New-York tribune., 1909-09-23
DIR. COOK GIVES DETAILS
PEART INCIDENT CLOSED
HE TELLS REPORTERS.
Ans7cers Fu@IIade of Questions Pit
to Him-Cty Takes Official
Notice of Return.

DIR. Frederick A Cook faced the reporters yes
terday for his first long interview upon Ameri- |
can soil For an hour and hall questi ms were
flung at him by the forty men present. and he
answered them all readily except such as bore
too closely Commander Peary's personal
challenge to his truthfulness and those regard
ing details and adventures which viii increase
the interest of his jealousy guarded book But
he let fall many hints vividly suggestive of the
sufferinss on his lonely marches, and supplied
many bits of detail hitherto untold or incor-
rectly reported.
The Board of Aldermen expressed it's faith in
his claim by voting yesterday 70 give the ex-
porer the freedom of the city and to hold re-
ception for him in the City Hall. Dr. Cook kept
close to his rooms in the Waldorf throughout
the day. attending to his correspondence. visit
ing with his family and receiving the friends
who called on him
The interview was anything but a cross-ex-
animation. II more like the quizzing of
lecturer by an audience anxious for further in
formation upon his speciality. Or. Cooks bear
ing soon won the sympathy of his interviewers
and though the rather untechnicaI questions
which followed the preIiminaries were put
swiftly there was no suggestion of hostility in
their tone There were many skeptics in the
room when DR.. Cook entered there were few
when he had done
The reporters gathered in a lofty room In a
Waldorf suite. with gilded chairssand sofas Of
yellow satin. The explorer entered with his
usual quiet saunter. accompanied by his little
daughter Ruth and Walter LonsdaIa. his secre-
tary. who was recommended 10 him by Minister
Egan in Copenhagen He paused at the door.
bowed TO the newspaper men as they gathered
about him. and sat down.
I'm ready" he said. Fire away"
There was a pause which embarrassed the re-
porters more than the man they sought to quiz
Then he continued:
Il am ready to answer any questions you may
wish to ask. but perhaps you had better have
some one man put the questions
He seemed not to notice that his interrogatOrs
paid no attention to his suggestion. Then the
questions came thick and fast.
IMPOSING SECRECY ON WHITNEY.
For what reason did you impose secrecy upon
Whitney and Pritchard:
Il didn't think that I bound to divulge To
Peary the nature of my work. Whitney is at
liberty to give the world all the news he has
when he lands. without my consent"
when do you expect to hear from him?"
About the middle of October The Jeanie is
following the programme that Whitney told me.
running over to the American side and to Hud-
son Bay To hunt big game
to his sister,
''He was at liberty to write anything so long
as it did not get out before 1 did Pritchard
did write such a letter. and l made him
change it,"
''Why did you not want Commander Peary to
know of your exploit?"
The explorer Strengthened himself in his chair |
He replied. however. in the same steady tone |
that he had used from the first:
''Vhy should I inform Peary sooner than the /
rest of the world? He wouldn't have done so" /
did anything ever occur between you and |
Peary TO cause bitterness, or to make him feel |
that your report of gaining the pole was worth |
Iess?"
Nothing that l know Of
CONSIDERS PEARY \ FRIEND.
DO you look upon Commander Peary
friend or an enemy?"
Il must say" with rather rueful smile. that /
don't know. have treated him as friend. |
and so far as 1 know I consider him friend.
and shall do so until know more about the sit
uation'
rs it true yoG said at Etah that you feared
violence from him if he found you there
There is no truth in that"
will you meet Peary in debate?"
Here DR.. Cook turned quickly in his chair
with the first movement of impatience he had
shown.
so far I am concerned the Paary incident
is closed he said. ''Peary is not the dictator
of my affairs nor 1 of his, and YOU will ask
nothing further about the whole Peary matter"
'Since you knew Whitney expected a ship why
did you not wait for her?'
by way of Upernavik hoped to make Den
mark by July August"
could you possibly have got TO Denmark
earlier?''
20. 1 think not. l might have risked a jour
ney in an open boat for three hundred miles
but the risk would have been great"
Three hundred miles in what dirctlon?'
''South-but cut all that out. That's not essen
tial."
SEEMING CONTRADICTION.
1t was the first time the explorer had made
anything that might seem like a contradiction
The readiness with which ne abandoned IT, will
ing to let matter OF conjecture go unexplained
and combining himself to matters OF experience
strengthened the impression which his frank
manner had already made upon the men present.
For how long were you provisioned when the
last supporting party went back?"
For eighty days. reckoning two Esquimaus i
Continued fourth nasS