The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-09-25
DR.. Frederick Cook

Tor material with which TO make
sleds for camp work and so on.
When you have done that you have
all that is necessary for Polar ex.
petition.
Found "a Favorable Chance.
NOW" continued DIR. Cook, when
we started out for the Pole It was be-
cause on arriving north we found q
condition that was unusually favor
able. The best natives and the best
dogs were there, within 700 miles of
the Pole. The Esquimaux had gath
cred immense quantities of supplies
and placed them all along the coast.
1t was a condition that / had never
seen before and have never seen since.
The Esquimaux have been very sue
cessful in their hunts for the two
years since then, and had been equal
" unsuccessful in the TWO years pre-
Nious."
"Why was IL necessary to intrust
your records TO Mr.. Whitney under a
pledge of secrecy?
"I don't know that there is any
thing more 1 can say about that. l
do not think / am bound to divulge
to Mr.. Peary the news of my work.
am perfectly willing to give it to the
world. but there Ia no reason why
should give my news to Peary."
What have you to say about the
story of the negro attendant of Peary,
Matt Henson, who says in The World
th.s morning that he questioned your
two Esuuimaux and that they said
you had bound them to say you had
been to the Pole, but that they con-
fessed to Henson that they had really
never been more than two sleeps
away from land?"
Told Esqulmaur 10 Keep Silent.
"I told the Esquimaux not to say
anything about where we had been or
what we had done. AS to the rest
they will be brought here and be
open fos examination through an in
terpreter who will also be brought to
New York. AS to Henson, 1 only
wish he were here s.. you could cross
examine him. He is no scientist and
what he says is only hearsay, If he
said 1t at all"
Tell us the whole story of your
meeting Whitney at Annotok," the
reporters urged DIR. Cook smiled and
shook his head.
you'll have to ask Whitney about
that I'd rather have you to get his
story than mine"
But after II while he was led to tell
u little of the incident.
"Coming from our winter quar-
ters," he said, 1--WE had a very rough
experience. Our ammunition had
given out and we were reduced to
very little food. Every dog was gone;
lt was case of DOC cat dog to keen
from starvation. Instead of the two
sleds / had brought down from the
Pole there remained but half sled,
and when we were nearing Annotok
all our food was exhausted. We
could not drag the sled and left 1t
some miles behind. 1t was all we
could do to drag our feet up the
steep Ice slopes"
The circle of listeners was hanging
GREATNESS on every word, and DR..
Cook was leaning forward, a far
away look in his eyes, and speaking
in low tones as though the memory OF
those days and nights haunted him =.
He went on:
Had No Proof for Two Days.
"My two Esqulmaux reached the
crest of an ice hill some miles from
Annotok, and the natives there saw
them coming. Several men came out
to meet us and went back to tell
Whitney u white man was coming In
We had had no food of any kind then
for two days and had fed our very
sleeping bags and spare clothes to
the dogs long before in an effort to
keep them alive.
"Whitney came out a couple OF
miles to meet me, and l did not know
who he was. He introduced himself
but | did not catch the name till
asked him the next day Then ] told
him what l had one and where had
been and--but there think I've said
enough on that line"
Cooks face had frightened agair
and he was smiling as unconcernec
as ever. His audience begged him tc
go on, but he put aside all the re-
quests with the reply:
"Tor anything ihSre you'll have to
ask Whitney"
"Will you tell us what led you e
leave whitney and start for Upcrna
vlk so soon?"
mo. l cannot tell any more abou
| that" was the reply.
"Would you be willing" DIR. Cool
| was asked, ito submit your data to
group OF recognized scientists herr
and have them pass on them?"
~ don't think 1t would be just" IN
replied, "to supply fraction OF th'
record TO any group of experts.
shall submit the whole to the Uni
versity of Copenhagen, and after thu
| they Will be open to everybody"
| Have you read the reports o
| Pearys trlp?"
Saw Peary's "Fime Table"
| 81 have seen nothing at all from
him except his first message that h
had nailed the Sturs and Stripes Il
the Pole and then a sort of a time
table that he sent I'll later" was tn
answer.
when you speak of seeing land be
tween the saith and S5th parallels,
DR. Cook was asked, were you sur
1t was land and not a deceptive clou
effect? No land i'm that direction ma
ever been reported before"
II am as positive" he answered
"as 1t IL possible for any man to be
lIt appeared to be about forty mile
away from where we were, but W
had no time to go there IL we wer
| 40 ,,,oLo fnt. tba Pole AVa saw Onl