The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-09-28
DIR. COOK
 TO PEARY
(snecia1{from United Press)

out that in his opinion Commander Peary is still criticising his feat of reaching the North Pole without hav- ing any real facts at his disposal.
 Cook took up the commanders crit1- cism that he could not have used an artificial mercurial horizon in making frozen and that he Peary) used cast iron base so that the mercury couio be thawed.
 'sMr. Peary is mistaken in his criti- cism' declared the doctor, when he says that I could not have used an artificial mercurial horizon because it would have frozen. I have never stat ed that did use any such instrument As a matter of fact, mine was or plain glass and sufficient for my purpose Dr. Cook, while plainly incensed over the criticisms made against him by the commander, took considerable pains to- day to answer some of them.
 MT Cook he was asked, "can you give any reason why Whitney old no. go back from Smiths Sound to Etah to get your instruments and letters aI- ter the Jeanie arrived when it was pul a days journey?" 1 q cannot I would like to know, of course, and I believe that there must l have been a very good and all suff1- cient reason which we will learn so
 soon as MT. Whitney arrives here
 commander Peary has stated that
 the condition of your snowshoes prov. | | have covered the distance that you
 claamed to have, and he also claims that the snowshoes you had when you arrived at Etah were not the kind that
 would be worn by an explorer at the | seYes MT. Peary does not know
 what snowshoes had. I had pair
 of the ordinary kind and two pair or
 the kind which are known on the Ice | as bear paws. With these latter a l | that might be needed on ice or snow. | Commander Peary declares that It would have been a physlcal lmpossl-
 bility for you to have covered the ais | tance which you claim you covered III
 a single sledging season. Will you
 explain this?' .e course willing to leave this all to the scientists who understand the mat
 ter But will enter into no contro-
 versy on this paint:
 I .aPeary declares that his popularity
 with the Eskimos made 1t easy TOT mn III | to find out that you had not been to
 the Pole. Is that sop
 with that of MT. Peary l am perfectly l willing that the Danes who know the
 whole facts, especially as to potn FeaIy | and myself among the Eskimos, should l decide this, Let the Danes tell, eS- l pecialIy Rasmussen. They know ana are the best witnesses.
 | -.Peary says that he can lay his l hands on all of the Eskimos and that
 they will bear out his contention. NOW
 as a matter of fact the Esk1mos are 1 appreciative people. They are not
 used to being cross-examined, and can | easily be confused and made to make 1 statements that seem at variance. But
 I am fitting out a party at my own | expense and am going to send noftn after my own records and instruments, | and when they arrive they can pc | questioned and they will tell all that | they know. , .,;.
 .tDr. Cook, why is it that, with this
 world wide controversy on and with everyone anxious to see your prooIs that you actually reached the Pole, you are spending your time making money
 and not preparing the proofs for sub l mission to the University of SwedenE | .sI amSdoing what all explorers in the
 mast have done True I am making money, but am also at work on my | nroofs and as soon as they are ready | they will be submitted to the world | The charge that some of the photo- r graphs which are being used to Illus trate the newspaper accounts or his trip to the Pole are eight years old, 1 exclaimed by pr. Cook who declares that he took the pictures on his for ner trip and that he had nothing to do with labelling them to make 1t ap- rear that they were tai ken on the pres ent trip. He however denied the as- sertion of the Brooklyn Standard Un- ion that two of the pictures were taken
 by Herbert Berri and that he had l palned them off as original pictures. The two in question, he asserted, were | taken by him and he has the negatives
 to produce if they are needed.