The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-09-30
Complained About Peary

COnplalneQ TO MIN OF feGryS taxing
over his house and stores, but declared
he had suffered no unfairness. Peary's
steward, William Pritchard, was pres
ent when these statements were made;
like Mr.. Whitney, he was pledged to
secrecy by DR.. Cook.
Murphy. Pearys boatswain. who was
in charge of the stores, was absent
at Etah on this day and did not hear
DR.. Cooks communications.
There We're two houses on the Green
land shore, one at Annatok, holding
Cooks stores, and another at Etah,
holding Peary's stores. The three white
men, Whitney, Murphy and Pritchard,
sometimes occupied one and sometimes
the other of these houses.
Used Cooks Stores First.
Murphy was in charge of both houses
He is not able to read or write He
had written instructions from Peary,
which Whitney, at Peary's request.
read over to him from time to time.
These instructions We're very stringent.
stores first and Peary's afterwards
Murphy was told in them that he was
to give DR.. Cook every help if he came
along in a needy condition, and fur
thermore the instructions implied that
Murphy was to organize an expedition
to seach for DR.. Cook, but according
to Mr.. Whitney this part of the in
structions was worded very ambigu-
ously. Mr.. Whitney said that Cook
had copy of these instructions and
would doubtless make them public
Murphy treated Cook very civilly and
Cook suffered no discourtesy.
When DR.. Cook and his Eskimos ar
rived at che hose they had no sledge
Being too tired to drag it over the
rough ice they had left it 20 miles
from Etah. The following day some
other Eskimos went out, recovered the
sledge and brought it in. On it were
DR.. Cooks instruments, clothes and
food.
After spending two days at Annotok
where Cook first met Whitney, Cook
started for Etah. Whitney accom-
panied him. Cook remained for three
days at Etah organizing for his trip
south to Upernavik.
Why Cook Left Instruments.
The doctor had figured out rightly
the date that he would likely get to
Upernavik and when the Dundee whal-
reach there. and he argued that he had
no time to lose. He planned originally
to take two EskimOs and two sledges,
but one Eskimo fell sick and this made
1t necessary for him to cut down the
luggage he could take with him south.
charge Of the instruments with which
he had made his observations at the
pole.
There were three cases, one con-
tanning a sextant. another an artificial
horizon, and the third an instrument
which Mr.. Whitney said he could not
recall. 1t possibly might have been a
chrononeter.
Cook left no written records with
Whitney that Whitney is aware of.
There may have been same records,
however, in the other boxes in which
Cook packed his clothes and personal
effects. but Cook did not tell Whitney
especially that he was leaving any
written records with him. Mr.. Whitney
was very positive about this.
After Cook departed for the south
Whitney resumed his hunting. He took
over Cooks two Es<imos, Etukishuls
and Arwalalv, to show him the coun-
try where Cook had shot musk oxen
This the two men did, and whitney
bagged all the oxen he could carry out
in his sledges. He said he found these
two Eskimos to be quite satisfactory
in subordinate capacities. but he knows
nothing of their value in dash across
the polar sea.