Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-10-13


according 10 the boys statement. they
had Killed deer, bear. some OF then
dogs. seal walrus and musk-oxen.
The second boy was then called IN
and the two went over the chart TO-
eethcr. the second boy suggesting
some changes as noted hereafter.
Finally, Panikpab. the father, was
again called i'm to verify details oil
the portions OF the route with when
he was personally familiar.
The bulk OF the boys testimony
was not taken by Commander Peary,
nor in his presence, p fact that oo-
viates any possible claim that they
were awed by him.
Certain questions on independent
lines from the direct narrative of the
Eskimo boys were suggested by Com
mander Peary to some OF US, and were
put by US to the eskimo boys.
Still latter. Commander Peary ask
ed the Eskimo boys two or three
casual questions on minor points that
had occurred to him.
During the taking OF this testimo-
ny it developed that Or. Cook had
told these boys, as he told Mr.. Whit
ney and Billy Pritchard. the cabin
boy. that they must not tell Com
mande r Peary or any OF us anything
abcut their journey, and the boys
stated DR.. Cook had threatened them
II they should tell anything.
Narrative Of the Eskimes.
The narrative of these EsKimos 5
as follows:
They, with DR.. Cook. Francke and
nine other Eskimos, lett Anoratok,
crossed Smiths sound TO Cape Sabine.
slept in Commander Peary's old house
in Payer Harbor, then went through
Rice Strait TO Buchanan Bay. After
few marches Francke ana three
Eskimos returned TO Anoratok.
DIR. Cook with the others, then
proceeded up Flagler Bag. branch OF
Buchanan Bay. and crossed Files
mere Land through the valley pass at
the head of Flagler Bay. indicated by
Commander Peary in 1898, and util-
izad by Sverdrup in 1899, and util-
of Sverdrup's Bay Ford on the west
side of Ellesmere Land.
The route then lay out through
this ford, thence north through Sver-
drums "Heurka Sound" and hansen
Strait.
On their way they killed musk
oxen and bear, and made caches. ar
irving eventually at point on the
west side of hansen Strait tshore OF
Axel Heiberg Land of Svedrup), south
of Cape Thomas Hubbard.
cache was formed here and the
four Eskimos did not ge beyond this
point. Two others, Ko0lootingwah and
Iuughito. went on one more march
with DR. Cook and the two boys help
ed TO build the snow igloo, then re-
turned without sleeping.
(These two Eskimos brought back
a letter from DR.. Cook to francke.
dated the 18th OF March. The two
men rejoined the other four men
who had been left behind. and the six
returned to Anoratok, arriving May
7th. This information was obtained
not from the two Eskimo boys. but
from the six men who returned and
from Francke himself. and was known
to us in the summer of 1908, when
the Roosevelt first arrived at Etah.
The information is inserted here sup
Elementary to the narrative OF the
two boys.)
After sleeping at the camp where
the last two Eskimos turned back,
DR.. Cook, and the two boys went in
nortnly or northwesteriy direction
with two sledges and twenty odd dogs,
one more march, when they encoun-
tered rough ice and lead OF open
water. They did not enter TINS rougn
ice nor cross the lead. but turned
westward OF southwestward a short
distance and returned to HeiDerg
Land at point west OF where they
had left the cache and where the four
men had turned back.
Here they remained four or nve
sleeps, and during that time l-tcok-a-
shoe went back to the cache and got
his gun which he had left there, and
few items of supplies.
When asked why only a few sup
plies we're taken from the cache, the
bows replied that only small amount
OF provisions had been used in the few
DAYS since they left the cache, and
that their siedges still had all they
could carry, so that they could not
tdht ntOAt
After being Informed Of the boys
narrative thus far. Commander Peary
suggested a series of questions to be
put to the boys in regard TO this trip
from the land out and back to 1t.
These questions and answers were
as follows:
Did they cross MANY open leads or
much open water during this timeZ
Ans. None
Did they make any caches out on
the ice2 Ans. No.
Did they kill any bear or seal while
out on the ice north OF Cape Thorn
as HUBBARD Ans. No
Did they XIII or lose any Of their
dogs while out on the ice? Ans. No
With how many sle5ges did they
START Ans. Two.
How many dogs did they have? Ans
Did not remember exactly. but some
thing over twenty