Evening star., 1909-09-12
LOOT|NG OF COOKS STORES
BARTLETT GIVES ACCOUNT OF
HOW PEARY DID IT.
Francke Persuaded Chief Was Dead.
Neither Reached Pole, Say
Men on Erik.

81. JOHNS, N r, september 1l.-Wnl
Peary is at Battle Harbor, Labrador, the
breath Of a coming polar scandal is felt
in a message received from Capt. Moses
Bartlett, an uncle of Capt. Bob Bartlett,
commander of the Roosevelt, Peary's
ship. Capt. Moses Bartlett took the ship
bearing Cook north.
He says:
DIR. Cook is right in stating that Peary
took his provisions After the steamer
Erik returned here last fall three of its
crew who belong to this place told me
that when Peary arrived at Etah that
summer he took possession Of all the
stores I had left there the previous fall
for DR.. Cook against his return from the
north.
These men say they helped to move
the stuff from where l left it. They are
now in Labrador.
What Stores Consisted OF.
This supply consisted of two dory loads
of stores, food and kerosene, which our
crew piled up on the beach and then
placed the dories over, bottom up, piling
stones around and above them to make
cache At Amotok, thirty miles north OF
the place where Cook landed. I had pre-
viously put ashore two years supplies for
Cook and five tons of hard coal.
"Our vessel, the John r. Bradley, was
laden with stores and ten tons of hard
coal. When Cook landed we gave him
half the coal and all the stores except
what we required to bring US home. COOK
could not take Pearys provisions. because
Peary had none on any part OF the coast.
having used up all the provisions left
there by previous expeditions on his 1906
O6 trip"
From Engineer Pike of the steamship
Erik comes different version of the
story According to him, Peary had left
taken. He says that solely through
mistake the stores were removed by
Peary's men,
Then there is still another account from
man on the Erik, who declined to give
his name, that Francke was obliged to
exchange these stores and all the skins.
ivory and collections he had made In or
der to pay his passage home on the Erik.
Bartlett Once on Roosevelt. !.
Moses Bartlett was mate on the Roose-
welt in Peary's 19O5-O6 expedition. The
following year Cook and Bradley. the
doctors financial backer. engaged Bart
lett to take command of the schooner
which Bradley put at Cooks disposal.
1t was Bartlett's suggestion. SO he says,
that there was open water at Etah.
Cook and Bradley push as far north in
the schooner as they could and then, find
ing harbor for the schooner. Cook ought
to try to get to the pole. Cook took the
advice and followed 1t.
So the schooner forced her way to An
notok, which is thirtyseven miles north
of Etah. and there provisions for two
years were landed for Cook and Francke.
Five tons of hard coal. sledge and
collapsible boat were also put ashore. At
Etah provisions sufficient for another
four months and two dories were landed.
Cook left Francke in charge of the pro-
visions at Annotok and went on. In
March. 1908. he wrote to him from the
north point Of the arctic mainland, tell
ing him to abandon the place and make
for home unless he Cook got back by
June Is.
Francke Found Stores Looted.
Francke tried to reach a Danish steam
ship south of Annotok, but. falling sick.
gave 1t up and made again for Annotok.
When he reached there he was surprised
to find that the Eskimos had looted the
place during his absence.
Francke, according to his story. was
influenced to believe that Cook was dead
and thus Peary's party prevailed upon
him to turn over all the food in the
cache and all the peltries and worries in
return for passage home.
1t is stated by people who are on the
Erik that bitter unfriendliness existed
between Peary and Cook as the result of
disagreements on the former expedition
In fact. it is suggested that neither Cook
nor Peary may really have gained the
pole at all. but that Cook went north
in 1907. attempted a poleward march in
the spring of 1908. and when he could get
no farther decided to call this the north
pole and return and claim he had
found it.
He was then delayed on his return
journey too late to connect with the Erik
He came to Etah after the Roosevelt had
steamed up to Cape Sheridan and found
Harry Whitney and Peary's two men,
the boatswain and oiler of the Roosevelt,
in charge Of his stores.
There Cook boasted to Whitney that he
had found the pole. this latest suggestion
runs: that Whitney transmitted the news
to Peary by Eskimo runners and that
Peary. determining not to be outdone by
Cook, put forward the same claim after
returning from his dash over the polar
ice.