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Assistant To Fiala

Assistant To Fiala image
Parent Issue
Day
29
Month
May
Year
1903
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

ASSISTANT TO FIALA.

Facts About "Alaska" Peters, Who May Find North Pole.

WELL TRAINED FOR AROTIO WORK

Scientist Chosen For Ziegler Expedition Can Stand Hardships and Is Original In His Methods of Preparing For Trips to the Far North. Takes Daily Ice Water Baths.

William J. Peters, better known to Washington scientists as "Alaska" Peters on account of his numerous and perilous trips into the most northern part of that country, who has been selected as scientific assistant to Captain Anthony Fiala, who heads the Ziegler expedition in search of the north pole, became famous all over the United States by his unique methods of preparing himself constitutionally for his ice journeys, says a Washington special to the Chicago Tribune.

Peters starts in by taking a daily bath in ice water, wears summer weight clothing in the dead of winter, and he lives not only without fire, but upon the food best suited to a life of constant exposure.

Mr. Peters is original in his methods of exploration, and he completely fascinated Captain Fiala with his common sense plans for reaching the north pole. His theory is that the failure of former expeditions is attributable to the fact that the material side of the journey was not sufficiently studied out before starting.

When Mr. Peters knew some years ago that he was to lead a party headed for the fold fields of Alaska and that hundreds of men had perished from cold and hunger on the way, while others arrived sick and worn and poorly prepared to cope with the rugged life of a miner in that frozen country, he methodically began to study the situation. His plan was to learn all that was possible about the food, clothing and habits of the people in the land of ice and snow and as nearly as possible train himself the same way.

This theory only partly applied to Alaska, for little was known of the customs and habits of the Eskimo except the meager stories brought by naval officers and whaling vessels. So his study was incomplete until he was thrown among the natives themselves. With this knowledge Mr. Peters' second trip was comparatively easy, and before he started for the land of snow and ice he underwent the most rigorous physical training. The winter before he started be wore nothing more than summer clothing, walked and rode through the worst and coldest weather as much as possible, practically living outdoors by day and sleeping in a fireless room with open windows at night. He selected a diet as nearly akin to that of the natives of Alaska as possible and lived the most simple regular life.

He found his training of the greatest possible advantage, but he did not stop with this. One of the customs of the natives of Alaska was to strip in their tents and run over the snow to a pond near by, where a hole had been cut in the ice, and take a quick plunge. This method he followed out with good results. He continued to eschew dainties and the lighter food and lived like the natives.

As a result of this simple, rugged life Mr. Peters probably is the best equipped man in the United States for an arctic journey. He is of the slender build and straight as an arrow and at once impresses one with his wiry, vigorous constitution.

As a scientist Mr. Peters is though of in the most serious way by men much older in the service. He has been in the employment of the geological survey for twenty years and for at least ten years has been looked to for his share in the discovery relative to the north pole, it frequently being said that he was the man for whom the honor waited.

Finding in this exploration of the Arctic ocean through northern Alaska that the instruments at this disposal were not well adapted to the scientific work required by the government, Mr. Peters invented, among other things, a stenometer for the purpose of determining distances over small angles with the greatest possible accuracy. He is a topographer, and his work in this line as well as his astronomic work is highly valued by the scientists of the United States and the old world.

Mr. Peters proceeded to map out his journey within the arctic circle with the same uniqueness and precision that characterize all he does. He headed straight for the great divide separating the Arctic ocean from the Yukon river, he utilized canoes he had carried on sledges for a swift passage down the river.

When the head of the Ziegler expedition wrote to the Geographic society at Washington for a man to act as assistant Mr. Peters was at once selected as the one best suited.

There are several scientists under Mr. Peters, and he has charge of the meteorological, astronomical and other observations. As practically the same conditions obtain which he met in other northern trips, it is considered a fair chance that he will be the man first to reach the north pole, and when he does he will be able to give the most practical and scientific information relative to it.