Deseret Evening News

PEARY'S POLAR EXPEDITION.

The latest Polar expedition was that of Lieut. Robert E. Peary, which sailed on the steamer "Kite" from Brooklyn on the 6th of June last year. The novelty of the case was the presence of the lieutenant's wife, who constituted one of the party, she being the first white woman to undertake the perils and hardships of the Arctic latitudes. Besides her there were a full crew and the members of the North Greenland Exploring Expedition of the Academy of Science. These were all landed on the east shore of McCormick's bay, only some 700 miles from the Pole (it being latitude 77 deg. and 45 min.) on July 27 following. The lieutenant and his party all disembarked at this point and built themselves a house to live in, as a sort of nucleus for further movements, and the "Kite," bearing its crew and the Academy party, returned home, leaving the explorers with sixteen months provisions and seven tons of coal, besides plenty of kerosene and alcohol.

There are generally two phases to an Arctic expedition, and this one was no exception to the rule; they consist of the expedition proper, followed within a more or less limited time by a relief expedition. The latter phase of the Peary exploit is to leave Philadelphia on Saturday next on the steamship "Miranda" for St. Johns, N. F., from which point the "Kite" will sail on July 22, bound for the point where the lieutenant was left.

An item of general interest concerning the party comes from Philadelphia. In a dispatch dated the 10th, and published in the New York World of the following day. It says that a man giving the name of S. S. Brandt had reached that city from New York a day or so before, claiming to have recently arrived on the steamship "Grenada," which had just finished a trip to Greenland. Brandt said that ninety days ago the ship was ice-bound in the Arctic regions and while there smoke was discovered some distance away. The captain of the "Grenada" with one of his officers sledged to the point and upon returning said it was inhabited by Lieut. Peary and his party of explorers. All were well. Mrs. Peary had left for Denmark three months before on a whaling vessel. The naval pay officer says Brandt seemingly told a straightforward story and was thoroughly conversant with polar geography.

We suppose these "dashes for the Pole" will go on in the future as they have in the past, and, in the absence of some presently unknown agency of science or nature, or Providence, will result similarly—the objective point will not be reached and some if not all of those who undertake the task will fall by the way and be seen no more with mortal eyes.