The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-09-28


me to entrust to him as special
favor the flag that I planted at the
North Pole"
Had Ample Outfit.
DR.. Cook laid further emphasis
upon the ample outfit he says he took
| with him and insisted that the
| sledges, clothes and boots made by
| the natives at Annatok were better
than any that could have been taken
to the north from civilization. On the
| took ten ESkimos with him and
might have had twenty for the ask
| ing. Eight of these he turned back,
reserving Ftukishuk and Ahweelah,
with twenty-six dogs and two sledges,
| for the last dash.
The collapsible canoe, first men
| toned in his lecture at Copenhagen,
was described in full. The frame, DR..
Cook said, formed part of one of the
sledges, and the canvas covering did
duty for a tent when not in use on
| the water.
The lantern slides with which the
| lecture was illustrated, Dr. Cook
| was careful to explain. were taken
some of them by John r. Bradley. his
hacker, in the early stages of the
| tourney and still others on previous
exped itions, but all the northernmost
pictures were of his own taking. They
added conviction to his descriptions
of the surprising smoothness of the
ice. His first sight of the sun in
omers have said should have been
earlier, he explained was delayed by
the mists which obscured the horizon
at tina thine for almost a week. In
giving credit to those explorers who
have preceded him, DR.. Cook omitted
the name of Commander Peary,
which on previous occasions he has
always included.
In Conference with Hubbard.
Bar Harbor, Me, Sept 2S-Comman-
der Robert E. Peary, accompanied by
his wife, reached here from Portland
and within half an hour was in con-
ference with General Thomas H. Hub
bard, president of the Arctic club, con-
corning the statement which will be
made public by Peary to support his
contention that Dr. Frederick A. Cook
ing to say just now" said General
Hubbard. Commander Peary is here |
and we are looking over the data ne |
has on the Cook controversy, but there |
is no statement to be made at this |
time
NO date has been set for the meet
ing of the officers of the Peary Arctic |
club and I shall not determine that un-
From what can be learned of the
conference Peary went over every
phase of his alleged evidence against
DR.. Cook dating from the time the
Brooklyn explorer began his prepara-
tions to go north, more than two years /
ago, until after Peary's interviews with
DR.. Cooks Eskimos at Etah. General
Hubbard has been arranging this mat
ter in order personal counsel for |
Peary.
There was a large crowd at the
steamboat landing, Notwithstanding the
inclement weather, to give Peary and
his wife hearty welcome.
During the trip to Bar Harbor, Peary
spoke frequently of Harry Whitney.
There might have been some strange
reasons why Whitney did not go back
TO ERf0h In the for Dr CnOl<'S
stuff" he said. II cannot understand
how any one could let such records get
out his hands I would not give my
records to my dearest relative. say
again, don't see how Cook could have
turned his stuff over to Whitney or
anybody else. 1 secured my instru-
ments in a bag and the nag which 1
took to the pole is sewed in my clothes
and l wore it until I reached Battle
Harbor.
Guarded His Records.
I kept my records under watch day
and night and 1 was prepared in case
the Roosevelt was crushed in the ice to
throw them overheard that they
could float in their cases. Can you
imagine me giving up those records to
a perfect stranger?
Harry Whitney did not tell what
was in DR.. Cooks stuff. except six fox
skins, a Narwhal horn and some other
II could not see why 1 should have
taken it. If Cooks stuff was of such
Importance why did not Whitney go
back and get it?
Il saw DR.. Cooks sledge at Etah and
looked it over carefully while Prof. Nc
MILAN held up Cooks snow shoes and
showed them to me. But did not ex-
anime the snow shoes carefully"
Reverting to DR.. Cooks things, he
continued:
IT imagine DR.. Cooks stuff was made
Up of superfluous instruments. After
Whitney had put the stuff ashore I told
the Eskimos 20 leave it alone.
'On my return from the pole 1 saw
all the EsktmOs and talked with them.
After what I heard I would not credit
Cooks claims. The letter that inform
I'd me that Dr. Cook has claimed the
Adams ard not Walker. as has been
stated The letter was dated June II
md l received it at Cape York.
What proof would you require of an
explorer that he had been far north?"
Peary was asked
THAT If a man went to the higher
point that had been reached before he
should bring back the records he found
there said Commander Peary.
You will note that Cooks route to
he pole was 107 miles longer each way
han mine. The people can make their
own deductions whether DIR. Cook, with
MS equipment, could have made such a
Journey.
Or Cook claims he went from lati-
-Lde 1872 to go degrees and back to 76
degrees, altogether just 25ia degrees.
Then think The best previous record
made by explorer was a total of
eleven degrees.
Il cannot say whether the extra 107 ;
miles each way that Cook says he trav-
lied would have kept me away from
he pole or not. 1t might and it might
rot have; the difficulty in arctic travel
is you proceed north increases not in
lrithmetical but in geometrical. prog
.ess."
m IN lARRM ATA NRnAhA