Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-06
WRITTEN
BY COOK IN MAY
TELLS OF POLE
MISSIVE SENT TO CAPTAIN OF
CANADIAN STEAMER
EXPLORER NARRATES TRIP TO
TOP OF GLOBE
Discoverer Complains of Peary Having
Misused His Supplies Left at the
Station-Describes Hazards
of Return Trip
LRv Aesociated Press. ]

OTTAWA, Ont, Oct. 5.-Captain
Bernier of the Canadian government
steamer Arctic, which arrived today,
made public a letter written to him by
DR.. Frederick A. Cook May 23 and de-
livered to Captain Bernier September
1 at Upernavik, Greenland. 1t says:
my Dear Captain: 1 have to write
you the first letter after having peen
sealed behind ice barriers for Two
years. 1t was your supplies, SO klndly
left in charge of Mr.. Whitney, which
aided me greatly in getting to Uper-
navik. All my other property had been
taken by Peary under the guise of a
relief station. Murphy, the man IN
charge of the station, however, was IN
structed not to engage in any rellef
efforts; not to allow Esldmos to cross
and search until March of the fol-
lowing year, 1907. My large store or
supplies and my station was used Tor
barter with natives to satisfy Peary S
commercial greed.
"Fortunately we were able to work
out our problem without relief efforts,
except as you offered. We have
pushed into the boreal center and
picked up the polar prize, but the ef-
fort was dangerous beyond conception.
1.-THE splendid assistance which you
have given and the liberality Of the
Canadian government in sending the
ship is a happy contrast to the him
drance and injustice of one Of my own
countryrnen."
Describes Trip to Pole
Describing the journey to the poe,
DR.. Cook says:
Starting from Annatook on Feb
ruary 10, 1908, we crossed Ellesmere-
land, pushed along its western coast
to the polar sea, feeding ten Esklmos
and 103 dogs en- route on musk OK and
bears.
From so north I started with two
Young Eskimos and twenty-siX dogs
pulling two sledges and supplies for
eighty days. The ice was fine after
crossing "a degrees.
"Crockersland was sighted and
passed and a new land found to the
north of it. Beyond no land was seen.
The pole was reached April 21, 1903.
The return was forced slightly west
ward on the northward route, but
about So degrees we drifted east and
south. Below S4 we drifted with an
active pack.
1--WE were helplessly carried to the
west, unable to reach our caches along
Nansen sound. We were pushed into
Prince Gustave sea with food and fuel
exhausted. Still unable to press east
ward, we went with the ice to the
south. Polar bears came to our rescue
as life savers. We then went into
wellington channel, hoping to be able
10 reach whalers in Lancaster sound
but we were soon stopped by falling
food supplies and young small ice.
Situation Desperate
with no game this short route to
an early ship was no longer possible,
and to satisfy the pangs of hunger we
worked to Jones sound. Here, after a
long run of hard adventure by boat
and sledges, a cruel necessity forced
us into winter camp in September at
Cape Sparbo, without fuel or food, am
mutton or winter clothing, with no
dogs, no guns.
"Our situation was almost hopeless,
but fortune came our way. Bows and
arrows, harpoons, lances and other i'm
plements were made.
'OThe musk OK and bear were taken
with lines. Lance and knife secured
us small game. Foxes were trapped,
walruses and seals attacked and Sc
cured in our little folding canvas boat.
An underground den was built and the
winter of 190S-9 passed. We had not
a morsel of civilized food, not even
salt.
"a new equipment was devised, and
as soon as the sun of 1909 rose over
the hills of North Devon we started
for Annatock in February, 1909, drag
ging dried musk OK meat as food and
melted tallow as fuel for thirty days
on sledges. Deep snow, bad ice. open
water and continued storms made the
return slow and arduous. We reached
Annatook after a run of hard luck,
April 5. Here we We're met by Whit
ney, only to find that Peary's men had
misused our station with it's equip
ments, under the protection of Mr..
Whitney. We enjoyed good health at