The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-09-13
RELATES STORY OF COMMAND
ER's usURPATioN OF Ex-
PLoRER's s1vREs.
A REMARKABLE RECITAL
Cook in Greenland for a Time De-
eIares That Naval Officer Left
Boatswain in Possession of Rivals
Stores-cook Begged for Entrance.

Copenhagen, Sept. IA remarkable
letter. giving DR.. Frederick A. Cook:
version of the trouble with Command.
er Peary over supplies, appears In
. the Politiken. The letter was writer
by DIR. Norman Hansen. a prominent
Danish physician, who several times
visited Greenland to study eye dis.
eases. DIR. Cook told practically the
same story to one of his closest
American friends just week ago, be-
fore Commander Peary appeared on
the scene, but said he did not intend
to make it public because it might
lead to unpleasantness.
DIR. Hansen was with Dr. Cook for
some time In Greenland and returned
with him on the Danish steamer Hans
Egedc.
Now that DR.. Cook has gone" he
writes, Il am no longer under any
obligations to keep silent and will ex-
ercise my right to publish the story
about the house in Annatook, a story
which DR.. Cook himself had too much
delicacy to relate to the world.
white 1t from memory, as DR.. Cook
told it to me. and | am fully con-
WINGED that in no detail are my rec
objections wrong.
.'Dr. Cook had built his house for
stores i'm Annatook. north of Etah
and 1t was this depot which he start
aI ta in oh,
ing Smith sound. 1t was a pretty
large house, the walls being built of
heavily filled provision boxes. so that
DR. Cook knew that when this inn
portant point was reached everything
was safe. He had, before the start,
given permission to a young friend
named Whitney to use the house
while hunting musk oxen for sport in
the winter of 1sos-0s.
instaiIs Boatswain.
when DIR. Cook and his two Es-
kimos, exhausted and half starved
came within a short distance of the
house in Annatook. young Whitney
came out to bid him welcome. but in
side the house was a stranger. a giant
New Foundland boatswain, on watch.
This man had been placed in DIR.
Cooks house by Peary. when the
latter passed Etah with his ship bound
north. Peary had given the boats
vain written order. which COM
menced with the following words:
This house belongs to DIR. Fred
erick A Cook. but DR.. Cook is long
ago dead and there Is no use to
search after him. Therefore. I. Com
rnander Robert f. Peary. install my
boatswain in this deserted house
This paper the boatswain. who
could neither read nor write. exhibit
ed to DIR. Cook and the latter took
a copy.
This copy. however. he does not
intend to publish If Peary's course
does not force him To do so. DIR.
Cook gave ME a lively account OF how
fhe young millionaire whitney during
the whole winter was treated like
dog hy the boatswain and how he had
nitnessa,s the sailor bartering DIR.
Cooks proy 'sions for fox and bear
skins for hims,.n. DIR. Cook also had
to put a good faef On the nnpieasah'
situation. He had to heg 10 get into
his own house and had to make
compromise with tho boatswa'n. bf'
Cook made present of the .ouse
with all of its contents to his TWO
faithful Eskimos. with the provision
that Whitney was to have the use
of the house as long as his huntihs
trim lasted, but he was compelled To
let the boatswain continue his watch.
Tho boatswain. however. received
strict orders not to exchange any
more of the provisions or guns.
k.eps Records.
ITO Mr.. Whitney. DIR. Cook gave MS
Instruments and his observations, as
he thought these precious things were
safer there than on the long sledge
trim In the spring. across Melville
hay. hut all his notebooks and soiied
record books. which have been so
closely written upon. he kept anu
carried with him.
To ME. who understands very little
astronomy. the record written DOWN
so closely and in all directions was
very hard to read. but what Is the
record to us? The two men. Pears
and Cook, their character. their con-
,suet that is what interests Us. and
..,-rv little item throwing q sidelisht
s,por their natures Is valuable"