The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-10-13

Dld not remember exactly, but some
| How many s1edges did they hav,
when they got back to land? Ans. Two
| Did they have amy provisions left or
their sledges when they came back tt
land? Ans Yes: the sledges still hac
about all they could carry, so they were
/ able to take but few things from the
: cache.
From here they then went southwest
along the northwest coast of Heibers
Land TO a point indicated on the mar
| (Sverdrup's Cape Northwest.
From here they went across the ice
which was level and covered with snow
offering good going, to low island
which they had seen from the shore OF
Heiberg Land at Cape Northwest On
| this island they canped for one sleep
The size and position of this island
as drawn by the first boy. was criticised
by the second 10y as being too large and
too far to the west. the second boy
calling the attention of the first to the
fact that the position of the island was
more nearly in line with the point where
they had left Heiberg Land (Cape
Northwest) and the channel between
Amund Ringnes Land and Ellef Ring
nes Land
This criticism and correction was ac-
cepted by the first boy, who started to
change the position of the island, but
was stopped, as Commander Peary had
given instructions that no changes or
erasures were to be made in the route
l..
Saw Land Beyond.
From this island they could see two
lands beyond (Sverdrups Ellef Ringnes
and Amund Ringnes Lands). From the
island they journeyed toward the left
hand one of these two lands (Amund
Ringnes Land), passing a small island
which they did not visit.
Arriving at the shore of Amund Ring
mes Land, the Esklmos killed a deer as
indicated on the chart.
The above italiciSed portion of the
statement of the Eskimo boys covers
the period of time in which DIR. Cool:
claims to have gone to the Pole and
| back, and the entire time during which
he could possibly have made any at
tempts to go to it.
The answers of the Eskimo boys to
Commander Peary's series of independ-
ent questions, showing that they killed
no game, made no caches, lost no dogs,
and returned to the land with loaded
sledges, makes their attainment of the
Pole on the trip north of Cape Thomas
Hubbard a physical and mathematical
impossibility. as it would demand the
subsistence of three men and over
twenty dogs during a journey of ten
hundred and forty geogra phical mics
on less than two sledge loads of sup
plies.
If it is suggested that perhaps DR..
Cook got mixed and that he reached
the Pole, or thought he did, between
the time of leaving the northwest coast
Of Heiberg Land at Cape Northwest
and his arrival at Ringnes Land, where
they killed the deer. we must then add
to the date OF DR.. Cooks letter of
March 18th, at or near Cape Thomas
Hubbard, the subsequent four or five
sleeps at that point, and the number of
days required to march from Cape
Thomas Hubbard to Cape Northwest "a |
distance of some sixty nautical miles,, |
which would advance his date of de-
parture from the land to at least the |
18th of March, and be prepared to ac-
cept the claim that DR.. Cook went
from Cape Northwest (about latitude
eighty and a half degrees north) to the |
Pole, a distance of five hundred and
seventy geographical miles, in twenty
seven days.
Killed Another Deer.
After killing the deer they then
south along the east side of
Ringnes Land to the point indicated
IN the chart, where they killed an
0tner deer.
They then went east across the
south part of Crown Prince Gustav
sea to the south end of Heiberg Land,
hen down through Norwegian bay, l.