The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-09-18
COOK NEARS HOME
Explorer Asks American People
for Their Confidence.
Has Records That Will Prove
His Claims.

On Board the Steamship Oscar II a
Sea, Sept. IS, via Marconi Wireless tt
Cape Race, N. F.-"Tell the people Of
America to have the fullest con
fidence in my conquest of the pole
I have records of observations made
by me which will prove my claim.
shall be glad to set my foot on Amer
lean SOIL
This was the brief message DR.
| Frederick A. Cook asked the Asso-
ciated Press to give to his country
men as he nears his home on the
steamer oscar IL bound from
Christiansands, Norway. to New
York The oscar II is due to arrive
there some time next Monday. DR..
J Cook discussed freely with the Asso-
! ciated Press correspondent the as
sertions of Commander Peary that
he (Cook) had never reached the
! North Pole and drew from him a de-
tailed story of the causes that
brought about dissension between the
two explorers
Z When he departed for the north
} Dr. Cook said, he left depot of pro-
visions at Annatook, north of Etah, in
charge of Rudolph Francke and sew
eral Eskimos. Francke had 1nstruc-
lions to go south aboard whaler
and return later This he did, but
a slight illness. He was then taken
aboard Peary's ship, the Roosevelt,
and proceeded north
Commander Peary found my sup
niles at Annatook," DR.. Cook con-
tinued, land the Eskimos in charge
told him that 1 was dead, which they
fully believed to be true at the time.
"Peary placed the two men in charge
Of the depot, Boatswain Murphy and
another. Harry Whitney, the New
Haven hunter. also remained there.
} Murphy had orders not to search foc
! me, but was told that he could send
| Eskimos northward the Following
spring from the relief depot.
when 1 returned from the pole,
Unexpectedly, Harry Whitney was the
first to see me and to tell me what had
session of the facts concerning my
journey to the pole on condition that
he would not inform Commander
Peary or his men of them. At the
same time the Eskimos who had ac-
companied me north were told to
maintain the strictest silence
when 1 went into the depot there
was a dispute between myself and
Murphy. who delivered to me written
Instructions he had received from
Peary. although~he himself could
neither read nor write These instruc-
tons showed that he was making a
trading station of my depot, the con
tents of which had been used in trad
ing for furs and skins"
DR.. Cook said he was intensely an
noyed at this alleged wrongful use of
his supplies and threatened to kick
out Murphy and his com panions. Fin
ally, however, he consented to their
remaining at the depot as there was
no other shelter in the vicinity for
them.
ION one occasion Murphy asked me
abruptly, Have you been beyond S7?'
DIR. Cook said: But I was determin
ed not to let Peary know of my move
ments and replied evasively that I
had been much farther north From
this statement has been concocted the
declartion that I had said that 1 had
not reached the pole
DR.. Cook declared that neither Har-
ry Whitney nor his (Cook's) records
are on board the steamer Roosevelt,
and that therefore Peary'S informa-
ton concerning him emanated from
Boatswain Murphy, who knew moth
ing of his movements. DR.. Cook said
also that he had made arrangements
for the two ESkimos who went with
him to the pole and Knud Rasmussen,
whom he met in Greenland. to go to
New York and confirm the story of
his discovery.
In a lecture in the saloon of the
ship DR.. Cook gave an outline of his
route to +he pole.
The journey was nothing really Won
derful," he said. 81 used no new de-
vices or inventions. I had. however.
tn csc to pure necessities
Unraveled Stockings for Thread
1.-THE reason for my success is that I
returned to the primitive life-in fact
he came a savage. sacrificed all comforts
to the race for the pole. The Eskimos
generally KEEP UP their coura ge."
In conversation with the passengers
DIR. Cook has thrown some light on his
experiences during the long journey to
the pole and return. He has explained
to them how the clothing of the mem
bers of the party were down to rags
and the Eskimos were obliged to devote
their time to the making of fur garm-
ents.
The explorer and his companions
possessed no thread with which to sew
skins together and therefore unraveled
their stockings and used the wool for
the thread. None. of the party suffer-
ed from frost bites. They possessed
10 eating utensils and their light was
obtained from musk OK fat and a wick
CT dried moss. The long winter night
was utilized by DIR. Cook in writing
He used the primitive stone writing
desk and lay prone while at work with
his manuscript. Meanwhile the Eski-
mos sewed and sang. The tempera-
ture in the snow hut was rarely above
the freezing point. Polar bears
abounded, making exits from the hut
dangerous.
Adventure With Polar Bear.
On one occasion, when he was pro
ceeding southwark after the discovery
CT the pole, DR.. Cook had an exciting
adventure with a polar bear but es-I
capped injury.