The Frozen North: An Account of Arctic Exploration for Use in SchoolsHorton, Edith
History
The Frozen North: An Account of Arctic Exploration for Use in Schools
Horton, Edith
Arctic regions
Peary’s two trips across Greenland are classed among the most
brilliant geographical feats of recent years. His efforts extended the
exploration of the east coast of Greenland two degrees.
In 1899 Peary again visited the Arctic regions. He reached Fort Conger
in March, 1900, and the next month, with his colored servant, Matthew
Henson, and five Eskimos, started to explore the northern coast of
Greenland. He reached Cape Washington, where he erected a cairn,
and then pushing on, he rounded the northern limit of the Greenland
archipelago at latitude 83° 39ʹ north, from which point the coast
extended southward.
At this place, the most northerly known land in the world, Peary built
a cairn and inclosed records of his trip. He then changed the direction
of his course and turned northward, traveling over sea ice toward the
pole. He proceeded in this direction until he reached latitude 83° 50ʹ
north, where he found it impossible to continue the journey farther. He
therefore returned to the Greenland coast, and made explorations which
enabled him to complete a chart of the northern coast of that island.
Upon the completion of this work he returned to Fort Conger, arriving
there June 10, 1900, without accident or illness. During this trip, the
temperature ranged from 20° above to 35° below zero.
The winter of 1900 and 1901 was spent at Fort Conger, where game was
plentiful. The men passed most of their time hunting, and succeeded in
slaying nearly two hundred musk-oxen.
In the spring of 1901 Peary made a second attempt to reach the pole,
this time from the northern point of Grinnell land, using Fort Conger
as a base. But he was again obliged to turn back. Still undismayed,
Peary planned to make another dash for the pole during the spring of
1902. This expedition was also unsuccessful, and Peary returned to the
United States in the fall of 1902, without having discovered the North
Pole. But he accomplished valuable geographical work, and has added
greatly to our knowledge of Greenland and Grinnell land.
Among the important results of Peary’s work are:――
First: The rounding of the northern limit of the Greenland archipelago,
the most northerly known land in the world.
Second: The attainment of the highest latitude in the Western
Hemisphere, 83° 50ʹ north.
Third: The discovery of the character of the inland ice.
XIX. ANDRÉE’S BALLOON EXPEDITION TO THE POLE
1897
One of the most hazardous attempts to reach the pole was that made by
S. A. Andrée in his balloon. Andrée was born in Sweden in 1854, and
was carefully educated. He became a mechanical engineer, and held an
important position under the Swedish government.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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