The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1909-10-14


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
encountered rough ice and a lead of
open water. They did not enter
this rough ice, nor cross the lead, but
turned westward or southwestward
short distance and returned to Hell
berg Land at 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 thai time I-took-
a-shoo went back to the cache and
got his gun which he had left there,
and few items of supplies
When asked why only a few sup
plies We're taken from the cache, tie
boys replied that only a small
amount of provisions had been used
in the few days since they left the
caole, and that their sledges still
had all they could carry, so tina.
they could not take more.
After being informed of the boys
narrative thus far, Commander Pc
airy suggested a series of questions
to be put to the boys in regard to
this trip from the land out and back
to it.
Questions by PearJ.
These questions and answers were
as follows:
Did they cross many open leads
or much open water during this
time? Ans. None.
Did they make any caches out on
the ice? Ans. No.
Did they kill any bear or seal while
out on the ice north of Cap. Thomas
Hubbard? Ans. No.
Did they kill or lose any of their
dogs while out on the ice? Ans. No.
With how many sledges did they
start? Ans. Two.
How many dogs did they have
Ans. Did not remember exactly, but
something over twenty.
How many sledges did they have
when they got back to land? Ans
Two.
Did they have any provisions left
on their sledges when they came back
to land? Ans. Yes: the sledges still
had about all they could carry, so
they were able to take but few
things from the cache.
From here they then went south
west along the northwest coast o.
Heiberg Land to point indicated on
the map (Sverdrup's Cape North
west)
From here they went west across
the ice, which was level and covered
with snow, offering good going, to a
low island which they had seen from
the shore of Heiberg Land at Cape
Northwest. On this island they
camped for one sleep.
Two Boys Disagree.
The size and position of this islam |
as drawn by the first boy was crit,
cized by the second boy as being too
large and too far to the west, the
second boy calling the attention OF
the first to the fact that the position
of the island was more nearly in line
with the point where they had left
Heiberg Land (Cape Northwest ano
the channel between Amund Ringnes
Land and Ellef Ringnes Land.
This criticism and correction was
accepted by the first boy, who start
ed to change the position of the is.
land, but was stopped, as Commander
Peary had given instructions that nc
change or erasures were to be made
in the route as drawn by the Eski.
mos on the chart.
From this island they could see
two lands beyond (Sverdrup's Ellei
Ringnes and Amund Ringnes Landsl
From the island they journeyed to-
ward the left-hand one of these two
lands (Amund Ringnes Land), pass
ing a small Island which they did
not visit
Arriving at the shore of Amuni
Ringnes Land, the Eskimos killed 9
deer as indicated on the chart.
Could Not Have Made Alleged Trip
The above mentioned portion of the
statement of the Eskimo boys covers
the period of time in which DR.. Cook
claims to have gone to the Pole and
back, and the entire time during
which he could possibly have made
any attempts to go to it.
The answers of the Eskimo boys tC
Commander Peary's series of indie
pendent questions, showing that they
killed no game, made no caches, los
no dogs, and returned to the lant
with loaded sledges, makes their at
tainment of the Pole on the triI
North Of Cape Thomas Hubbard
physical and mathematical impossi
bility, as it would demand the sub
sistence of three men and over TWEEN