History of Cresson, (Cambria County) Pennsylvania United States of America

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Robert Edwin Peary, explorer, was born in Cresson, Pa., May 6, 1856; son of Charles and Mary (Willey) Peary. His ancestors were Maine lumbermen. His father died in 1858, and he removed with his mother to Portland, Maine, where he prepared for college. He was graduated from Bowdoin in 1877, second in a class of fifty-one; was a land surveyor in Fryeburg, Maine, 1877-79, and was employed in the U.S. coast and geodetic survey, Washington, D.C., 1879-81. In 1881 he passed the navy department examination for the admission of civil engineers, and in the same year planned and built a new pier at Key West, Fla., at nearly $30,000 less than the previous estimate, though the contractors had given it up as impossible at the estimated cost. He was in Nicaragua as sub-chief of the Inter-Oceanic canal survey, 1884-85, and after his return conceived the idea of making an arctic exploring expedition. In May, 1886, having obtained a six months' leave of absence from the navy department, be started for Greenland, penetrating farther into the interior than any white man had ever gone before. After his return he was engineer-in-chief of the surveys of the Nicaragua canal, 1886-88, and in 1888 was sent to superintend the building of the new dry dock at the League Island navy yard, Philadelphia in the same year he was married to Josephine Diebitsch. Meanwhile he was devoting all his leisure to plans for future explorations, and in June, 1891, having obtained eighteen months' leave of absence from the navy he started to discover the northern limits of Greenland and perhaps to reach the pole. He was accompanied by Mrs. Peary and a small party. In the spring of 1892 he started north with a single companion. In forty days they covered 600 miles, and on July 4 reached the rocky northern shore of Greenland which no man had ever seen before. Peary named the hill on which the American flag was set up, "Navy Cliff"; the bay he called "Independence Bay" in honor of the day, and the land visible across the bay "MelvilIe and Heilprin" lands. Returning, he reached McCormick Bay in August and thence the party sailed to New York. He was received with enthusiasm, was awarded several medals from learned societies, and the name Pearyland was suggested by Pettermann's Mitteilungen and adopted for North Greenland. He at once planned another expedition, and securing a three years' leave of absence, started on a lecturing tour to secure funds. He spoke 168 times in 96 days, and thus earned $13,000, meanwhile dictating matter for his book. He also obtained contributions from scientific societies, $2000 from a New York newspaper for letters, and a considerable sum from a book written by Mrs. Peary. After the Falcon had been chartered and the equipment provided, the funds were exhausted, and the deficiency was supplied by exhibiting the ship at various large cities. The expedition sailed in June, 1893, Mrs. Peary accompanying her husband. A daughter, Marie, was born in Greenland in this year, and Mrs. Peary returned on the first relief ship, together with all the party, save Lieutenant Peary and two men. In April, 1895, they started to cross the ice-cap and after fearful hardships reached a latitude of 81? 47', ten miles farther north than Peary had gone before, when they were forced to turn back for lack of provisions. In 1896 and 1897 he made two voyages, discovering and bringing back the Cape York meteorites, the largest in the world, one of which weighed forty tons. In 1898 he lectured before the London Geographical society, and was the recipient of numerous honors. A four years' leave of absence from the navy was secured in 1897; the Peary Arctic club was formed, and in 1899 he started well equipped on his fifth expedition, which he stated would be his last. He arrived at Brigus, Newfoundland, Sept. 10, 1899, and spent the winter among the Eskimos at Etah, Greenland. During the first winter out, while on the march to Fort Conger, both his feet were frost-bitten, necessitating the amputation of seven toes. In 1900 be rounded the northern limit of the Greenland archipelago, the most northerly known land in the world; attained the highest latitude reached in the western hemisphere, 80? 50' N., and determined the origin of the so-called paleocrystic ice (floeberg). He made an unsuccessful attempt to reach the pole in the spring of 1901; encamped at Cape Sabine in the winter of 1901-02, living among the Eskimos, whose customs he had thoroughly mastered, and having established ample caches of provisions along the route, was preparing to start for the pole in March, 1902, by way of Smith Sound and Kennedy and Robeson channels to Cape Hecla, planning to make his "dash" from that point, about 500 miles south of the pole. After continuing his travels 150 miles he found insuperable natural obstacles preventing further progress and the attempt was abandoned when he was within 350 miles of the north pole. He found Greeley's outfit and reached 84? 17' north latitude, the highest yet attained by any American. In the fall of 1902 he met the Windward at Cape Sabine and arrived in Portland, Me., Sept. 23, 1902. Lieutenant Peary attributed his failure to reach the pole to the fact that his ship was unequal to the requirements, and to his lack of sufficient money and time. In May, 1902, the Geographical Society of Philadelphia awarded the Kane gold medal to Lieutenant Peary.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

History of Cresson, (Cambria County) Pennsylvania

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