The National tribune., 1909-10-14
COOK VS.. PEARY.
Some Burning Questions About Very
Cold Subject-Peary's Title Not COM
mander

Some Burning Questions About IL Very
Cold Subject-Peary's Title Not COM
mander.
A great many questions are coming
to The National Tribune about Cook
and Peary, the North Pole discuy.:rcrs,
and they all show that there is the
greatest desire to know things ihst
are real things about the two men.
One questioner wants to know all
about how Cook looks
DR.. Cook is not a handsome man.
He is not very tall. possibly five feet
seven. is slender and muscular in ap-
pearance. He has the grasp of a warm
hearted man when he shakes hands,
and is most affable in his manner H.,
wears his brownish-red hair a little
long, and is nearly as brown as his hair.
He is low-Voiced-his voice is soft, al
most womanish. In tones. He has a
rather square chin on an oval face,
with firnl-set lips. and they. with his
broad, prominent brow, tell the story
of determination and will power. Now,
have said he isn't handsome; but he
is what is better, thoroly manly-look
ing man. He dresses a good deal like
a clergyman. in frock coat, but wears
a derby hat-black, of course. Up to
now he has had no harsh words for
anybody. When people are slashing
right and left at Peary in his presence
thing else. This is from personal OBJ
servation.
Elihu Hunt, of Youngstown, O., asks
| If Peary is a Commander in the Nay
No. Peary is simply Civil Engineer
| in the United States Navy. He wears
the uniform of a Civil Engineer. and
| that insignia and nothing else to dis
| tinguish him from the others. he ap-
pears In the Naval Register as having
| been appointed as a Civil Engineer Oct
26, 1881. Heading the lists of appoint
ments in which his name appears is
the following: "Order of precedence of
| officers on the active list of the Navy
below the grade of Rear-Admiral." Mr..
Peary'S name comes about It's in that
| list. When the Navy Department ad-
dresses Peary it addresses him as 'Mr.
Robert Z. Peary, Civil Engineer, u. s.
Navy" Under the heading Grade"
there Is no marking at all. Under head
| Sea Service there is a cipher showing
that he has never been assigned to sea
service. Under the head Shore or 9th
| er Duty" he is shown to have had IL
years and one month service. Under
the head Unemployed" he is shown to
| have been 16 years and one month Of
that time unemployed. He has spent
those 16 years hunting the North Pole
Samuel House. Philadelphia, Pa,
asks where Peary was born, and if he
4
in Pennsylvania, and appointed to be
a Civil Engineer from Maine. His faith
| er's name was Perry. His uncle, broth
| er of his father, who spells his name
Perry" is author of the statement that
Peary's fathers name as well as his
own is Perry. He does not know why
Peary changed his name.
Nathan Skinner, Chicago. ILL.,. writes
| to deplore the manner in which Peary
| tore up the American Flag to make one
of his own and which would exploit
his own adventures. Mr.. Skinner saws
that he fought four years to keep the
Stars and Stripes all together upon the
Flag, and he'd like to shoot again at
any son of gun who would try the
same old game" Mr.. Skinner deplores
any attempt to bring into the public
eye any other flag than the Stars and
Stripes, and thinks that there should be
a National law against it, He calls on
Congress to pass such law. 4
Henry j. Skidmore, of Kansas City
compliments The National Tribune on
its great work for the veterans and Mrs.
Isabel Worrell Ball on her .'JJnder
| Which Flag" story. Mr. Skinner saws
that he was at first of the opinion that
both Cook and Peary reached the pole.
but since Peary kicked up sueh a rum
pus about DIR. Cooks achievements he
rather thinks that Peary didn't get to
the pole and faxed his data. and is
afraid that when DIR. Cooks is given to
the world it will show Pearv 20 be "a
gold brick" himself. Mr.. Skinner saws
that man who. would mistreat the
Flag the way Peary has would be guilty
of anything.