Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-02
ROWS WITH MURPHY
Whitney QueIled BoatsWain
With Show of Gun.
CHICKERING'S AT ETAH CAMP
Pritchard Protected by Sportsman
From Newfoundlander.
COOK HAD FUSS TO GET FOOD
AK Welded by Burly Agent of
Peary in Battle Over Supplies
of Rival Explorer.
CHICKERING'S AT ETAH CAMP
COOK HAD FUSS TO GET FOOD

ney, the New Haven uuutcI, WIN 10 VI
his way home from Greenland. left the
st. Johns express here last night, instead
OF continuing to Boston, where 1t was
thought he might meet DR.. Cook.
| During the journey Whitney remained
most of the time in his Pullman com
| partment with friends.
In response to an inquiry at Portland
, he said:
| "The report that a meeting has beer
| arranged between DR.. Cook and myself
is unfortunate. I have had no commune
| cation with either DR.. Cook or Mr.
Peary."
| Regarding DR.. Cooks records. Mr.
Whitney said that when DR.. Cook gave
him the boxes at Etah the explorer
| opened one, remarlling: This contains
| my Instruments and showed them to
| Whitney.
There was another box which DR.. Cook
Whitney says he did not know. though
he has no reason to doubt DR.. Cook s
statement that in it were rough drafts
and notes concerning the discovery of the
north pole.
Chickering's at Etah Camp.
Threats of death and savage chickering's
at Etah. on the frozen shores of North
Greenland. attended the arrival at the
Peary camp there of DIR. Cook. On one
occasion, when appealing to Boatswain
John Murphy Of the Roosevelt to extend
the courtesies Of the camp to the wasted
and half-famined explorer. Whitney was
threatened with an ak by Murphy and
had to threaten Murphy in turn with a
shotgun before the fiery boatswain's tenn
per cooled.
TIT, ond o+ho. o,,rr~,, ,,,,&h 1S,,.nh,,
at Etah are the secrets that Whitney has
so closely guarded and concerning which
he refuses to utter syllable.
To friends who came down from st.
Johns. n. F., with him after he left the
jeanne Tuesday he unbosomed himself. He
told them of many months Of quarreling
with Murphy; of Murphy's bulldozing and
bullying methods and Of the final quarrel
over Cooks stores and the Peary pro-
visions at Etah, in which the boatswain
ak to attack him.
Stop Boatswain With Guns.
The cabin boy. Pritchard. 1t seems. was
on Whitney's side in this quarrel and
seized gun, as did Whitney.
1t was directly after this furious quarrel
that DR.. Cook left Etah and proceeded on
his way to Upernavik. whence he got In
touch with civilization by picking up a
whaler.
Throughout the black night Of arctic
winter that he spent at Etah as Peary' s
guest Whitney had trouble with Murphy
He won the animus of the boatswain by
Interfering when Murphy bossed his lit
tie cabin boy assistant with club and
kicked and cuffed the lad until he walled
for mercy.
foundlander. who can neither read nor
write: a man of volcanic temper and an
arm of steel.
Futile rumors Of an unpleasantness at
Etah between Murphy and Whitney have
been simmering since the inception OF the
Cook controversy. Whitney has frankly
told the few friends he met since his re-
turn to civilization that he was forced to
leave the Peary camp and go and live
among the Eskimos.
Peary stores at Etah. and at the same
time having been instructed by Peary to
likewise exercise a supervision over the
Cook stores there, Murphy took his re-
sponsibilities tremendously to heart in a
purely primeval way.
And, strange as it may seem. 1t was to
a man of this caliber, a man of dense ig-
norance, that Peary left written instruc-
tons concerning what should be done
with Cooks and his own stores.
Instructed to Use Cooks Stores.
Murphy had only a Ilimmering of what
lis written instructions were. He under
stood that no love was wasted by his
chief upon DR.. Cook. He could not inag
me, therefore. that his chief desired any
courtesies extended to DR.. Cook, no mat
Ter how famished he was when he reach
I'd the Etah camp
Those written instructions were to first
use the Cook stores, as they were imper-
;ectly packed. This was fair enough on
Peary's part, for further on In his In
structions he ordered Murphy to provide
Cook with whatever he needed in the way
Of provisions when he got to Utah.
And when he got there and demanded
provisions the quarrel arose In which
cuns and an ak came near playing a
tragic part.
Whether or not DR.. Cook played any
part in this quarrel other than as a
spectator cannot be learned. Both ne
and Whitney have been scrupulously 81
Of Peary at Etah. and Cook because he
believes the explanation should come
from the other side.
The young New Haven sportsman feels
his present strained position In the con-
troyersy between Cook and Peary keen
~. In fact, he was almost nervous
wreck before he crossed the Massachu-
sets border last night and decided TO es-
cape from the controversy Tor the tlme
being by slipping from the train at Sa
-
friends, where he expects to remain In
secusion for two days.
In this way he lodged an invitation to
meet Cook. who lectured In Boston last
night Cook sent an automobile to the
station to meet Whitney and take him to
the lecture hall.
Whitney's Peculiar Position.
Admitting Peary as a great explorer.
but believing that Cook was the first man
to reach the north po.e. Whitney can
please neither by a firm neutrality. Cook
wants him to come forward and explain
all that occurred at Etah. The young
man is reluctant to do this because OF
the courtesy extended him by Peary
! when he' asked permission to spend the
winter at the commanders camp.
When the Roosevelt came down from
Cape Sheridan to Etah last August he
| informed Commander Peary of the rows
| he had with Murphy. but Peary did not
manifest any interest In the sllhiAct AZ