Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-15
BARRILL DENIES
COOKS CLAIMS
COMPANION SAYS HE NEVER
MADE ASCENT
MOUNT McKINLEYS SUMMIT NOT
EXPLORED
Affidavit Made at Tacoma, Wash, Pub
Iished in New York, Refutes
Claim Dragged Into the
Polar Wrangle
rBv Associated Press ]

Aill4Cy
The affidavit was made before a
notary public at Tacoma, Wash, Oct
4, and has just been received in New
York.
Barrilrs affidavit states, in effect
that he was the only person present
with DR.. Cook on the date when he
claims to have reached the summit Of
Mount Mckinley; that he did not in
fact reach the summit, and that the
nearest point to the summit reached
was at least fourteen miles distant
from the summit of that mountain
the elevation at no time exceeding
10000 feet.
The affidavit also brings into ques-
tion a number of the photogra phs
which DIR. Cook has given as repre-
senting the summit and other high alti-
tudes of Mount Mckinley.
BarriIPs History
BarrilI in his statement says he was
born in Buffalo in 1864 and now resides
at Darby, Mont. He says he was the
only person present with DR.. Cook
when he claims to have reached the
summit of Mt. Mckinley, and that he
is the person referred to as Barrille
or Edward Barrile in DR.. Cooks book
entitled, ITO the Top Of the Cont
nent," bearing upon the expedition to
Mount Mckinley.
He details his first meeting with
DR.. Cook at Missoula, where the latter
was accompanied by Professor Parker
of Columbia university, r. w. Porter
and others.
The organization of the Mount Nc
Kinley expedition is given as consist
ing of Fred Printz, a guide; Belmore
Brown, an artist and naturalist of Ia
coma; Walter Miller, a photographer,
of Il,
acted as cook for the party, and Bar
rill. The party sailed from Seattle
May II, 1906.
Barrill recounts that at the start of
the trip he prepared to keep an exact
diary and sets forth that this diary
marked Exhibit A" attached to the
affidavit, sis a pocket diary kept by
me during all the time that DIR. Cook
and I were together near Mount Nc
Kinley, and the same is a truthful
record with the exception of the en-
tries and changes made by me therein
under the orders of DR.. Cook"
Affidavit in Detail
The diary referred to by Barrill as
attached to the affidavit is now in
possession of the New York Globe.
The affidavit then proceeds as fol-
lows
"On the evening of September g. 1906
DR.. Cook and 1 started alone for the
purpose of exploring Mount Mckinley.
He informed me before starting that
his purpose was to find a way for
ascending the mountain and he and
Prof. Parker intended to climb the
mountain the following year.
AS shown by my diary, we took the
ice on September g. From and in
Guiding the 9th down to and including
the 18th of September all writings in
my diary are by me, but were made
under the direction of Dr. Cook.
also changed the dates during this
time under his direction. On Septem-
ber 12 DR.. Cook directed me to stop
keeping my diary and leave the pages
therein blank. I cannot now remember
the exact figures or dates which
have in my diary before I was so di-
rected to change them, but know the
elevation under what now appears
September 12, was not to exceed 5000,
and I think 1t was 5000.
"We quit any further attempts
toward ascending the mountain on
September Is, and returned to the
boat, a gasoline launch named Bolshoy,
which lay in the water at the foot of
the glacier
Return to Launch
1--WE reached the launch on Septem-
ber 10, having Travelled twenty-siX
miles more on the top of the glacier
from the place we quit climbing on
September Is.
"On September Is, when at our first
camp returning from the glacier.
doctored and changed the entries
there in form and including September
8 down to and including September 12
These changes were made under the
orders of DIR. Cook.
From the 18th to the 10th and from
the 10th to and including the 18th, was
written IN our last camp, returning on
the evening of the 18th and written
solely under the dictation of DR.. Cook
and just as he said
From and including September 10
down to the end of the diary on No
vember the entries therein are my
own. They cover the actual facts and
were not dictated to me by anyone.
Or Cook first told me to stop my
diary on September 12, when we were
in our fifth camp going up the glacier
and at or near the point where Dr.
Cook claimed it as the top of Mt
Mckinley. This point was within
sight of us at the time. DIR. Cook
stated at this time and place that the
same conditions existed there as did
exist on the top of Mt. Mckinley and
directed me to stop my diary until
further orders.
"At this time we had been to the
top of the point claimed by the doc
tor as the top of the mountain and the
doctor had taken a photograph of the
point with me standing on top thereof,
with the American flag in my hand.
Shown in Book
"The photograph to which I refer is
shown opposite page 227 of the doctors
book entitled TO the Top of the Con-
tinent,' before mentioned. The Jagged
marks on the apex of the snow in that
picture and shown from the bottom of
the picture up to the granite rock
forming the top of the point are my
footmarks and those of Dr. Cook.
''My best recollection of this is as
follows: DIR. Cook and 1 went to the
top of this point together and he said:
we will go back down and get pic
ture of this We did not take our
bags with us to the top of the point,
having left them down in the saddle
above the glacier.
"We then both went down from the
point to where our bags had been left
The doctor took the American flag out
of one of the bags and handed it to
me and sent me back to the top of the
point and told me to hold it there on
the enc of an ice ak, which 1 did.
"The doctor then with his camera
took the picture shown opposite page
227, which picture is there designated
as The Summit of Mt. Mckinley in
his work TO the Top of the Continent