The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1909-09-30
LIGHT IS SHE'D ON
COOKS EXPLOIT
go
Whitney Tells of His Relations
with Explorer.
KEPT SECRET FROM PEARY
Commanders Material to Support
His Contention That Brooklynite
4. Did Not Reach Pole ls
Now Complete.


st. Johns, N. F., Sept. 2S.-The arc
tic vessel JEANNE, with Harry Whit
ney, the New Haven big game hunter,
on board, has arrived here from the
Greenland coast by way Of Indian Har-
Dor, Labrador.
Mr.. Whitney was questioned regard
ing the statements made to him by
DR.. Frederick A. Cook in Greenland.
He said Cook arrived at Annotok in
April of this year and declared that
he had reached the north pole year
before. He pledged Whitney, how
ever, not to tell Commander Peary,
who was to be informed only that
Cook had gone farther north than
Peary's previous record, 81 degreee 9
minutes. Continuing, DR.. Cook told
Whitney that he had accomplished all
he expected to, and more besides, and
that he was through with the northern
country. Whitney did not communi-
cate the latter part of this statement
to Commander Peary.
Cook Complained Of Peary.
. Continuing, Mr.. Whitney said that
DR.. Cook had complained to him of
Peary's taking over of his house and
stores, but declared that he had suf-
fered no unfairness. Peary's stew
ard, William Pritchard, was present
when these statements were made;
like Mr.. Whitney, he was pledged to
secrecy by DR. Cook. Murphy, Peary's
boatswain, who was in charge of the
stores, was absent at Etah on this day
and did not hear DR.. Cooks communi-
cations.
There were two houses on the
Greenland shore, one at Annotok, hold
ing Cooks stores, and another at
Etah, holding Peary's stores. The
three white men, Whitney, Murphy
and Pritchard sometimes occupied
one ard sometimes the other of these
houses. Murphy was in charge of
bott houses. He is not able to read
or write. He had written instructions
from Peary which Whitney, at Peary's
gJequest, read over to him from time
20 time. These instructions were very
stringent. They directed Murphy to
use Cooks stores first and Peary's
afterwards.
Ambiguous Orders.
Murphy was told in them that he was
{. to give DR., Cook every help ifihe came
along in a needy condition, and fur
thermore the instruction implied that
Murphy was to organize an expedition
% F1 but
to Mr.. Whitney this part of the in
structions was worded ambiguously.
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 the house 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 1t 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.
Forced to Leave STUFF Behind.
The doctor had figured out roughly
the date that he would likely get to
Upernavik, and when the Dundee
whalers or the Danish store ships
would 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 it necessary for him to
cut down the luggage he could take
with him south. He consequently
asked Whitney to take charge of the
instruments with which he had made
his observations at the pole. There
were three cases, one containing 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 chronome-
ter. Cook left no written record with
Whitney that Whitney is aware Of.
There may have been some record,
however, in the other boxes in which
Cook packed his clothes and his per-
sonal effects, but Cook did not tell
Whitney especially that he was leav.
ing any written records with him. Mr..
Whitney was very positive about this.
Quizzed Cooks Eskimos.
After Cook departed for the south
Whitney resumed his hunting.
Continuing, Mr.. Whitney said that
last month when Peary, on board the
Roosevelt, reached Etah from the
north after his winters work there.
he whitney, informed him of DR..
Cooks arrival in April, adding that
Cook had told him whitney, to tell
Peary that Cook had gone beyond
Peary's farthest north. Peary made
no comment on this. and Whitney said
he was not asked any other questions
by Peary. But the next day Cooks
Eskimos came to Whitney and asked
him what Peary's men were trying to
get them to say. Peary's men had
shown the Eskimos papers and maps,
but the Eskimos declared they did not
understand these papers. So far as
Mr. Whitney is aware. Cooks Eski-
mos never admitted that while with