River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1909-10-07
WHITNEY KNEW ALL
DR.. COOKS STATEMENTS CORRO-
BORATED BY BIG GAME
HUNTER.
COOKS ESKIMOS ARE PUMPED
Asked Whitney What Peary's Men
Were Trying to Make Them Say
Deny Cook Did Not Go out of Sight
of Land.

st. Johns N. F.-Harry Whitney, Of
Labrador on the steamer Jeanne, says
he has no reason for doubling that
both Cook and Peary reached the
pole.
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 degrees 6
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.
Continuing, Mr.. Whitney said that
"a
Peary's taking over 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 Pearys stores. The
three white men, Whitney, Murphy
and Pritchard, sometimes occupied
one and sometimes the other of these
houses. Murphy 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 were very
stringent. They directed Murphy to
use Cooks 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 needy condition, and
furthermore the instruction implied
that Murphy was to organize an expe-
dition to search for Dr. Cook, but &C
cording to Mr.. Whitney this part of
the instructions was worded ambigu-
ously. Mr.. Whitney said that Cook had
a copy of these instructions and
would doubtless make them public.
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 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.
The doctor had figured out roughly
the date tht 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.
New York.-Dr. Frederick A. Cook
contemplates the bringing of a suit
against Commander Peary to recover
damages for SANDER and defamation,
according to friends of the Brooklyn
explorer.
DR.. Cook himself had nothing to
say regarding the proposed SUIT, but
his secretary, Walter Lonsdale, ad-
mitted Saturday that the idea was
seriously entertained, both by DR..
Cook and by John R. Bradley, Cooks
hacker. He said that affidavits had
already been prepared in case it was
definitely decided to bring the suit"