Thirty hours were spent at the Pole taking observations and photographs. The maximum temperature was -12° and the minimum was -30° Fahrenheit. Peary put records of his journey and a piece of the American flag in a glass bottle, and wedged it in between blocks of ice and left it. As the ice is constantly shifting and changing its position, it is hard to tell where this bottle may drift. The ice at the Pole was too thick for Peary to measure the depth of the ocean. But on returning he found a place, five miles from the Pole, where the ice was thinner. He succeeded in making a hole with a pickax and dropped his sounding lead. The wire ran out to a depth of fifteen hundred fathoms (nine thousand feet) without touching bottom. Then the wire broke, and it and the lead were lost. We do not know how much deeper the Polar ocean may be. The return journey to land was made by forced marches of about twenty-nine and a half miles a day. This speed was made possible by the lighter sledge loads, and the fact that they were retracing their steps over a trail kept partially open by the other detachments. But the Eskimos said, “The devil is asleep, or we never should have come back so easily!” Peary knew that they came back easily because of favorable weather and ice conditions, and because his plans had been wise. When the party came in sight of the _Roosevelt_ again, the joy of the men cannot be described. Captain Bartlett saw them and went out to meet them. His face was sad, and Peary felt that he was to hear some bad news. Bartlett then told him of the death of Marvin by drowning while on his return march. Peary felt keenly the loss of his brave companion who had accomplished so much valuable work, and who had made himself respected and loved. All the members of the party resumed their duties, and the first was to reward the faithful Eskimos who had worked and served so well. Peary gave them hatchets, knives, shot-guns, rifles, and tools of all kinds. They were much pleased and felt as rich as millionaires. As soon as the ice permitted, the _Roosevelt_ left her winter quarters and sailed southward, stopping at Etah and Cape York, and arriving at Sydney, Cape Breton, September 21, 1909, where she received an enthusiastic welcome. On September 1, 1909, while Peary and his party were still in the north, the world was startled by a telegraphic message from a Danish steamer, saying: “We have on board the American traveler, Dr. Cook, who reached the North Pole, April 21, 1908.” The next morning the _New York Herald_ published an account of the great discovery cabled by Cook himself. It said that he had reached the Pole on the date just mentioned, and that “it was a cheerless spot, an endless field of purple snows.” Two days later Dr. Cook landed at Copenhagen and was greeted with cheers, and great honors were bestowed upon him. Two days later another telegram was received by the Associated Press of New York, which read: