The San Francisco call., 1909-09-28
.PfARY and HUBBARD
PREPARE CHARGES
Explorer Lays Alleged Evidence
Against DIR. Cook Before
Club Secretary
Statement Not Expected to Be
Made Public Until Some
Time Next Week

loHiBHl from f,Ortldhd anu WltHih hoiA
an hour entered in conference with
General Thomas E. Hubbard, president
of the Peary Arctic club. regarding the
statement which is soon to be made
public by Peary in an effort to support
his contention that Doctor Cook did
not reach the pole.
There is nothing to say just now,
said General Hubbard. Commander
Peary is here and we are looking over
the data he has on the Cook contro-
versy. but there is no statement to be
made at this time.
NO date has been set for the meet
ing of officers of the Peary Arctic club
and shall not determine that until my
return to New York next week
From what can be learned of the
conference tonight Peary went over
every phase of his alleged evidence
against Doctor Cook, dating from the
time the Brooklyn explorer began pre-
pafing to go north, more than two
years ago, and until after Peary's in
tervfews with Doctor Cooks Eskimos
at Etah. General Hubbard has been
arranging this material in order, as
personal counsel for Peary.
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 Etah in the JEANNE for Doctor
Cooks stuff" he said. II can not un-
derstand how any one could let such
records get out of his hands. | would
not give my records to my dearest rel
at1ves. l say again, / don't see how
no tIlrn hi 10 Of rnv
TO Whitney or anybody else. l Sc
cured my instruments in bag and the
nag which l took to the pole L sewed in
my clothes and wore it until reached
Battle Harbor
Il kept my records under watch day
and night and l was prepared, in case
the Roosevelt was crushed in the ice,
to throw them overheard SO that they
could float in their cases. Can you
imagine me giving up the records to
perfect stranger?
Harry Whitney did not tell me what
was in Doctor Cooks stuff except six
fox skins, a narwhal horn and some
other trophies. I could not see why
should have carried the stuff when
Cook could have taken it. If Doctor
Cooks stuff was of such Importance
why did not whitley go back in the
JEANNE and get it?
EXAMINED COOKS SLEDGE
Il saw Doctor Cooks sledge at Etah
and looked 1t over carefully, while
Professor Mcmillan held up Cooks
snowshoes and showed them to me.
But l did not examine the snowshoes
carefully.
'I,imagined Doctor Cooks stuff was
made up of superfiuous instruments.
After Whitney had put the stuff ashore
l told the Eskimos to leave it alone.
'On my return from the pole 1 saw
all the Eskimos and talked with them.
After what l heard I would not credit
Cooks claims. The letter that in
formed me that Doctor Cook had
claimed the pole was from whaler
named Captain Adams and not Walker.
as had been stated. The letter was
dated June II and / 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 highest
point that had been reached before he
should bring back the records he found
there" said Peary. You will note that
Cooks route to the pole was 107 miles
longer each way than mine. The peo-
pie can make their own deductions
whether Doctor Cook with his equip
ment could have made such journey.
Doctor Cook claims he went from
latitude 1914 to 80 degrees and back to
78 degrees. altogether just 251s degrees.
Then think that the best previous rec
ord made by any explorer was a total
of IL degrees. / can not say whether
the extra 107 miles each way that Cook
says he travelled would have kept me
away from the pole or not. 1t might
and it might not; the difficulty in Arctic
travel as you proceed north increases
not in arithmetical, but in geometrical
progression"
Cook Lectures on Trip
NEW YORK, Sept. 27.-Dr. Frederick
A. Cook In lecture tonight under the
auspices of the Arctic Club of America
added no essential facts to his narra-
tive of the discovery Of the north pole,
but supplied added circumstances to
those passages which have been pre-
viously criticised for their lack of de-
tail.
Harry Whitney" he said. asked me
to intrust to him as a special favor
the flag that 1 planted at the north
pole. He expected then an American
ship to call for him, and we both argued
that his return journey would be shorter
and smoother by water than the dis
tance over land and ice that still re-
manned for me before I could reach
civilization. For that reason 1 added
to the flag my instruments and certain
of my records
Doctor 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 Annatook were better than any that
could have been taken to the north
from civilization.
The collapsible canoe, which was not
mentioned in his first narrative, was
described tonight in full. The frame,
Doctor Cook said, formed part of one
of the sledges and the canvas cover
ing did duty for q tent when not in use
on the water.
Some of the lantern slides with
which the lecture was illustrated. Doc
tor Cook was careful to explain, were
taken by John r. Bradley, his hacker,
in the early stage Of the journey and
still others on previous. expeditions.
but all the northerninost pictures were
of his own taking. They added con-
viction to his descriptions of the sur
prising smoothness Of the ice. His
first sight of the sun in April--a date
which some astronomers say should
have been earlier-he explained was
delayed by the mists which ebscured
the horizon at that time for almost
week.
Urged Earlier Start
BRUNSWICK, Me-. Sept. 27--Charles
w. Morse. whO WAS a clAsSmafa nf