The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1909-10-14

1NSt@iNe 6SRiSf~i > O'ebN
10 a Physical lmpossibllity-story
as Told to Him by Two Eskimo
Boys.
New York. Oct 49, Commander !
Robert z. Peary backed up his many
times repeated assertion that DR. Fred !
erick A. Cook did not reach the North
Pole with a detailed account of the
evidence which he says he and his men
obtained from the Eskimos who &C
companied Cook on his Arctic trip. DR.. |
Cook. Peary seeks 10 prove. never got
further north than Cape Thomas Hub
bard. the nOrthernmost point OF Axel
Heiberg Land. at 81 degrees 80 north
latitude. Accompanying his statement
Peary furnishes a map on which has
been traced what he SAYS was DR..
Cooks actual route. This route begins
at Annatok at rs degrees 80. passes
west and then north between Arthur
Land and Axel Heiberg Land 20 Cap
tain Thomas Hubbard From this al
legged "farthest north" Peary seeks TO
show that Cook turned south again. |
and that he spent the winter OF 1908 !
1909 on the northern shore OF North |
Devon. a little less than IS degrees
north. returning northward to his 1
starting place. Annatok. IN the spring /.
OF this year Fhe map also indicates
the points at which. according to the
stories told by the Eskimos. food was
killed and other incidents OF the trip /
occurred.
story Of the Two Eskinoe.
Pearys story OF DR. Cooks trip is as /
follows:
After sleeping at the camp where
the last two Eskimos turned back. DR. /
Cook and the two boys went in & |
nOrtherly or nOrthwesterly direction |
with two sledges and twenty odd dogs |
one more march. when they encoun /
tered rough ice and lead of open wa
.er. They did not enter this rough ice, 4
nor cross The lead. but turned west
ward or sOuthwestward short dis
lance and returned to Heiberg Land /
at a poin; west OF where they had left
the cache and where the four men he'd
turned back.
Here they remained four or five
sleeps and during that time l-took
shoe went back 10 the cache and got
his gun. which he had left there. and
few items OF supplies.
nnIx IN
plies were taken from the cache. the
boys replied that only a small amount
of provisions had been used in the few
days since they left the cache and
that their sledges still had all they
could carry. so that they could not
take more
After being informed OF the boys
narrative thus far Commander Peary
suggested a series of questions to be
put to the boys in regard TO this trip
from the land out and back to it.
Questioned Eskimos.
These questions and answers were
as follows:
Did they cross many open leads or
much open water during this time?
Ans. None.
Did they make any caches out on
the ice? Ans. No.
did they kill any bear or seal while
out on the ice north Of Cape Thomas
Hubbard? Ans. No.
Did they kill or lose any Of theii
dogs while out on the ice? Ans. No.
with how many sledges did they
start? Ans. Two.
How many dogs did they have?
Ans. Did not remember exactly. but
something over twenty.
How many sledges did they have
when they got back to land? Ans.
Two.
did they have any provisions left
on their sledgeS when they came back
to land? Ans. Yes: the sledges still
had about all they could carry. so
they were able TO take but a few
things from the cache.
From here they then went south
west along the northwest coast OF
Heiberg Land to a point indicated on
the map (Sverdrup's Cape Northwest.
From here they went west across
the ice. which was level and covered
with snow. Offering good going. to
low island which they bad seen from
the shore of Heiberg Land at Cape
Northwest On this island they camp
ed for one sleep.
THE size and position OF this isl
and. as drawn by the first boy, was
criticised by the second boy as being
too large and too far to the west, the
second boy calling the attention OF
the first TO the fact that the position
of the island was more nearly in line
with the point where they had left
Heiberg Lard Care Northwest and
the channel between Amund Ringnes
Land and Eiief Ringnes Land.
This criticism aad correction wac
accented by the first boy. who started
10 change The position OF the island.
but was stopped, as Commander Peary
had given instructions that no changes
or erasures we're to be made in the
route as drawn by the Eskimos on the
chart.
From this island they could see
two lands beyond (Sverdrup's Elef
Rjngnes and Amund Ringnes Lands)
From the island they journeyed to
fxrfrI