It was a splendid achievement. The central water-parting was found to be 125 miles from the east, and 226 from the west side, the greatest elevation measured being 8970 ft. Supposing the average land surface under the ice to rise to 2000 ft., the thickness of the ice-cap would be nearly 7000 ft. The excavating power of the glaciers is enormous, and the pressure causing the melting of the snow and the discharge of an enormous quantity of water into the sea, counteracts any increase above caused by the excessive precipitation occurring from the warm winds blowing from the sea. Nansen found the moisture to be so great as to be near saturation. Out of 40 days on the inland ice there were 16 days of snow and 4 of rain. The meteorological results were the most important outcome of the expedition, because the deductions from them apply to regions far beyond the limits of Greenland. It was a fine piece of exploring work, and the name of Nansen will for all time be coupled with the first crossing of Greenland. Peary, who, as already mentioned, had made an attempt at crossing with Maigaard in 1886, succeeded in raising funds for another expedition in 1891. His design was to traverse the inland ice from Whale Sound in the north of Baffin’s Bay, where he would find the tribe of Arctic Highlanders. Here a steamer landed him, accompanied by Mrs Peary, Dr Frederick Cook, aged 26, a hunter named Gibson, a young Norwegian aged 20 named Eivind Astrup, a meteorologist named Vershoef, and Henson, a coloured man from Virginia, aged 23. Some short sledge and boat trips were made; the house, taken out in pieces, was built; and the winter was passed in preparations for the journey over the inland ice. Peary, a man of great energy and indomitable resolution, claimed to have inaugurated a new departure in Arctic exploration. He held that only small parties can do effective work; that fur clothing is better than woollen, and indeed absolutely essential; that tents and sleeping bags are unnecessary luxuries; and finally that all traction should be by dogs, and that by killing a portion of the dogs for dogs’ food the original load will last longer. But, at all events as regards the latter, few humane Englishmen will agree with him. Dogs are invaluable for keeping open communications, and for depôt work; but they ought to be well fed, well treated, and not overworked. There is a fine passage in Captain Scott’s _Voyage of the Discovery_ on this subject:-- “To pretend that dogs can be made greatly to increase the radius of action without pain, suffering, and death, is futile, and this sordid necessity robs sledge-travelling of much of its glory. In my mind no journey ever made with dogs can approach the height of that fine conception which is realised when a party of men go forth to face hardships, dangers, and difficulties by their own unaided efforts, and by days and weeks of hard physical labour succeed in solving some problem of the great journey.”