Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-12-25

New York, Dec. 24-The Board of
Governors of the Explorers Club met
today in executive session, and, stand
ing il silence, voted with bowed heads
that DIR. Frederick A. Cook be dropped
from the rolls of the club for frauds
practiced on it's members and On the
lpublic Coming upon the heels of the
crushing verdict lately rendered by the
University Of Copenhagen. the action
lof the Explorers Club today is the re-
lsult of independent Investigations
which in no way touch upon the polar
controversy and the weight Of its dis
approval thus becomes cumulative.
| Preliminary to it's vote of expulsion
the hoard met to pass upon the report
of its committee which has been inves-
tigating the validity of DIR. Cooks as
sertion that he reached the summit Of
Mt Mckinley. This committee, in con-
Guiding an exhaustive report, recon-
mended that DIR. Cooks claim that he
assembled the summit Of Mt. Mckinley
in 1906 be rejected by the Explorers
Club as unworthy of credence.'
| The committees recommendation
was based on it's finding that DIR.
Cook had repeatedly made statements
that have not been in accord with the
facts, and that he had entered into
agreements which he has failed to
keen, and that the misstatements and
broken agreements deal not only with
matters appertaining to discovery but
to ordinary financial transactions, so
that no credence can be given to
statements made by him"
Among the seven signatures append
| ed to this arraignment are those OF
Casper Whitney and Anthony Flala,
both personal friends of DR.. Cook. The
committee is further explicit in its
statement that it undertook it's invest-
CATION only after first appraising DR..
Cook of its purpose, which ne ap-
proved in person, and that it has DIS
regarded entirely the testimony of Ed
ward Barrill, DR.. Cooks guide, and or
Frederick Prnz, his packer-although
such testimony was before them-be-
cause it wished no cloud of partisan
contention or question of financial m
tercst to dim the integrity OF It's YER
Idiot.
In addition to the findings OF the
lcOmmittee as a Whole-Whlcn were
signed, Anthony Fiala, polar explorer
of note; Frederick S. Dellenbaugh, Oh
the American Geographic SOCIETY,"
Prof Marshall H. Saville, of the chair
of archaeology in Columbia University
walter G.. Clark; Charles Fl. Townsend,
director of the New York Aquarlum'
Henry G. Walsh, secretary OF the EA-
nlorers Club, and Casper Whltney-lh-
ldividual signed reports are supinlt'eu
by Herschel c. Parker, professor Oh
nhvsics at Columbia, and Belmore
Brown. both Of whom were members
Of the Cook Mckinley eXpedltlotl' an"
Inv Charles Sheldon, who has recently
returned from a years residence on the
s,onn of Mt. Mckinley, where he went
with the express purpose of studying
tho conformation of the mountain Will
view to the possibility OF us asce''''
| Prof. Parker reports that he was
mariner with DR.. Cook in the Mchlh-
lev expedition both physically ana
| financially. Dr. Cook assumed the leao
with plan which proved unfeaslole'
and the marty escaped with their lives
thanks TO the local knowledge OF Bel
| wore Brown one of it's members. IL
was nerfectlv understood says Prot
| Parker. that after this misadVenture
all further attempts were abandoheo
for the season. Otherwise Prof. Far
ker would not have left the eXpedl-
ton"
| Instead of this, DIR. Cook, it is charg-
| cd sidetracked all members of the
exnedition until there remained only
Cook his guide, Barrill, and one pack
| c,,hcon11pnt1N got rid Or
also These defections left DR.. Cook,
| saws Prof. Parker, no instruments
snahla Of measuring the attitudes ne
saws he attained. Moreover, ne adds'
tho summers experience had shown
| that of all the party, DIR. COOK anu
Barrill were the least fitted physically
for arduous mountain climbing.
Pelmore Brown, in the main con-
firms Prof. Parker and says also that
in DIR. Cooks book there is not one date
given from the time he left the Chullt-
M river This makes intelligent criti-
cism impossible, he declares. He as
serts further that he never saw DR..
Cook make a single aneroid barometer
reading during the whole trip. Con-
frming a charge that has previously
been made he says that DR.. Cook was
known to be in serious financial straits
and would have had difficulty in getting
out of Alaska if he had not reported
that he attained the summit OF MT.
Mckinley.
Brown fortiffes his charges with the
declaration that Cook and Barrill had
no ice creepers and that, though DR..
Cook later told Prof. Parker that he
(Cook) and Barrill were roped to-
gether every foot of the last stages,
Prof. Parker and Brown both remem-
her that they discovered the climbing
rome was defective before they quit
the expedition. Furthermore, in none
of the mixtures in Dr. Cooks book does
a climbing rope appear.
Brown and Sheldon also report that
a.. "a .az.s.... S. z. -.