Polar Pathways: Robert E. Peary's Arctic Expeditions
The North Pole - 85' 48" : Pulling a Raft
The dogs rest while the men use pickaxes to
carve out a route
"The next march was made in a temperature of minus thirty and a misty atmosphere which was evidently caused by open water in the neighborhood. About five miles from camp we just succeeded by the liveliest work in getting four of our five sledges across an opening lead. Getting the last sledge over caused a delay of a few hours, as we had to cut an ice raft with pickaxes to ferry the sledge, dogs, and Eskimo driver across. This impromptu ferry-boat was cut on our side and was moved across the lead by means of two coils of rope fastened together and stretching from side to side. When the cake was ready, two of my Eskimos got on it, we threw the line across to the Eskimo on the other side, the Eskimos on the ice raft took hold of the rope, the Eskimos on either shore held the ends, and the raft was pulled over. Then the dogs and sledge and the three Eskimos took their place on the ice cake, and we hauled them over to our side. While we were engaged in this business we saw a seal disporting himself in the open water of the lead."- Robert E. Peary in The North Pole, published in 1910
"Dogs at rest by sledges, men behind pickaxing a route" by Donald B. MacMillan, 1909, Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum Collections
