Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-28
MUCH FAULT IS FOUND
WITH ENTIRE EQUIPMENT
Evidence of Eskimos Does Not Bear
Out Polar Claims.
DOUBTS WHITNEY HAD PROOF
Peary Does Not Think Cook Would
Have Left Instruments Be-
hind, Except With I'M
proper Intent.

BAR HARBOR. Me. September 2S.-|
Commander Pobert f. Pcary and Gen.
Thomas Fl. Hubbard. president of the
Peary Arctic Club, were again in confer
ence today over the proofs which Com
mander Peary has gathered from various
sources to show that DR.. Frederick A
Cook did not reach the pole. 1t was said
that the conference would probably con-
tinue all day.
Commander Peary and his wife may
not return to Portland before tomor-
row.
Commander Peary is anxious to make a
full statement of the whole matter. This
will hardly be done until the officers
of the Peary Arctic Club have passed on
the statement
The proofs which Commander Peary
will offer are Of various character. Some
of them, in a court of law, would be de-
scribed direct evidence, while other
proofs depend entirely on deductions
from certain given facts.
The equipment and expedition of DR..
Cook will be described in detail, and
against its alleged accomplishment in
travelling to the pole and return will be
compared the work of expeditions of
Peary and other arctic explorers.
DR.. Cooks experience with arctic ex-
petitions, his methods Of keeping the
IctoIuS, anu disposition OF them III
part to Harry Whitney, a stranger to
him, will play no small part in Com
mander Peary's statement.
1t is combination of circumstances
and facts which, in their cumulative
strength. Commander Peary believes will
cut the ground from under DR.. Cook
claim.
Peary's statement embraces not only
the technical points on which he hopes
to disprove all of DR.. Cooks claims, but
a summary that will be simple enough
for the lay readers to understand
1t will b. submitted proof not only
that Cook was not at the pole, but that
Peary himself is the only one entitled to
be called the discoverer of the goal that
has been sought for three centuries.
Peary's Indictment.
There are fourteen counts in the indct-
ment. and they may be summarized as
follows:
First-That Peary and Matt Henson.
either individually or together, talked
with every member of the Smiths sound
tribe of Eskimos and obtained testimony
that corroborates that of E-tuck- shoe
and A-Pel-Lah, the boys who accompa-
MED Cook. that Cook had not been out of
Sight of land.
Second-Tha: in violation of the recog-
niZed custom of arctic exploration. Cook
has not brought back records left in
cairns at points he asserts he had reach
ed. notably the one left at Cape Thomas
Hubbard in 1895 by Peary.
Third-That Cooks story that he trav-
eled from Annootok to the pole. and then
back to Jones sound, distance of more
than 25l2 degrees, or about 100 miles, in
one Sledging season, Is impossible. He
points out that this is more than twice
the best previous record Of. II degrees
and Peary's best record this year Of IA
degrees.
Finds Fault With Equipment.
Fourth-That Cooks general equipment
possibility to have accomplished the re-
markable siege.
Fifth-That Cook claimed he carried a
glass mercurial horizon on his trip Of LOO
miles. whereas Peary used a cast-iron
saved from being broken, but could be
heated when mercury froze. This is nee
essary sometimes, Peary contends. as
mercury freezes at .:55. DIR. Cook reports
finding it as cold as 81 degrees.
Sixth-That Prof. Marvin brought back
from S6.3S duplicate records of Peary's
march and Of his own to prove absolutely
that Peary reached that latitude.
Seventh-That Capt. Bartlett brought
back from S748 duplicate records of
Peary's march and of his own to prove alb
solutely that Peary reached that latitude.
Eighth-That the sledge of Cook was of
such type not built on the lines of any
arctic exploring sledge, that it could not
with standard load of five or six hum
dred pounds.
Ninth-That Cooks snowshoes were of
an impracticable type for use in the arctic
and were not the kind that would conduce
to speed.
Doubts Whitney Had Records.
Tenth-That Cooks leaving of his rec
ords at Etah on his part was an act by
which he could claim they were lost or
destroyed and SO could escape being
forced to produce them to substantiate
his claim.
Eleventh-That no man who has car
ried the American flag to the pole could
leave such a slight and easily transported
article in the care of a perfect stranger.
Twelfth-That Cook did not have fresh
dog teams from Etah and could have
carried his burden to Uppernavik.
Thirteenth-That when Harry. Whitney
went on board the Jeanne he did not take
time to go back to Etah and get the
articles that he must have known were
valuable to Cook
Fourteenth-That if Cook did leave such
priceless articles at the Eskimo village
Whitney would have been anxious to rush
Their. to the United States.
This summary of the lines upon which
the fight will be made was obtained from
Peary on board the train while he was
coming from his summer home at Eagle
Island. just outside of Portland to hold
conference with Gen. Hubbard in this
city.
1t was the first time Peary had con-
sented to talk on the Cook controversy
since he sent his first messages from Bat
tie Harbor.
Ready to Take Desperate Chances.
Peary not only outlined his plan of cam
paign. but made known for the, first time
that he had determined to reach the
north pole this time at the greatest
hazard. He asserted that he had made
every preparation to reach the goal that
he had been fighting for the twenty three
years even if he never returned.
Il sent back by Prof. Marvin and by
Capt. Bartlett he said, records for
Mrs. Peary that in the event Of my not
returning would prove concusively that
l had gone farther north than any other
living man.
When Prof. Marvin turned back with
his supporting party at 1898, he had a
complete record himself and a duplicate
of my record up to that point, which
proved beyond the shadow of doubt
that ! have at least reached that latitude
His and my records to that parallel were
substantiated by those of Capt. Bartlett
when Capt. Bartlett turned back at
S74S he had with him not only a COM
pleta record of his movements but OF