St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1909-10-13
EVIDENCE
DR.. COOK


The second boy was then called in
and the two went over the chart to-
gether, the second boy suggesting
some changes as noted hereafter.
Finally. Panikpah. the father. was
again called in to'verify details Of the
portions of the route with which he
was personally familiar.
The bulk of the boys testimony was
not taken by Commander Peary. nor
in his presence, fact that obviates
any possible claim that they were
awed by him.
Certain questions on Independent
lines from the direct narrative of the
Eskimo boys were suggested by Com
mander Peary to some of us. and were
put by us to the Eskimo boys.
Still later, Commander Peary asked
the Eskimo boys two or three casual
questions on minor points that had
occurred to him.
During the taking of this testimony.
it developed that DR.. Cook had told
these boys. as he told Mr. Whitney
and Billy Pritchard, the cabin boy,
that they must not tell Commander
Peary or any Of us anything about
their journey. and the boys stated
DR.. Cook had threatened them If they
should tell anything.
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 to Buchanan Bay. After
few marches Francke and three Eski-
mos returned to Anoratok.
DR.. Cook. with the others. then pro-
ceeded up Flagler Bay. branch of
Buchanan Bay, and crossed Ellesmere
Land through the valley pass at the
head of Flager Bay. indicated by Com
mander Peary in 1898. and utilized by
Sverdrup in 1899. to the head of Sver-
drups bay Fiord" on the west side
of Ellesmere Land.
Their route then lay out through this
ford. thence north through Sverdrups
"Heuerka Sound" and Nansen Strait.
On their way they killed musk-oxen
and bear, and made caches, arriving
eventually at a point on the west side
of Nansen Strait (shore of Axel Hell
berg Land of Sverdrup,, south Of Cape
Thomas Hubbard.
A cache was formed here and the
four Eskimos did not go beyond this
point. Two others. Koolootingwah and
Inughlto, went on one more march
with DR.. Cook and the two boys. help
ed to build the snow igloo. then re-
turned without sleeping.
These two Eskimos brought rack
letter from DR.. Cook to Francke, dat
ed the 18th of March. The two men
rejoined the other four men who had
been left behind, and the six returned
to Anoratok. arriving May 7th. This
information was obtained not from the
two Eskimo boys. but from the six
men who returned and from Francke
himself. and was known to US in the
summer, of 1908, when the Roosevelt
first arrived at Etah. The information
Is inserted here as supplementary to
the narrative of the two boys)
After sleeping at the camp where the
last two Eskimos turned back, DR..
Cook and the two boys went In
northerly or northwesterly direction
with two sledges and twenty odd dogs,
one more march, when they encOun-
tered rough ice and lead of open wa
ter They did not enter this rough ice,
nor cross the lead. but turned west
ward or southwestward a short dis
lance aud returned to Heiberg Land
at a point west of where they had left
the cache and where the four men had
turned back.
Here they remained four or five
sleeps, and during that time l-took-a-
shoe went back to the cache and got
his gun which be had left there, and q
few items of supplies.
When asked why only few supplies
were taken from the cache, the boys
replied that only a small amount OF
provisions had been used in the few
DAYS since they left the cache. and thai
their sledges still had all they coulo
carry. so that they could not take more
After being informed Of the boys
narrative thus far, Commander Peary
suggested series of questions TO pe
put to the boys in regard to this trll
from the land out and back to It,
These questions and answers were
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as follows:
Did they cross many open leads OF