The Point Pleasant register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, W. Va.) 1909-1939, 1909-10-06
WHITNEY
CONFIRMS COOKS STORY OF HIS DIS
COYERY OF The NORTH POLE.
St. Johns, \. F., sept. es.-The


from the Greeland coast by way Of
Indian Harbor, Labrador.
Mr.. Whitney was questioned re-
garding the statements made toAim
by DR.. Frederick A. Cook in Green
land. He said Cook arrived at An
notok in April of this year and de-
clared that he had reached the North
Pole year before. He pleaded
Whitney, however, not to tell Com
mander Peary who was to be inform
ed only that Cook had gone further
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 communicate the
latter part of this statement to Com
mander Peary. Continuing Mr.. Whit
ney said that DR.. Cook had COM
planned to him of Peary's taking OF
his house and stores but declared
that he had suffered no unfairness.
Peary's steward, VIM. 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 communications.
There were two houses on the
Greenland shore, one at Annotok
holding DR.. Cook S stores, and anoth-
er at Etah holding Peary's stores.
The three white men, Whitney,
Murphy and Pritchard, sometimes
occupied one and some times the
other of these houses. Murphy was
in charge of both houses. He is not
able to read or write. He had writ
ten instructions from Peary which
Whitney at Peary's request, read
over to him from time to time.
These instructions were very strin-
gent. They directed Murphy to use
Cooks stores first and Peary's after
wards. Murphy was told in them
that he was to give DR.. Cook every
help if he came along in a needy
condition, and furthermore the in
structions implied that Murphy was
to organize an expedition to search
for DR.. Cook, but according to Mr..
Whitney this part of the instructions
was worded very ambiguously. Mr..
Whitney said that Cook had copy
ofthese instructions and would doubt
less make them public. Murphy
treated Cook very civilly and Cook
suffered no discourtesy.
When DR.. Cook and his Eskimoes
arrived at the house they had no
sledges. Being too tired to drag it
over the rough ice they had left it
twenty miles from Etah. The fol-
lowing day some other Eskimoes went
out recovered the sledge and brought
it in. On it were DR.. Cooks instru-
ments, clothes and food.
After spending two days at Anno-
tok where Cook first met Whitney,
Cook started for Utrh. Whitney ac-
companied him. Cook remained for
three days at Etah organizing for
his trip South to Upernavik.
The doctor had figured out rightly
the date that he would likely get to
Upernavik and when the Dundee
whalers of the Lanish store ships
would reach there and he argued that
he had no time to lose. He planned
originally to take two Eskimoes 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 Observa,
tions at the Pole. There were three
cases one contaiAing aseztant, ,anoth,
er an artificial bor;vo,, and th, thirC