Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-29

Dor when he received messages from
several American papers asking for a
statement. These, he answered briefly
Peary Transferred Stores
Mr.. Whitney denied that Commander
Peary had removed DR.. Cooks stores
from Annatook to Etah. What Peary
really did was to transfer few things
and rebuild the house at Annatook.
Mr.. Whitney was questioned regard
ing the statements made to him by
DR.. Cook in Greenland. He said
Cook arrived at Annotok in April of
this year and declared he had reached
the north pole a year before.
He pledged Whitney, however, not
to tell Commander Peary, who was to
be informed only that Cook had gone
farther north than Peary's previous
record.
Murphy, Peary's boatswaln, who
was in charge of the stores, was alb
sent from Etah on this day and did
not hear Cooks communication. There
were two houses on the Greenland
shore, one at Annotok, holding Cooks
stores, and another at Etah, holding
Peary's stores. The three white men
Whitney, Murphy and Pritchard-
sometimes occupied one and sometimes
the other of these houses.
Murphy is not able to read or write.
He had written instructions from
",
quest, read over to him from time to
time. These instructions were very
stringent They directed Murphy to
use Cooks stores first and Peary's
afterward.
Ordered to Help Cook
Murphy was told in them that he
was to give Dr. Cook every help if
he came along in a needy condition,
and Furthermore, the instructions I'M
piled that Murphy was to organize an
expedition to search for DR.. Cook, but
according to Mr.. Whitney this part of
the Instructions was worded very am
biguously. Murphy treated Cook very
civilly and Cook suffered no discour-
tesy.
When DR.. Cook and his Eskimos ar
rived at the house they had no sledge.
Being too tired to drag it over the
rough ice, they had left it twenty
miles from Etah.
The following day some other Eski-
mos went out, recovered the sledge
and brought it in. On it were DR..
Cooks instruments, clothing and
food.
There were three cases of instru-
snents, one containing a seXtant, an
42bther an artificial horizon and the con-
&ents of the third Mr.. Whitney could
Not recall.
Cook left no written records with
whitney that he is aware of. There
may have been some records, however,
in the boxes in which Cook packed his
instruments and his personal effects.
After Cook departed for the south
Whitney resumed his hunting He
took Cooks two Eskimos to show him
the country where Cook had shot
muskox He found these Eskimos to
be quite satisfactory in subordinate
capacities, but he knows nothing OF
their value in a dash across the polar
sea.
Continuing, Mr.. Whitney said that
last month when Peary, on board the
Roosevelt reached Etah after his win
ters work in the north, he CWhitney)
informed Peary of Cooks arrival in
April, adding that Cook had told him
to tell Peary that Cook had gone be-
yond Pearys farthest north. Peary
made no comment and asked no ques-
tions, but the next day Cooks Eskimos
came to Whitney and asked him what
Peary's men were trying to get them
to say. Peary's men had shown the
Eskimos papers and maps, but the
Eskimos declared they did not under
stand these papers.
The day the Roosevelt was leaving
Etah for home Whitney informed
Peary that Cook had intrusted to him
certain belongings to bring home on
the vessel that was coming up for
Whitney but. as this ship had not ar
rived. Whitney was at loss as to
what to do with the property. Peary
declined, to permit DIR. Cooks belong
ings to be brought aboard the Roose-
welt, and he put Whitney on his honor
not to include anything belonging to
Cook in his own luggage.
Mr.. Whitney thereupon went ashore,
separated DR.. Cooks property from his
own baggage, and, with the aid of
Capt. Bartlett, commander Of the
Roosevelt. repacked Cooks property in
boxes
After this had been done Whitney
and Bartlett cached all of Cooks prop
erty in a cave in the rocks and left it
ja charge OF one of the Eskimos.
{ 1t might be remarked Mr. Whitney
continued, that ten years ago Peary
did with the Explorer Sverdrup what
he had done with Cook-refused to
bring back Sverdrup's letters or rec
ords.