The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-12-15
A FISHY YARN
Claim That They Manufactured COX
Observations
COCK and BULL STORY

Two Men UIEe THO wow AoiN
Times Statements That They Were
Brfbed by the Explorer to He'll
Him Fix Up Data to Fool thu
Public.
The New York Times prints tho
remarkable narrative Of two men
made under oath, declaring that they
we're employed by DR.. Frederick A
Cook to fabricate astronomical an
,ther observations for submission t.
the University Of Copenhagen, which
8 about to pass upon DR.. Cook
assertion that be discovered tn
North Pole on April 81, 1905. Thes'
men are George H. Dunkle, an insur'
,nce broker. Of 81 Nassau street
New York, and Capt. August Wede
Loose, q sea captain, Of 437 Thir
.eenth street, Brooklyn. For thei
'abors they were to have received
Jointly from DR.. Cook $4,000 witt
IN additional bonus Of $500 to Capt
Loose upon the acceptance OF the
'ecords by the University OF Copen
hagen. They say that DR.. Cook haf
paid them only $500 when be die
appeared on the eve OF the dispatch
If his records" to Copenhagen tw'
weeks ago and his failure to pay tn
,um remaining. due them they freely
acknowledge to be their motive TO
coming forward with the story.
Accompanying these narratives Will
,ppear copies Of the afldavits o
Capt. Loose and Dunkle afarminf
heir accuracy, facsimile OF Or
Cooks instructions to Capt. Loose
IN Cooks handwriting, in possession
II The Times and the afidavits o
Capt Loose swearing to the accurac!
II the same. The translation OF Thu
memoranda by DR.. Cook IL as fol-
lows:
"svartevaag, start March 17-1S:
strong wind-haze."
March 30-Observations latitude
md longitude; daily %observatins tt
April 23."
The Times also prints the follow
Ing list under the heading, VIVA;
Capt. Loose Says He Supplied to DR..
Cook"
l.. Twenty-four attitudes for lati-
tude sights.
2. One chart covering route from
s~vartevaag to the Pole. with all Of
DR.. Cooks assumed positions marked
upon It.
;. Complete observations for time
and chronometer rate. as they might
have been taken by stars at Anoratok
and Svartevaag. probably 80 In all.
4. Diagram for compass error snt
correction at different points.
g.. Calculations for longitude, about
20 In all.
s. Sixteen observations as they
could have been taken at the North
Pole, In two sets. eight with depres-
sion Of Pole considered and eight
with depression ignored.
7. Bowditch's complete national
tables.
8. Anfnsen's tables for correction
of attitudes Of heavenly bodies.
9. American nautical almanac for
several years.
10. Lloyt's calendar OF 1908.
II. Three admiralty charts. Gov
erlng Smith sound and the polar
regions, Nos. 9se, 274 and 976.
H.. One Bliss almanac Of 1908.
10. One Negus almanac, 1907.
The Times has followed the stepe
described BY these two men and
has verified their goings and com
ings, their purchases Of books and
charts and the fact of their init
mate relations with DR.. Cook,
Whether the observations" calcu-
lated by Capt Loose and supplied
as be alleges, to Or. Cook. were
| adopted by the latter and made
part Of his report TO the University
Of Copenhagen, 1t 4s, OF course, I'm
| possible to say. without a compari'
| son Of Capt. Loose's narrative Will
that report. The Times hae com
| municated to the University OF Cop
| enhagen the main facts Of Capt
| Loose's story and Mr.. Dunkle's and
offered 70 supply to the university
| the corroboratiye documents 1t hat
received from these two men. One
| OF these purports to be DR.. Cooks
memorandum directing the prepare
ton Of observations from Svarteraal
all the way to the pole.
In the narrative Of Capt. Loose
he frankly expresses his scorn o
Or. Cooks claims. laughs at his Is
norance Of the simplest essential
for accurate observations In the Arc
| tic regions and describes at Length
how, working backward from th'
pole, he calculated observations tina
would fit in with Cooks narrative
and coached MIN on the necessar.
notifications Of the latter. AS. 70
example, that be must bo sure t
record that he rose before ALL
o'clock on a certain morning, be
cause 1t was at that hour that a Ger
tain star. mentioned In n o
Losses calculations, would be visi
Bile. Mr.. Dunkle describes the In
ception OF the enterprise; how from
r.-s,onors thoty G theraH that nr