The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1909-09-29
HARRY WHITNEY
AT 81. JOHNS
Hunter Gives His Version
Of Pole Controversy.
WAS BOUND TO SECRECY

Dr.. Cook Told Him He Had Reached
the Earth's Northern Extremity,
but Pledged Him Not to Tell Com,
mander Peary-Reiterates Stat
ment That Peary Refused to Allow
Cooks Belongings on Board the
Roosevelt. 49,. -, .
st. Johns, N. F., Sept. 29.-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.. Cook in Greenland. He said Cook
arrived at Annatok in April Of this
year and declared that he had reached
the North pole a year before. He
pledged whitney, however,, not to tell
Commander Peary, who was to be in
formed only that Cook had gone far
Their north than Peary's previous rec.
ord, 81 degrees 6 minutes. Continu.
ing, 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 communicate the lat
ter part of this statement to Peary.
Continuing, Whitney said that Cook
had complained to him of Peary's TAX
ing over of his house and stores, but
declared that he had suffered no I'M
| fairness.
After spending two days at Anna
tok, where Cook first met Whitney,
Cook started for Etah. Whitney &C
companied him. Cook remained for
| three days at Etah organizing for his
trip south to Upernavik.
Cook Had No Time to Lose.
The doctor had figured out rightly
the date that he would likely get to
| Upernavik and when the Dundee
whalers on the Danish storeships
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.
DR.. Cook consequently asked Whit
! ney to take charge of the instruments
with which Cook had made observa-
| lions at the pole. There were three
cases, one containing sextant, an
other an artificial horizon and the
| third an instrument which Mr.. Whit
[ ney said he could not recall. It pos
sibly might have been chronometer.
! Cook left no written records with
Whitney that Whitney is aware of.
! There may have been some records,
| 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.
After Cook departed for the South
Whitney resumed his hunting. Hs
took over Cooks two Eskimos, Etu'
kishula and Arwalalv, to show him
the country where Cook had shot
| 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 a dash across the Polar
sea.
Did Not Tell Peary All.
Mr.. Whitney said that last month
! when Peary, on board the Roosevelt,
reached Etah from the North after
the winters work there Whitney in
formed Peary of DR.. Cooks arrival ia
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. Whitney said he was rot asked
an yother questions by Peary. So far
as Mr.. Whitney is aware Cooks Eskt-
mos never admitted that while with
the doctor they had only progressed
| two sleeps" from land.
The day the Roosevelt was leaving
Etah for home Whitney informed
| Peary that Cook had entrusted to
Whitney certain belongings to bring
home on the vessel that was coming
up for Whitney, but as this ship had
not arrived Whitney was at loss
what to do with this property.
Peary declined to permit DR.. Cooks
belongings to be brought aboard the
| Roosevelt and put Whitney on honor
not to include anything belonging to
DR. Cook in Whitnav's own 111ppapa