New-York tribune., 1909-10-06
COOK ACCUSES PEARY
COMMERCIAL GREED AND
HINDRANCE CHARGED.
Letter to Captain Bernier Tells Of
Poles Discovery and Seizure
of Property.

Ottawa Oct 5-Captain Bernier Of the Cana
dian steamer Arctic. which reached Quebec to-
dav. made public letter written TO him by DR..
Frederick A. Cook May %, and delivered to
Captain Bernier on September / at Upernavik,
Greenland. The letter opens:
My Dear Captain:
u have TO write you the first letter after being
sealed behind ice barriers for two years. 1t was
your supplies so kindly left in charge Of Mr.
Whitney. which aided me greatly in getting to
UTpernavik All my other property had been
taken by Peary under the guise of relief sta
ton for Dr. Cook. Murphy the man in charge
Of the station however, instructed not 10
engage in any relief efforts; not to allow Esqul-
rnaus to cross and search until March of the fol-
lowing year. 1909 Ny large store of supplies
and nv station was used for barter with natives
TO satisfy Pearys commercial greed.
Fortunately we were able to work out our
problem without relief efforts except as You
offered. We have pushed into the boreal centre
and picked up the polar prize, but the effort
was dangerous beyond conception.
THE splendid assistance which you have given
and the HberaIity Of the Canadian government
in sending the ship is happy contrast TO the
hindrance and injustice OF one of my own coun-
tIymen.'
Describing the journey to the pole. DR.. Cook
says:
starting from Annatok on February 49,
1903. We crossed Enesmere Land, pushed along
IT'S western coast TO the Polar Sea, feeding ten
Esauimaus and 1O3 dogs en- route on musk oxen
and bears.
From 50 degrees north I started with but
two Young Esquimaus and twenty-six dogs,
pulling two sleighs, and supplies for eighty days
The ice was fine after crossing ST degrees.
Crockers Land was sighted and passed, and
new land found TO the north of it. extending
to S. degrees. Beyond no land was seem The
pole was reached on April %. 1903. The return
was forced slightly westward on the northward
route but about So degrees we drifted east and
south. Below 81 degrees we had drifted with an
active pack
I'VE were helpIessly carried TO the west. un-
able 10 reach our caches along Nansen's Sound
We were pushed into Prince Gustave Sea. with
food and fuel exhausted Still unable to press
eastward we went with the ice 10 the south.
food and fuel now exhausted. Polar bears came
to our rescue as life savers We then went into
Wellington Channel, hoping to be able TO
reach whalers in Lancaster Sound. but we
were soon stopped by failing food sup
plies and young small ice With no game.
this short route to an early ship was no longer
possible and to satisfy the pangs of hunger we
worked 10 Jones Sound. Here. after long run
OF hard adventure by boat and sledge, a cruel
necessity forced US into winter camp in Sep
tenber at Cape Sparbo without fuel or food,
ammunition or winter clothing, with no dogs
and no guns. Our situation was almost hope
less but fortune came our way. Bows and ar
rows. harpoons. lances and other compliments
we're made The musk oxen and bear were
taken with lines. The lance and knife secured
US small game.
Foxes were trapped. walruses and seals at
tackled and secured in our little folding canvas
boat An underground dam was built and the
winter Of 19O8-'O9 passed with a taste of every
thing save fresh meat. for we had not a morsel
of civilized food, not eveA salt new equip
rnent was devised and as soon the sun Of 1909
rose over the hills of North Devon we started for
Annotok in February, 1909, dragging dried
musk oxen meat food and melted talow as
fuel for thirty days on our sleigh. Deep snow,
had ice open water and continued storm made
the return slow and arduous We reached An
notok after run of hard luck, on April ..
Here we were met by Whitney, only TO find that
Pearv's men had misused our station, with its
equipments Under the protection of Mr.. Whit
nev we enjoyed good health at all times"
Captain Bernier said that the Northwest Pas
sage had been traversed. Green, first mate of
the Arctic. in May of this year. with party Of
six selected men, drove the ice westward,
but before returning TO Etah suffered great
hardships All their dogs were killed for food.
and the men arrived at the winter headquarters
dragging their sled and in the last stages of ex-
haustion
Montreal. oct 5-A dispatch from Quebec to
.The Herald" to-day says that Captain Bernier.
when asked whether he thought that either Cook
or Peary had reached the pole. answered:
"'I would not admit that either have been TO
the pole before ! have had sufficient proof.
Both are very persistent"
The captain did not want 10 say more be-
cause. he said, ne expected TO be a witness in
the Cook -Peary controversy.