The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-09-17
ASSERTS HE CAN
PROVE HIS CLAIM
Peary Says Cook Did Not Dis
cover the Pole.
WILL BAGK IT.UP WITH PROOF

Explorer Declares His Rival Was Not
at the Pole on April Fl, 1908, Nor at
| Any Other Time-Declines to Dis.
cuss Charges That He Took Supplies
Belonging to DR.. cook-Did Not
| Want White Witness at Pole.
Battle Harbor, Labrador, Sept ID
Commander Peary answered num-
Der of questions asked him by cor
respondent.
"Was DR.. Cook at the pole?" was
the first question, to which the com
mander replied:
Cook was not ut the pole on April
p, 1908, or at any other time. make
this statement advisedly and at the
proper time will back it up with
proof"
Were you surprised on returning
to Labrador to learn that DR.. Cook
had reported reaching the pole, or had
anything happened before you re.
turned to cause yen to anticipate this
event?" was next asked.
II heard it in New York that DR..
Cook was going to bring the pole
back" replied the commander.
us it true that you opened letters
or documents having reference to this
point?" iaa
NO." he responded emphatical!y.
"Did Harry Whitney make any i'm
portant statements to you about an
other polar expedition"
''He made no statement" said Com
mander Peary. "He is on the schoon-
er JEANNE now and is probably shoot
ing bear on the western coast"
'What life is there to be found at
the North Pole? Are there birds,
fishes or animals there?"
when l was there it was not the
season for birds. l do not know if
there are fish in the polar seas at that
spot. There are no animals at the
pole" "n' tb@ b-',
Commander Peary declined to dis
cnss the charges that ne took supplies
at Etah belonging to DR.. Cook, but
declared that Captain Moses Bartlett
could not throw any light on this
point because he had not been il
Greenland since tPeary went there
last. Rudolph Francke had begged
piteously to be taken out of Green.
10 o,,ff
Vast Unknown Territory.
Speaking about the Inexplored area
in the polar regions, Commander
Peary said that there were 100000
square miles of unknown territory be-
tween the pole and Behring straits
previous to his expedition. He has
not yet figured out by how much that
quantity was reduced,
! Asked with regards to the purple
snow at the pole, the hummocks and
crevices approaching the pole, Com
mander Peary said:
"That is a range of information that
I dc not care to impart now"
Speaking Of the depth of water he
said that he had run out 1900 fathoms
of line without reaching bottom within
five miles Of the pole. 1--WE took
sotndings from Cape Columbia to the
pole" he continued, (which give a
cross section of that part of the foes
Of the Arctic ocean. The soundings
were from ten to twenty miles apart
What was the thickest of the ice
and the temperature of the atmos-
phere?" he was asked.
"I had no means of measuring the
ice, which was heavy. 1 do not care
to tell the temperature"
Bearing on the Cook controversy,
Commander Peary was asked:
care the Eskimos who were with
DR.. Cook in his dash to the pole on
your ship?"
mo, but talked with them"
"Have you heard that any Eskimos
were ever at the pole before yours
"No, never. No inducement that
could be offered them would tempt
them out on that sea of ice until 1
went there. They knew by experience
the liability of the ice breaking up
and carrying people away to death. ,"
"Why did you not have white wit
ness at the pole?"
because after a lifetime of effort
il dearly wanted the honor for my
self"