Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-27

NEW YORK, September 27.-Dr. Fred
| erick A. Cook, the arctic explorer. re-
| ceived a telegram yesterday from Harry
Whitney, the New Haven sportsman, an
nouncing that Whitney was on his way
| to New York, but without the instru-
| ments which DIR. Cook used In taking
| his polar observations and which are
vitality important in correcting and veri-
| flying the data now in DR.. Cooks posses
sion, and by which he expects to establish
| his claim to be the first man to reach the
pole.
The message from Whitney corrobo-
rates other messages received from the
| New Haven man to the effect that Peary
| fatty refused to allow anything belong
ing to Cook to be put aboard the Roose-
welt when she started from Etah on her
homeward trip. The message reads:
| ''Strathcona, via Indian Harbor
! and Cape Ray n. F., September %
| ''Dr. F. A. Cook, Waldorf, New York:
| Started for home Roosevelt. Nothing
| arrived for me. Peary would allow moth
| ing belonging to YOU on board. Said to
leave everything in cache at Etah.
| MET Capt. Sam, North Star. Did not
60 back after going schooner bound st.
Johns take steamer home. hope you
we'll. See you soon. Explain all. Good
shooting HARRY WHITNEY,"
Instruments Hidden in Cache.
DR.. Cook gathered from the telegram
| that Whitney had left the scientific in
struments which Cook intrusted to Whit
| ney last April in a secure hiding place at
Etah. This belief was confirmed by
newspaper telegram which was shown to
| DR.. Cook. The burden Of this was that
when Whitney came on board the Roose-
1 II nl, rt,n Cfor fit,Cy h<arS
Peary had put the sportsman on his hon
or to bring on board the ship nothing be-
| longing to Cook.
Whitney had the Cook instruments In
| his trunk. and when Peary took this
stand Whitney saw no way out of the
difficulty whatever except to stow the in
| struments away in a cache-a hiding
place in the snow-the location of which
| would be known only to Whitney and one
| other man, an Eskimo, who would guard
| the place safely. From other commune
| cations received from Whitney it is UNI
derstood that he will reach New York
via st. Johns, n. +.
The explorer received half dozen
newspaper men at the Waldorf last night
| and discussed with them at some length
| the Whitney episode. In the course of
| the conversation a little controversy arose
| concerning q statement made earlier In
| the day by DR.. Cooks secretary, Walter
Lonsdale, which seemed to have dis
pleased the explorer.
| Speaking to a reporter before DR.. Cook
had made up his mind to give a personal
interview, Lonsdale was asked whether
| the lack Of the instruments Entrusted to
Whitney would affect seriously the doc
| tors position in the matter of submitting
| his data and observations to the Cniver-
sity OF Copenhagen Tor thorough sclen-
| tiic investigation.
Secretary Lonsdale's Statement.
| The secretary insisted that the nstru-
ments were not absolutely needed, as the
Gata now in DR.. Cooks possession were
complete and very full. He went on:
"Of course, it is absolutely impossible
| for any man TO prove absolutely that ne
mad been to the pole. Something must be
taken on faith. 1t would be quite posi-
| BILE for a scientist who had never been
| to the pole to make certain calculations
and put them on paper as records OF OBJ
servations made on a trip to the pole
There is nothing to prevent /; man with
| the necessary scientific ability doing this
and he might say he had been to the pole
| though he had not
This statement was reported to Dr.
Cook almost instantly through a third
| party, but garbled to the effect that Ions
| dale had said that DIR. Cooks case was
now up to the American PUBLIC to be
| taken on faith. DT. Cook was quite
| little wrought up when he heard this,
| and when half dozen newspaper men
had been summoned to see him, he asked
| what had been really said by Lonsdale
| When told exactly what the secretary
! had said, which Lonsdale acknowledged
DR. Cook looked more nervous than at
| any time since he landed last week He
| made no comment. SO this question was
| put to him:
| DIR. Cook Embarrassed.
Wouldn't it be perfectly possible for q
scientific man who has only got within
a couple Of hundred miles of the pole to
put down certain scientific figures which
would indicate that he had finished the
trip and reached the pole. taking obserya-
tions all the way? And would not these
| observations be hard to refute unless he
made some Migrant error. in his caicula-
tions?"
Il can't answer that replied DR.. Cook.
flushing and fidgetine on HIS feet ii
don't think it is a fair question NV
observations will be made public in due
course and what they show will then be
open to everybody sstt
t-"But isn't 1t a fact. Doctor" the re-
porter inquired. that in the last analy sis
something wifi have to be taken on faith,
as Mr.. Lonsdale put it. and that 1t is inn
possible to prove to an absolute certainty.
from mere records of observation, that
you actually reached the pole?''
| The doctor SWUNG around on ore foot,
then on the other, biting his mustache
and lingering his watch chain. and re-