Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-27
EXPLAINED BY PEARY.
Tells Why He Refused to Bring
DR.. Cooks Belongings.

DR.. Cooks Belongings.
PORTLAND, Me, September 27.-Com-
| mander Robert E. Peary explained how 1t
came about that the box said to contain
| the records of DR.. Cooks polar journey
and his instruments were left at Etah. A
| copy of the dispatch sent yesterday by
Harry Whitney. the New Haven sports
| man, from Indian Harbor. Labrador, to
the New York Times and printed this
morning was shown to Commander Peary.
The dispatch reads:
''STRATHCONA. Indian Harbor, via
Marconi Wireless. Cape Race, N. F., Sep
TENDER 25.-To the Editor Of the New
York Times:
II know not the extent Of the contents
or the box left In my charge by DIR. Cook
to be brought back.
NO vessel having arrived for me at
Etah before the Roosevelt returned from
the north. l started home on her. Com
| mander Peary would not allow anything
belonging 10 DR.. Cook to come aboard his
ship. I was forced to leave the articles
In cache at Etah.
ION DR.. Cooks arrival at Annootok in
April, 1909, he told me he had discovered
and requesting me to withhold tnforma-
ton from Commander Peary, but permit
ting me to say that he had gone farther
than Peary had gone on his last expedi-
ton. HARRY WHITNEY,
Commander Peary's Statement.
Commander Peay gave a close reading
to the dispatch and then dictated the fol-
lowing:
AT Etah August II or IS, after the ar
rival Of the Roosevelt. and after I had
invited Mr.. Whitney to come aboard OF
the Roosevelt, with all of his belongings
and trophies, having extended the in
vitation in view Of the uncertainty of
the movements of his own ship which
he had expected to arrive about the
first of August, and which had not yet ap-
peared-Whitney told me that he had
some fox skins. six, 1 think. and some
narwhal horns, which Cook had sent back
after leaving Etah for Danish Greenland.
with request that Whitney take them
home with him on Whitney's ship Whit
| ney also told him that Cook had given
him the sledge with which Cook had re-
turned to Etah in April.
Il then told Whitney that l did not
| care to have anything belonging to Cook
| on board the Roosevelt, and that all l
wanted from Whitney was that he would
give me his word that he would not bring
| on board the Roosevelt anything belong
| ing to Cook. which promise he Instantly
gave me.
Later, while engaged in packing up
and bringing his things to the ship Whit
ney came off and told me that he also
| had some clothes and instruments belong
| ing to Cook. told Whitney that these
| as We'll as the fox skins and narwhal
| horns. he could put in cache at Etah. or
leave in charge of the Eskimos for Cook
| whichever lie though best. Just befor.
the Roosevelt left Etah he told me that
he had personally seen that these things
had been left in cache and had told
the Eskimos that they had been left
| there for Cook.
Peary Warned the Eskimos.
Il also told the Eskimos that they were
| to leave that cache undisturbed, and that
| they were not to break up Cooks sledge.
Later X heard the report that the IN
strUments were the ones that Cook had
| used during his sledge journey, but 1
gave the report no credence, as could
| not conceive of man leaving instru-
ments OF that kind out of his own sight
| or in the hands OF a stranger.
still later. afAer leaving Eskimo la nd
entirely and during the voyage home, l
| heard a report that Cook had also left
| with Whitney fiaS which he had car
r,ed with him on his sledge journey No
| one seemed 10 know anything definite
about this and / paid no attention to
the report for the same reason as before.
After getting in contact with the world
| / learned that Cook was reported to have
said that he. had left the records Of his
sledge journey for Whitney to bring
| home ] had never heard of anything OF
| the kind and discredited this report as
! we'll.
While knowing nothing of the matter,
/ do not believe that Cook left either
his records or his instruments or flags
with Whitley. l cannot conceive il pos
sible for a man. under the circumstances,
| to have LETT such priceless things out Of
| his sight To- an instant. AS he went
across Melville bay to Danish Greenland
with three or four sleiges and teams Of
dogs his instruments. his records and his
| flags would scarcely haye added a feather
weight to the burden.