The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-09-10
THINKS COOK IS WRONG
Figures 1t All Out From the
h Data.
Us Not Surprised at Speed
Made
Taking the Brief Account Which
Peary Has Given for Such An As.
sertion, the Secretary of the Pear,
Artic Club Argues that DIR. Cook
Was Wrong In His Conclusions.

tBy Herbert u. Bridgman. Secretary.
treasurer of the Pcary Arctic club
stan correspondent of the United
Prcss)
Stellarton, N. s., (enroute TO Syd.
ney, ". 50 Sept. 10. 0.-"Commander
Peary's brief statement, as published
IN today's papers leads me to the be.
lief that the scientific records of the
trip viii show that Commander Peary
solved the problem of centuries on
purely scientific principles and that
his collected data will prove he is the
man to whom the nation owes its
chief debt for achievement of prac-
tcal results in the Arctic regions.
Instead of going directly north, IL
Us evident TO me that Mr.. Peary
started west over his own track,
made three years ago, after he re.
turned to his ship from the then
rarthest north following out exactly
his often stated plan.
THE chronological story of his trip
north indicates plainly that his rate
of travel was much faster the farther
north he proceeded and after he got
clear of the land and the land ice.
The first part OF the trip averaged
ten miles a day while 1t is to be no
ted that on his last day and while
making his final dash. he covered
forty miles day. I also note that
Peary Is entirely silent in the mat
ter of 10000 square miles of land of
which DR.. Cook spoke. If Peary
had seen any new land 1t is almost
certain he would have spoken of it,
even in his brief summary.
81 am not surprised that Peary
remained only one day at the pole
One day was necessary for rest and
observations. but with his necessarily
limited food supply, the spot was
not one on which to delay and hold
a picnic. "'rhe return of Peary in
sixteen days from the pole To Cape
Columbia and his return to the ex-
act spot from which he started was,
20 my mind. remarkable feat, and
indicates that great progress has
been made in overcoming the diff.
ficulties i'm reaching the pole, and
that the route Peary has blazed will
be the one used by all would-be pole
seekers for a long time to come.
1T is evident he encountered much
more open water than he had antic
ipated and this must have interfered
greatly with his progress. II is also
evident from the fact that the sup.
porting party, with which Marvin
was connected, reached eighty-siN
degrees north, that Peary had an un.
usually successful trip or he would
not have succeeded in getting hls
party that far. The fact that Marvin
was in charge of the supporting par
~ leads me to believe that Mcmillan
was the only white man with Peary
on the nnal dash. l would wager
however. that Matt Henson, the big
negro who has been Peary's man
Friday for more than twenty years,
was the commander in the hour of his
triumph"
II must admit that the figures
given by Peary's statement showing
tncreasing rapidity with which he trav-
elcd as he neared the pole itself,
confirm DR.. Cooks statements that
he travelled faster the farther north
he went. and also kills off the credu-
lity that has been voiced as to Cooks
ability to travel at the rate at which
lie claimed to have Travelled. l am
convinced. however that from the
tone OF Mr.. Peary's message, he has
facts that will prove that DR.. Cook
Is wrong in his belief that he
reached the actual pole"