The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-09-28
PEARY AT BAR HARBoR.
He Holds q Losg Cenference With General Hubbard.

General Hubbard.
 Bar Harbor, Maine. Sept. 27.--Com mander Robert E. Peary accompanied by his wife, reached here tonight from Portland and within half an hour was In conference with General Thomas HI Hubbard. president of the sPeary Arc. tic Club, coneerning the statement which soon will be made public by Commander Peary to support his con tention that Dr. Frederick A. Cook did not reach the North Role.
 The conference was still in progress at late hour tonight
 There Is nothing to say just now, said General Hubbard tonight. Com mander Peary Is here and we are look ing over the data he 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 with officers of the Peary Arctic Club and shall not determine that un- til my return to New York next week..
 The conference will Re continued to- morrow and late in the day Comman- der Peary probably will return to Eagle Island. It Is generally believed that he and General Hubbard Will go to New York together.
 From what can be learned of the conference tonight Peary went over every phase of his alleged evidence against pr. Cook, dating from the time the Brooklyn explorer began hts preparations to go north more than two years ago and until after Peary's interviews with pr. Cooks Eskimos at Etah.
 General Hubbard has been arranging this material in order as personal counsel for Peary.
 There was large crowd at the steamboat landing notwithstanding the indictment weather to give Commander Peary and his wife hearty welcome today.
 During the trip to Baf Harbor Peary spoke frequently of Harry Whitney.
 There might have been some strange reasons why whitney did not go back to Etah in the Jeanie for pr. Cooks stuff," he said. T cannot un- derstand how any one could let such records get out of hls hands. l would not give my records to my dearest rel ative. and don't see how Cook could have turned his. stuff over to Whit ney or anybody else. secured my instruments in a bag and the flag which I took to the pole I sewed in my clothes and wore 1t until reach ed Battle Harhor.
 T kept my records under watch day and night and was prepared, in case the Roosevelt was crushed In the Ice, to throw them overheard So they could float in their cases. Can you imagine me giving up those records to per feet stranger7
 Harry Whitney did not tell me what was in pr. Cooks stun except six fox skins. a narwhal horn and some other trophies. could not see why I should have carried the stun when Cook could have taken 1t. If pr. Cooks stun was of such choice, why did not Whitney go back on the Jeanie and get 1t?
 T saw Dr. Cooks sledge at Etah and looked 1t over carefully while Professor McMiilan held up Cooks snow shoes and showed them to me But I did not examine the snow shoes carefully"
 continued;
 "I imagine pr. Cooks stun was made up of superfiuous instruments Aftei Whitney had put the stun ashore, told the Esskimos to leave 1t alone. "on my return from the pole saw all the Eskimos and talked with them After what I heard would not credi Cooks claim
 "The letter that informed me that Cook had claimed the pole was from whaler named Captain Adams and not Walker, as has been stated. The let
 
 1t 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." replied Commander Peary
 "You will note that Cooks route to the pole was TOT miles longer each way than mine. The people can make their own deductions whether Dr. Cook with his equipment could have made such a journey.
 "Dr. Cook claims he went from lat itude 7s 1-2 to 90 degrees and back to 76 degrees. altogether just 25 1-2 de- grees. Then think that the best previous record made by any explorer was a total of eleven degrees.
 "I cannot say whether the extra TOT miles each way that Cook says he travelled would have kept me away, from the pole or not. It might and 1t might not have. the difficulty in Arctic travel as you proceed north increases not in arithmetical but tn Reometrical progression"