Lakhasly

The most northern part of the earth has below-freezing temperatures.
Ice covers the area. This is the North Pole.
In 1893, no one had been to the North Pole. That year Admiral Robert
E. Peary and Matthew Henson set out to reach the North Pole. But they were unsuccessful. They tried again in 1898, but failed. In 1909, they set out once more.
Peary, Henson, and a group that included explorer Robert Bartlett took off for the Pole. They sailed on a long voyage from New York City to Canada.
Next, they set up a base camp at Camp Columbia, Canada. The camp was about 450 miles from the North Pole.
In March 1909, the group packed dog sleds with food and supplies. Then they headed over the polar sea ice toward the North Pole. Some of the men suffered from the harsh cold weather. They had to return to the camp. Finally, Peary selected Henson and four Inuit guides Ootah, Seegloo, Egingwah, and Ooqueah-to make the last leg of the journey. It was early April 1909.
They were closer than ever to really reaching the North Pole.
Henson, Peary, and their guides traveled over the ice and snow. Peary's feet were injured. He could not walk as quickly as Henson. So Henson and his guides walked ahead--and disaster struck.
Along the way, Matthew Henson stepped out on a large cake of ice.
CRACK! The ice gave way. Henson fell into the icy water below. The water temperature was bitter cold:
-15 degrees Fahrenheit. In only a few minutes, Matthew Henson would have frozen to death.
Suddenly, there was a tug on
Henson's hood. Someone was pulling him from the water. It was Ootah.
Quickly, Ootah helped Henson pull off his wet boots and clothes and put on dry ones. Ootah shook the water from the furs Henson wore before the water turned to ice. Then Henson, Ootah, and Seegloo moved on. Admiral Robert
E. Peary, Egingwah, and Ooqueah followed. The North Pole was less than thirty-five miles away. Henson got closer and closer to the Pole. Finally, he stopped. He looked around. Had he reached the North Pole? Henson set up camp there and waited for Peary.When the Admiral arrived, he made observations from different points. He returned to the camp and made an announcement. The camp was at the exact point of the North Pole. He had Henson and the four guides stand on a ridge and he photographed them. Henson held the American flag. He felt proud. It had been an exciting adventure.Matthew Henson was born in Charles County, Maryland, in 1866.
After his mother died, he lived with an uncle in Washington, D.C. Henson always liked adventure. When he was fourteen years old, he signed on as a cabin boy on a ship called the Katie Hines. He was a member of the crew for five years.
Henson met Peary in 1887, when
Henson was working in a clothing store in Washington, D.C. Peary liked Henson right away. Peary offered Henson a job . .. Henson . .. was interested in a trip Peary had planned to Nicaragua. It was a chance for him to travel again. For more than twenty years, the two men took many trips together.On April 7, 1909, the great explorers began their journey back from the North Pole. They were very happy about their victory.
Robert E. Peary became famous.
Peary was awarded a gold medal by the National Geographic Society. Robert Bartlett was also awarded a medal although he didn't even make the final trip to the North Pole. Matthew Henson was ignored.
For many years, the white world did not recognize Henson's great achievement. The black community, however, presented him with a number of awards. Finally, on January 28, 1944, Congress authorized a medal for all the men on the North Pole expedition. A year later, Henson was presented with a silver medal for outstanding service to the United States Government.
This great explorer died in 1955.
On April 6, 1988, his remains were reburied with full military honors at
Arlington National Cemetery. It was a most suitable honor for a great black American.