BY REAR ADMIRAL ROBERT E. PEARY Discoverer of the North Pole FRIDTJOF NANSEN · SIR ERNEST H. SHACKLETON DUKE OF THE ABRUZZI · ROALD AMUNDSEN ROBERT E. PEARY · ROBERT FALCON SCOTT Ten years ago many, perhaps the majority, of intelligent people doubted if the Poles of the earth would ever be reached by man. From east to west, and west to east, the world seemed small. Jules Verne’s “Round the World in Eighty Days” dream of not so many years ago had been cut in two; but from north to south the world

It is nearly four hundred years (1526) since the first recorded expedition went forth to seek the North Pole under the initiative of England. Trade, the great prize of the commerce of the opulent East, land lust, and the spirit of adventure in turn played their part as incentives for the earlier expeditions. It seems to be generally accepted that nothing had a more powerful influence on the work than England’s determination to have a trade route of her own to the riches of the East, independent

Beginning with the earliest authentic expedition (1526), it is possible to touch only on the most important incidents of the record of this later phase of the subject. The time from 1526 to date may be roughly and generally divided into three periods: The first, from 1526, the time of the first North Polar expedition by England, to about 1853, the close of Great Britain’s Franklin search expeditions. In this period the preponderance of British efforts over those of all other nations combined was

The third period is from 1895 to date. In this period, while other valuable work was being done,—as Amundsen’s navigation of the Northwest Passage, Sverdrup’s extensive discoveries in the North American archipelago, Erichsen’s completion of the last gap in the north Greenland coast line,—three men, Nansen, Abruzzi, and Peary, each having for his object the attainment of the North Pole, pushed in succession far beyond the farthest of their predecessors, penetrating the inmost regions of the north

The explo­ra­tion of the Antarctic regions dates back much less far than that of the Arctic. In 1772 Captain James Cook first crossed the Antarctic Circle and penetrated the Antarctic regions. After him came the Russian Bellingshausen in 1819, who discovered the first land within the Antarctic Circle. Then came Weddell the British sealer, who in 1823 pushed his sailing ship south into the great bight southeast of Cape Horn, named after him Weddell Sea, to 74° 15´ south latitude, 241 miles beyond

After Ross came various minor expeditions contributing to the knowledge of the Antarctic regions, and in the 1890’s began a renaissance of Antarctic interest and explo­ra­tion. In 1892, 1893, 1894 Scottish, German, and Norwegian whalers reconnoitered the Antarctic seas of Ross and Weddell in search of new whaling grounds, and in 1894 the first landing was made upon the Antarctic continent by some members of Bull’s Norwegian crew; in 1895 Newmayer introduced in the sixth Geographical Congress in

The successes of Scott and Shackleton still further stimulated interest in the Antarctic problem, and in 1910 and 1911 Great Britain, Norway, Germany, Australia, and Japan sent expeditions into the field; the United States unfortunately, as in the past, being unrepresented. Four of these expeditions—the Japanese, Australian, Norwegian, and British—selected the Ross Sea region south of New Zealand and Australia for their work; while the German expedition selected the Weddell Sea region southeast

After the foregoing condensed résumé of Arctic and Antarctic explo­ra­tion and discovery, I feel sure the reader will be interested in noting some of the striking contrasts between the two Poles and their surroundings. These contrasts are as great as the Poles are far apart. The North Pole is situated in an ocean of some fifteen hundred miles’ diameter, surrounded by land. The South Pole is situated in a continent of some twenty-five hundred miles’ diameter, surrounded by water. At the North Pol

The efforts and successes of the last fifteen years in the Antarctic regions ought to, and I hope will, spur us as individuals, as societies, and as a nation to do all in our power to enable the United States to take its proper part and share in the great work yet to be done in that field. There are three ways in which this country could make up for its past lethargy in regard to Antarctic work, and take front rank at once in this attractive field. One is to establish a station at the South Pole

This week’s issue of The Mentor and that of last week are so distinguished in authority that we ask special attention to them. An interesting article on the Conquest of the Poles could have been prepared by any good writer. The Mentor article was written by the supreme authority on the subject, Rear Admiral Robert E. Peary. The article on “Famous American Sculptors,” published last week, was written by Mr. Lorado Taft, one of the best-known sculptors in America. When Mr. Taft writes about Barnar

Finally the west coast of Greenland was reached, on September 29, 1888, and the supposedly impossible had been accomplished. Fridtjof Nansen was born near Christiania in Norway on October 10, 1861. His first Arctic voyage was made in 1882 in a sealing vessel. After he had successfully crossed Greenland he was appointed curator of the Museum of Comparative Anatomy in Christiania University. It was in 1893 that he made his thrilling attempt to reach the North Pole. He had a ship built, the Fram, e

But to settle down as a mere prince or duke would never have satisfied one of Luigi’s adventurous character. He wanted to do big things and accomplish dangerous deeds. His first exploit was the ascent of Mt. St. Elias in Alaska. Until he accomplished this in 1897 the great peak had never been scaled. It was in 1900 that he led an expedition to the Arctic region which broke Nansen’s “farthest north” record. Unfortunately the duke himself was severely frostbitten and could not leave the ship; but

It was in 1885, on his return from Nicaragua, that the idea of Arctic explo­ra­tion first came to him. He managed to secure leave of absence, and sailed in May, 1886. On this voyage he penetrated over a hundred miles into the interior of Greenland. Six years later he proved that Greenland was an island by crossing it and reaching its northern end. After that he continued his explo­ra­tions, in 1906 reaching 87° 6´, the “farthest north” anyone had yet gone, and in 1909 he reached the Pole. Here i

Shackleton’s dash for the South Pole is a record of hardships bravely borne and difficulties overcome. He and three others started from Cape Boyd on October 29, 1908. By November 30 they had been forced to shoot three of the ponies. Two days later an enormous glacier, 120 miles long and 40 miles wide, was discovered. Another pony was lost through a crevasse in the ice on December 7, and from then on each man had to haul 250 pounds. Finally, on January 4, 1909, they decided to push on with only o

It was on March 8, 1912, that the entire world was electrified by the cablegram from Hobart, Tasmania, announcing the fact that, sometime between December 14 and 17, 1911, Captain Roald Amundsen had reached the South Pole. With four men and eighteen dogs from his ship, the Fram, Captain Amundsen crossed the great ice barrier and reached the southernmost point of the world in fifty-five days. According to the most accurate indication of his instruments, he was at the South Pole at three o’clock o

This slowed up the others, and fuel and food began to run low. Finally, on March 17, Oates became too sick to go on in the face of a raging blizzard. Although he begged them to push on and leave him, the other three bravely refused, when they knew that to remain was death to all. And then Oates coolly did that which will place his name high among the heroes of all time. Deliberately he walked away from camp in the swirling snow to death. His body was never found; but this inscription was erected