Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1909-10-21

NEW lOIh, OCt. IL uc IOllOWlI 3
statement of Commander Robert E.
Peary. which he submitted, together
with the accompanying map, to the
Peary Arctic club in support Of his
contention that Dr. Cook did not reach
the north pole, is now made public for
the first time. The statement and
map have been copyrighted by the
Peary Arctic club.
Commander Peary's Introduction.
Some of my reasons fer saying that
DR.. Cook did not go to the north pole
will be understood by those who read
the following statements of the two
Eskimo Toys who went with him, and
who told me and others of my party
where he did go. Several Eskimos
who started with DR.. Cook from An
oratok in February, 1908, were at
Etah when l arrived there in August,
1908. They told me that DR.. Cook had
with him, after they left, two Eskimo
boys, or young men, two sledges and
some twenty dogs. The boys were
l-tooka-shoo and Ah-pe-lah. | had
known them from their childhood.
One was about eighteen and the other
about nineteen years of age.
On my return from Cape Sheridan
and at the very first settlement !
touched (Nerke, near Cape Chalon) in
August, 1909, and nine days before
reaching Etah, the Eskimos told me.
in a general way, where DR.. Cook had
been; that he had wintered in Jones
Sound, and that he had told the white
men at Etah that he had been long
way north, but that the boys who were
with him, I-took-a-shoo and A-pe-lah,
said that this was not so. The Eski.
mos laughed at DR.. Cooks story. On
reaching Etah, l talked with the Els.
kimos there and with the two boys
and asked them to describe DIR. Cook
journey to members of my party and
myself. This they did in the manner
stated below.
(Signed.) R. E. PEARY.
Signed Statement OF Peary, Bartlett
Mcmillan, Borup and Henson, in Re.
gard to Testimony of Cooks Two
Eskimo Boys.
The two Eskimo boys, I-took-a-shoc
and Ah-pe-lah, who accompanied DR.,
Cook while he was away from Anora.
tok in 1908 and 1909, were questioned
separately and independently, and
were corroborated by Panikpah, the
father Of one of them Q-took-a-shoo),
who was personally familiar with the
first third and the last third of their
journey, and who said that the route
for the remaining third as shown b.
them, was as described to him by his
son after his return with DIR. Cook
The narrative of these Eskimos is
as follows:
They. with DR.. Cook, Francke and
nine other Eskimos, left Anoratok
crossed Smiths Sound to Cape Sabine
slept in Commander Peary's old house
in Payer Harbor, then went through
Rice strait 10 Buchanan bay. After a
few marches Francke and three Eski
mos returned TO Anoratok.
DR.. Cook. with the others, then pro-
ceeded up Flagler bay, branch oil
Buchanan bay, and crossed Files
mere Land through the valley pass al
the head of Flagler bay, indicated by
Commander Peary in 1898, and utilized
by Sverdrup in 1899, to the head oil
Sverdrup's Bay Fiord" on the west
side of Ellesmere Land
Their route then lay out through
this ford. thence north through Sver
drup's "Heuerka Sound" and hansen
strait
On their way they killed musk oxen
and bear, and made caches, arriving
eventually at point on the west side
of Nansen strait (shore of Axel Hell
berg Land of Sverdrup). south oil
Cape Thomas Hubbard
A cache was formed here and the
four Eskimos did not go beyond this
point Two others, Koolootingwah and
Inughito, went on one more march
with DIR. Cook and the two boys,
helped to build the snow igloo, then
returned without sleeping.
These two Eskimos brought back