ted by a silver loving cup[27]
presented to Rear Admiral Charles D. Sigsbee, U.S.N. Sigsbee,
commissioned captain in 1897, was in command of the battleship _Maine_
when she blew up in Havana harbor in 1898. A naval court of inquiry
exonerated Sigsbee, his officers, and crew from all blame for the
disaster; and the temperate judicious dispatches from Sigsbee at the
time did much to temper the popular demand for immediate reprisal.

The cup bears the following inscription:

The Commercial Club of St. Paul Minn. Sends Greetings to Capt.
Charles Dwight Sigsbee who as Commander of the Auxiliary Cruiser
St. Paul had a brilliant share in the Naval Exploits of the
Spanish War of 1898.

May you live long and prosper.

Marks on the cup are those of the Gorham Silver Company and the words
"Sterling," "Patented," and "5 pts."

Admiral Sigsbee achieved greater distinction for his services as a
scientist than as a naval hero. An outstanding hydrographer, he made a
deep-sea survey of the Gulf of Mexico, and from 1893 to 1897 he was
chief of the Navy's hydrographic office.

FOR ARCTIC EXPLORATION

In the midst of the myriad of soldiers, sailors, and politicians who
have been presented with silver through the past two centuries, we find
an arctic explorer being given similar recognition at the beginning of
this century. Rear Admiral Robert E. Peary was the first man to reach
the North Pole, and the United States National Museum has a collection
of silver presented to him in recognition of this achievement.

Peary became interested in arctic exploration as early as 1886 and
discovered he had an aptitude for its grueling demands on several minor
expeditions to Greenland and the arctic ice cap. In 1893 he became
determined to reach the North Pole, and he spent the next 15 years in
unsuccessful attempts to achieve his ambition. In 1908 Peary left on
another polar expedition; after a hazardous trip, he reached his goal on
April 6, 1909. His victory seemed a hollow one because of the claim of a
rival explorer that was finally proven spurious. In October a committee
of experts appointed by the National Geographic Society supported
Peary's claims, and in 1911 he was tendered the thanks of Congress.
Admiral Peary's work as an explorer had immense scientific value, as he
developed a highly efficient method of exploration which has continued
to be used advantageously.

Three loving cups and a replica of a ship in silver[28]