The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-12-25
COOK AGAIN DISCREDITED
DID NOT REACH -fT. McKINLEY's,
SUMMIT.
Explorers Club Reports Adversely On
Claims of Explorer and Expels
Him from Membership In
Organisation.

today in executive session and stand
Ing In silence voted with bowed heads
that Dr. Frederick A. Cook be dropped
from the rolls of the club for frauds
practfced on its members and on the
public.
Coming hard upon the harj heels
of the crushing verdict rendered by
the University of Copenhagen. the
action of the Explorers Club today is
the result of the Independent inyesti-
CATION which in no way touches upon
the polar controversy and the weight
of It's disapproval thus becomes ac-
cumulative.
Preliminary to it's vote Of expulsion
the board met to pass upon the report
of Its committee. which has been in
vestigating the validity OF DIR. Cooks
assertion that he reached the summit
of Mt. Mckinley. This committee, in
concluding an Exhaustive report.
recommended thai DIR. Cooks claim
Mount Mckinley IA 1906. be rejected
by the Explorers Club as unworthy OF
credence."
The committees recommendation
was based on Its. finding that "Dr.
Cook had repeatedly made statements
that have not been in accord with the
facts and that he had entered upon
agreements which ne has failed to
keep and that the misstatements AMI
broken agreements deal not only with
matters pertaining to discovery, but to
ordinary financial transactions. so that
no credence can be given to state
ments made by him"
y Friends sign Reports.
Among the seven signatures APP
pended to this arraignment are those
of Casper Whitney and Anthony
Flaia, both personal friends of DR..
Cook. The committee is furthex ,ex-
plicit in its statement that iteuhder-
took Its investigation only after first
apprising DIR. Cook of It's purpose.
which he approved In person, and that
1t has disregarded entirely the testi-
mony of Edward Barrill. DIR. Cooks
guide, and Frederick Printz, his pack
er, although such testimony was be-
fore them, because IT. wished no cloud
of partisan contention, or question of
financial interest to dim the integrity
of it's verdict. In addition TO the find
ings of the committee as whole,
which are signed by Anthony Fiala,
Frederick s. Dellenbaugh. Of the
American Geographic Society; Profess
sor Marshall H. Sayiiie. of the chair
of archaeology in Columbia University;
Walter @. Clark, Charles Fl. Town
send director of the New York
aquarium: Henry G. Walsh, secretary
of the Explorers Club. and Casper
whitney, Individual signed reports are
submitted by Herschel c. Parker. pro-
lessor Of physics at Columbia, and
BeImore Brown, both of whom were
members of the Cook Antarctic ex-
petitions; by Charles Herndon, who
has recently returned from a years
residence on the slope of Mount Nc
Kinley, where he went with the ex-
press purpose OF studying the con-
figuration of the mountain, with a
view to the possibility of Its ascent.
Professor Parker says that he was
partner with DIR. Cook In the Mt. Nc
Kinley expedition. both physically
and financially DIR. Cook assumed the
lead with a plan which proved I'M
feasible and the party escaped with
their lives, thanks TO the local knowl-
edge OF Brown.
cit was perfectly understood" says
Professor Parker. that after the mis-
adventure all future attempts were
abandoned for the season. Otherwise
Professor Parker would not have left
the expedition. Instead of this DR..
Cook, ii Is charged. side-trackedN all
members OF the expedition until there
remained only Cook, his guide. Bar
rill, and one packer, who was sub
sequently got rid Of. These OBJECTIONS
left DIR. Cook, says Professor Parker.
no instruments capable of assuring the
attitudes he says he attained. More
over. he adds. the summers expert
ence had shown that of all the party.
DR.. Cook and Barrill were the least
| fitted physically for arduous noun
| tain climbing. Brown In the main
confirms Professor Parker and says
also that in DR.. Cooks book there is
| not one date given from the time he
| left Chulitna.
Intelligent Criticism Impossible.
This makes intelligent criticism i'm
possible. He asserts further that he
never saw DR.. Cook make a single
aneroid barometer reading during the
whole trip Confirming q charge that
| has previously been made, he says
| that Dr. Cook was known TO be in
| serious financial straits and would
have had great difficulty in getting
out of Alaska II he had not reported
| that he attained the summit of Mount
| Mckinley.
Brown fortifies his charges with the
/ declaration that Cook and Barrill had
/ no ice creepers and though DIR. Cook
afterward told Professor Parker that
! he Cook and Barrill were roped to-
/ eether every foot of the last stages
| Professor Parker and Brown both re-
membered that they destroyed the
climbing rope as defective before they
quit the expedition. Furthermore, in
none of the pictures published in DR.
Cooks book does climbing rope APP
pear.
Brown and Sheldon also report that
various photographs in DR.. Cooks
book DO not represent the peaks they
are said to picture; and Sheldon denies
that he is the author of the appendix
in the book which DR.. Cook credits
| to him.
The committee as whole. there
fore, concludes in part that DIR
Cooks account of the ascent Is moi
only such as to be unconvincfng to
the experienced mountainer, but that
under analysis II becomes Incredible
THAT he entered into a secret
| financial agreement with publisher
which resulted In embarrassment tc
his associates.
THAT be broke his agreement with
his fellow clubmen TO supply his
original photographs and data upon
which his book was based"