The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-10-26
lie Writes From Greenland Results of His Question
ing of Natives-Doctor's Companions Say no OBJ
stacle Turned Them Back; That They Were on
the Ice From Spring Until Autumn; That Their
Dogs Were in Good Condition., and Their Leader
Energetic and Resourceful.

nave an opportunity Of meeting the
Cape York Askimos, / wrote, just be-
fore | started from Hugssnak, on
July 10, a letter to DR.. Cook. the con-
tents of which were as follows:
My heartiest congratulations
on your happy north pole journey.
Your victory IS the greatest in the
history of arctic exploration. 1t
will bear its reward in itself, but
great victories always bring envy
to light, and you will, on your re-
turn, have to reckon IN a big
fight with ever-ready doubters. /
therefore, mean to be Of great
help to you if |, when, during the
summer l am visiting the polar
EskimOs at Cape York, get a
thorough interview with your
companions, if l happen to meet
them.
In order to help me in get
ting the interview as complete as
possible, I ask you to give me a
short resume Of your journey be-
fore you leave Greenland, and L
ask you to send this to Umanak by
the Hans Egede on the 3rd."
However, during my stay between
Cape York and Kimo, 1 did not meet
DR.. Cooks two companions, who, at
the time. were about 100 miles north
of North t Bay, and the Informal
ton I could get from other polar Els
kimos was, therefore, only second
hand. On my return to Umanak,
where / met the Hans Egede, there
was no reply to my letter to Cook.
Now Thinks 1t Time to Speak.
"a few days later / met Cook at
Egedesn1inde. Just before he was leav-
ing, and as I got the impression that
he was going to take the eventual
doubters with q tone of superiority,
which he had a perfect right to do.
l thought a defense from me would
be out of place, and I preferred to
keep quiet, u now, after the infOr-
nation which / ave from the news
papers which goes to September 9,
1 think h moment has come to
speak. My report will be supple
mented when 1 arrive at Copenhagen
at the beginning of November.
1T is, of course, impossible for
me to give absolute proofs that Cook,
a single White man with two Eski-
mos mas been to the pole. 1t must
necessarily be more or less q matter
of belief, as authorities always main
ain that a clever sWindler, even II
he has not reached the pole, may be
very we'll able to construct a series
of observations, and these, together
and in continuation of real Ohserva-
tons. It would be impossible to con
denim criminals on circumStantlaI evil
dence, but there will always, in such
big, complicated things as a north
pole journey, be a number Of small
points which, without constituting alb
solute proof, still on the whole will
give a picture Of fact that leaves Out
all doubt.
Eskimo Details of Value.
"Eskimos are, Of course, not able
to decide if DR.. Cook has only been
on his way to the pole, or il he has
really reached the ninetieth degree.
But through them we can get a lot
Of details which together have value,
az for instance: 1, the start Of the
expedition and the route taken over
the ice; 2, how far the expedition has
been from land: 3, if there were any
snecial obstacles which hindered go
ing further thar the place which DR..
Caok called h pole, and T. the
equipment of DR.. COOK anu MS wv
men at the start.
THAT DIR. Cook was away tro"
Anoratok since January ana fepru-