, and with renewed supplies of coal and fresh meat, the Roosevelt started for Cape Sheridan. Here winter quarters were established September 8, at a point a little north of that selected in 1905. Sledge work over a wide area extended geographical knowledge and in February the work of establishing a chain of depots began. As a base Peary had taken the land mass thought to be nearest the Pole. Seven members of the party on the Roosevelt (as named above), 17 Eskimo, 133 dogs, and 19 sledges (some of the improved Peary type) made up the strongest and best-organized expedition that had ever set out to attain the farthest north possible. In an unusual degree the men were familiar with and prepared for the conditions they would meet.

Upon leaving the Roosevelt behind, Peary set out for Cape Columbia and from there began the march over the ice of the Arctic Ocean, March 1. Within three days the party reached the "big lead," a strip of water of fluctuating width marking the continental shelf. This did not close up so that it could be crossed until March 11. From here (84° 29' N. Lat.) that section of the party which could best be spared returned, commanded by Dr. Goodsell. In five marches 85° 23’ was reached, and thence the second section, led by Borup, returned. The leader started on with 12 men, 10 sledges, and 80 dogs. Marvin, who was drowned on the return, went back from 86° 38', and Bartlett, with the fourth, from 87° 48'. This was the farthest north attained to that time. The commander now had with him only Henson (the negro assistant), four Eskimo, and the pick of his dogs (40 in number). The 125 miles of the final dash were covered in five days' marches of equal length, 89° 57' was reached April 6. But on this day, when actually within sight of the Pole, Peary records that he was so exhausted he could go no farther. The next day the few remaining steps were taken and observations were made—13 single or 6½ double altitudes of the sun at two different stations.

After remaining at the Pole 30 hours, the party started back. The return proved more perilous than the advance. Soundings showed that the party had traveled over ice on an ocean more than 1500 fathoms deep (the wire was exhausted at this point). Moreover, the clear weather disappeared and a north-northeast gale caused serious delay and raised the peril of opening leads. To the east Peary saw masses which he named Crocker Land. Although this land was reported nonexistent by MacMillan when later he made a search for it, Stefansson's (q.v.) observations (reported 1915) showed land beyond and tended to substantiate Peary's claim. The return to Cape Columbia was made in 16 marches and the Roosevelt reached Indian Harbor September 5. After his return to the United States, Peary was involved in a bitter controversy with Dr. Frederick A. Cook (q.v.), who claimed to have reached the Pole first by nearly a year. Various honors came to Peary. He received gold medals from various geographical societies, was promoted to rear admiral and received the thanks of Congress (1911), and in 1913 was made Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor of France. From 1901 to 1906 he served as president of the American Geographical Society and in 1904 of the Eighth International Geographical Congress. He is author of Northward over the Great Ice (2 vols., 1898); Snowland Folk (1904); Nearest the Pole (1907); The North Pole (1910).

The New International Encyclopaedia, Vol. XVIII (New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1920) 235-236.