A Negro Explorer at the North Pole

Matthew A. Henson, Booker T. Washington, Robert E. (Robert Edwin) Peary

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• Publié par: awlyo
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 11
• Langue: English

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Title: A Negro Explorer at the North Pole Author: Matthew A. Henson Commentator: Robert E. Peary  Booker T. Washington Release Date: March 28, 2007 [EBook #20923] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A NEGRO EXPLORER AT THE NORTH POLE ***

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A NEGRO EXPLORER AT THE NORTH POLE

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MATTHEW A. HENSON

A

NEGRO EXPLORER

AT THE

NORTH POLE

BY

MATTHEW A. HENSON

WITH A FOREWORD BY ROBERT E. PEARY REAR ADMIRAL, U. S. N., RETIRED

AND AN INTRODUCTION BY BOOKER T. WASHINGTON

[iii]

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS FROM PHOTOGRAPHS 

NEW YORK FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY PUBLISHERS

Copyright, 1912, by F REDERICK A. S TOKES C OMPANY

All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign languages, including the Scandinavian

FOREWORD Friends of Arctic exploration and discovery, with whom I have come in contact, and many whom I know only by letter, have been greatly interested in the fact of a colored man being an effective member of a serious Arctic expedition, and going north, not once, but numerous times during a period of over twenty years, in a way that showed that he not only could and did endure all the stress of Arctic conditions and work, but that he evidently found pleasure in the work. The example and experience of Matthew Henson, who has been a member of each and of all my Arctic expeditions, since '91 (my trip in 1886 was taken before I knew Henson) is only another one of the multiplying illustrations of the fact that race, or color, or bringing-up, or environment, count nothing against a determined heart, if it is backed and aided by intelligence. Henson proved his fitness by long and thorough apprenticeship, and his participation in the final victory which planted the Stars and Stripes at the North Pole, and won for this country the international prize of nearly four centuries, is a distinct credit and feather in the cap of his race. As I wired Charles W. Anderson, collector of internal revenue, and chairman of the dinner which was given to Henson in New York, in October, 1909, on the occasion of the resentation to him of a old watch and chain b his admirers:

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il, 1909, when tilna tad yniA rp ha tbit ertt ilbr per eserdetnnO . sianaucahiop, Et oNtrht eel C , hoPlo fesipt  aedatsratS ehrtS dna  aetr,hi   xfot eh the ape side atdis yb es nadooton Mligon,iand a sorue pxro,kdrw m ha frotingesulr pihsnoinapmoc usioonrmhae thn  if l,reb ro b niinrand ail wpol  :I" stia d fiefrence in physica citamilcitidnoc emths on?"eslvse o  rew,reh id sit  encefferthe  in  e thnafiatthn  io tsht foc leuqn is an iAgain itgnf ca ttnreseit lsuaidivnd ineloerew secar tub , the c  of rizee "p toa ",n irseneut

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CHAPTER II W   THE O THER E XPLORERS L OOKED —T HE L AMB -L IKE E O FF QS   O R U O M F I   S HT — E P  A L RR O IV E A — L   A H T   O E TAH 15

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Washington, Dec., 1911.

PAGE v xv

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER I T HE E ARLY Y EARS : S CHOOLBOY , C ABIN -B OY , S EAMAN , AND L IEUTENANT P EARY ' S B ODY -S ERVANT —F IRST T RIPS   TO   THE A RCTIC 1

  F OREWORD I NTRODUCTION

gnre ,e ad d a ,naon ocommt. R. bjec RAE P .E . Y o  fbireehf dnt e mau arh yowhicaerg ruoy dlrow  atylibitaapadt  vere yniutero  ft man amtelligenda s dedH .ed ah ealorta s tto mhe               ocgn"    IaletarutHenson. He has direv h n mo eott eh ou ynd aou yrar u ec nopttaM weh ves esery ateveret driceeHd ta . m.hi owsh reeg r I  noitnet nac uoy ese qualities wiuognm net ah tht ecbjtht  aey dre w ll hw ni vetao re b d  e ohlueHs ec .uran end andnce, y ruoy ot elpmax engtiasrlve ean aenrder ehh ra-d  His is t ong you. srepetsilayo ,ytri t ledarewofd  ydaerla  nekops seitr fo fnd alfmi .roh obkoiH sl sp wilfor i eak  alne egrH noosneinn hi tins odtrcuitno .iH sowkr in the north has yoo  ttsenimplomeug delbmessa ru d bewoul " It  sts. t  oousurelfs pu ist mp itht  iat roft emisso elbsent at o be preen.rM  c yoyrud ni  cd,mali ate endrts  ssef foigirand the fiercestac,lt meeparet , sto  tty piro d t anh ,sraeyiliba siven  prough thrortpoht eh saci,snos  fo neH . ,nos  nbeedotk ory mahth siw  ceitno iw  in connemselvesht tneserp hcihws ntoi pngtieseri tnt eh ofo twt m. Ye d hif antsel q eutsoi nrpsenets itself at once e fo nevet arepme atimcle.athe T evyrmu b lk yuqcihe vto ties agar fo srogio rieht mali cwnccsu, terdy as th and haott ehr eh yra e thf hie anit ots,htr guot sehgon tknowell is w it hnbaehi tat  nhton lehi we,urosxp ,dnah rehto eht 

CHAPTER III F INDING   OF R UDOLPH F RANKE —W HITNEY L ANDED —T RADING   AND C OALING —F IGHTING   THE I CE - PACKS

CHAPTER IV P REPARING   FOR W INTER   AT C APE S HERIDAN —T HE A RCTIC L IBRARY

CHAPTER V M AKING P EARY S LEDGES —H UNTING   IN   THE A RCTIC N IGHT — THE E XCITABLE D OGS AND T HEIR H ABITS

CHAPTER VI T HE P EARY P LAN — A R AIN   OF R OCKS —M Y F RIENDS , THE E SQUIMOS

CHAPTER VII S LEDGING   TO C APE C OLUMBIA —H OT S OLDERING   IN C OLD W EATHER

CHAPTER VIII I N C AMP   AT C OLUMBIA —L ITERARY I GLOOS —T HE M AGNIFICENT D ESOLATION   OF   THE A RCTIC

CHAPTER IX R EADY   FOR   THE D ASH   TO   THE P OLE —T HE C OMMANDER ' S A RRIVAL

CHAPTER X F ORWARD ! M ARCH !

CHAPTER XI F IGHTING   UP   THE P OLAR S EA —H ELD   UP   BY   THE "B IG L EAD "

CHAPTER XII P IONEERING   THE W AY —B REAKING S LEDGES

CHAPTER XIII T HE S UPPORTING -P ARTIES B EGIN   TO T URN B ACK

CHAPTER XIV B ARTLETT ' S F ARTHEST N ORTH —H IS Q UIET G OOD -B Y

T HE P OLE !

CHAPTER XV

CHAPTER XVI T HE F AST T REK B ACK   TO L AND

CHAPTER XVII

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70

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140

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S AFE   ON   THE R OOSEVELT —P OOR M ARVIN

CHAPTER XVIII A FTER M USK -O XEN —T HE D OCTOR ' S S CIENTIFIC E XPEDITION

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153

CHAPTER XIX T D O HE G  F R  IGHTS TLOOEVES S TARTS   FOR H OME —E SQUIMO V ILLAGES —N EW D OGS   AND N EW 161

CHAPTER XX T WO N ARROW E SCAPES —A RRIVAL   AT E TAH —H ARRY W HITNEY —D R . C OOK ' S C LAIMS

CHAPTER XXI E TAH   TO N EW Y ORK —C OMING   OF M AIL   AND R EPORTERS —H OME ! A PPENDIX I—N OTES   ON   THE E SQUIMOS A PPENDIX II—L IST   OF S MITH S OUND E SQUIMOS

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

MATTHEW   A . HENSON nothing ROBERT   E . PEARY   IN   HIS   NORTH   POLE   FURS THE   FOUR   NORTH   POLE   ESQUIMOS CAMP   MORRIS   K . JESUP   AT   THE   NORTH   POLE MATTHEW   A . HENSON   IMMEDIATELY   AFTER   THE   SLEDGE   JOURNEY   TO   THE   POLE AND   BACK THE " ROOSEVELT " IN   WINTER   QUARTERS   AT   CAPE   SHERIDAN MATTHEW   A . HENSON   IN   HIS   NORTH   POLE   FURS , TAKEN   AFTER   HIS   RETURN   TO CIVILIZATION

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180 189 196

Frontispiece FACING PAGE 76 77 122 123 138 139

INTRODUCTION One of the first questions which Commander Peary was asked when he returned home from his long, patient, and finally successful struggle to reach the Pole was how it came about that, beside the four Esquimos, Matt Henson, a Negro, was the only man to whom was accorded the honor of accompanying him on the final dash to the oal.

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