On arrival at the Roosevelt, Peary learned that Professor Marvin had been drowned. Returning in command of the third supporting party, Marvin had reached within 45 miles of Cape Columbia. He had gone on ahead of his Eskimo, and had broken through young ice covering a recent lead. When the Eskimo arrived, they found Marvin’s body floating in the water some distance out from the ice.
On 18th July the Roosevelt left her winter quarters, and reached Cape Sabine on 8th August.
Peary’s final expedition brings out in a striking manner the contrast between his methods and those of the British Expedition of 1875−76. Commander Markham and Sir George Nares were emphatic in their opinion that it was utterly impracticable to reach the North Pole over the ice from the north of Grant Land. Peary’s route was considerably to the west of Markham’s, and no doubt escaped much of the crushed-up ice encountered by the British, but the fact that the full distance to the Pole was covered in thirty-seven days, on at least eight of which Peary was detained by open water, proves that the methods adopted were incomparably superior.
CHART OF NORTH POLAR REGIONS.
CHAPTER XIV
DR. COOK’S EXPEDITION (1907−9)
[Dr. Cook’s statements, both as regards Mount McKinley and his discovery of the North Pole, have been seriously called in question. The writer prefers to accept his statements until his opponents prove that they are false.
According to the latest reports, a committee of the American Explorers’ Club have examined Dr. Cook’s data regarding his ascent of Mount McKinley, and have come to the conclusion that his data do not stand the test to which they were submitted.
The Council of the Copenhagen University, to whom Dr. Cook sent certain documents for examination, have decided that from the material supplied no proof can be adduced that he reached the North Pole.