The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-10-13

boys replied that only small amount
of provisions had been used in the
few days since they left the cache and
that their sledges still had all they
could carry, so that they could not
take more
After being informed of the boys
narrative thus far, Commander Peary
suggested a series of questions TO be
put to the boys IN regard to this trip
from the land out and back to it.
These questions and answers were
as follows:
Did they cross many open leads or
much open water during this time?
Ans None.
Did they make any caches out on
the ice? Ans. No.
Did they kill any bear or seal while
out on the ice north of Cape Thomas
Hubbard? Ans. No.
Did they kill or lose any of their
dogs while out on the ice? Ans. No.
With how many sledges did they
start Ans, Two.
How many dogs did they have?
Ans. Did not remember exactly, but
something over twenty
How many sledges did they have
when they got back to land? Ans
Two.
Did they have any provisions left
on their sledges when they came back
to land? Ans. Yes; the sledges still
had about all they could carry, so
they were able to take but few
things from the cache.
From here they then went south
81.
Heiberg Land to point indicated on
the map (Sverdrup's Cape North
west)
From here they went west across
the ice. which was level and covered
with snow, offering good going. to
low island which they had seen from
the shore of Heiberg Land at Cape
Northwest On this island they
camped for one sleep.
The size and position of this island
as drawn by the first boy, was criti-
cised by the second boy as being TOO
large and too far to the west, the sec
ond boy calling the attention of the
first to the fact that the position OF
the island was more nearly IN Inc
with the point where they had lett
Heiberg Land (Cape Northwest and
the channel beteen Amund Ringnes
Land and EIlef Ringnes Land
This criticism and correction was
accepted by the first boy who start
ed to change the position of the Is
land, but was stopped, as Commander
Peary had given instructions that no
changes or erasures were to be made
in the route as drawn by the Esklm-
os on the chart.
From this island they could see two
lands beyond (Serdrup's Ellef Ring
mes and Amund Ringnes Lands).
From the island they journeyed tow
ard the left hand one of these two
lands (Amund Rhymes Land passing
a small island which they did not VS.
II.
Arriving at the shore of Amund
Ringnes Land, the Esldmos killed a
deer as indicated on the chart.
Time Covered by Statement
The above portion of the statement
of the Eskimo boys covers the period
of time in which DR.. Cook claims 10
have gone to the Pole and back ana
the entire time during which he could
possibly have made any attempts to
go to it.
Cooks Alleged Trip an lmpossibiIity
The answers of the Eskimo boys TO
Peary's series OF indepen-
dent questions. showing that they kill
ed no game, made no caches, lost no
dcgs. and returned to the land with
loaded sledges, makes their attain
ment Of the Pole on the trip north OF |
Cane Thomas Hubbard physical ana |
impossibility as II
would demand the subsistence Oh
three men and over twenty dogs dur
Ing Journey of ten hundred ana
forty geographical miles on less tnah
two siedge loads of supplies.
Cook May Have Got Mixed
If it is suggested that perhaps Or;
Cook got mixed and that he reacneu
he pole. or thought he did, between
Ihe time of leaving the northwest
coast cn Of Hieberg Land at Cape Nortn,
west and his arrival at Ringnes Lahu
where they killed the deer, we mus
,han add to the date of DR.. COOK let
tar of March 18th, at or near Cape
Tbomas Hubbard, the subsequent ioua
1r Ave sleeps at that point anu sne
- of DAYS required to marcn
from from Cane Thomas Hubbard TO Gap e
a distance OF some siN''