Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-11-18
ANOTHER ARCTIC MYTH.
Cant. Bartlett Discrsdits Rasnnus-
sens Denial Of Peary.

Captain ROBERT y. IodipC''
nayigatcd Pcary's vessel the 1arthes.
North that steam or sail has gone, mas
something to say about Knud Ras-
mussen's Reputation of both COOK
and Peary. TO begin with, Captain
Rartlett doubts if Rasmussen ever
said what he is reported to nave said'
NO living explorer nor Eskimo mas
heen within 100 miles of the Nortn
Pole" There are several important
obstacles to Rasmussen's having said
il. the first of which is that of the
three missionaries who were with MN
at North Star harbor this summer
two were dead before Mr.. harry
Whitney and Captain Bartlett set the
.Boethic's bow for home last August.
The other objection is that captain
Bartlett, out after walrus on the 2lst
of August, met knud Rasmussen IN
the flesh and had had along talk with
him about Cook and Peary. And the
Dane Eskimo ethnologist was UNI
troubled by doubts on that date.
Both parties were in Wolstenholm
Sound. we came across DANISH
three masted, auxiliary schooner.
The Motor" says Captain Bartlett.
"She had just come up from Copeh
hagen with Rasmussen and his COM
panion, a big, husky Norwegian with
a name that | couldn't remember
while it was being told to me. they
came aboard with us. and RASMUSSEN
told MS his plans The Danes haven't
done much toward charting, or even
exploring. upper Greenland: so Ras-
musscn is going to the Peary cham
mel, work along across north Green
land and finally bring out at Alaska.
1t struck me at the time as a mighty
interesting thing to do, but RaSmus-
sen was a queer one to be doing 1t.
He is a little fellow: looks puny and
weak. and not at all the Kind OF man
to stand knocking around. believe,
as a matter of fact, that most OF his
work so far has been done around the
settlement. His speciality is eth
nology.
rWhen l talked with him he wasn't
bothered about Pcary. But he had Il
map, all ready to send back to Copcn-
hagen, which showed just where Or.
Cook was all that winter when he was
supposed to be going for the Pole.
He said that the party only went II
miles from the land. | picked some
yellow flowers this summer from the
spot where Rasmussen said DR.. Cook
spent his winter.
What makes me doubt the mis-
sionarieS brought this story is that
when the Boethic passed North Star
harbor on her way north, there were
tire missionaries, two of whom were
ILL., The doctor treated them, and left
them medicines. When We came
back, towards the last of August, they
had died from a disease which the
doctor diagnosed as typhoid. Their
families and the surviving missionary
may have been the ones who have just
returned to Copenhagen.
When the facts are known about
this despatch, it will probably turn on
some mistake like the one this sum-
mcr, giving out that Mr.. Bradley and
DR.. Cook had gone north to look for
their records. The steamer Hans
Egedc took that story to Copenhagen.
The fats We're that the governor at
Disco didn't know who Mr. Whitney
and l were, and made up his mind we
were DR.. Cook and his companion.
The whole miX-up was droll enough
to be worth telling.
THE Boethic steamed into Disco
bay and took on q pilot. Part way
up, a boat came out bringing the gov
crnor. We're going to do this thing
in shape l told Mr.. Whitney. so we
Ia IT, hlnu- Into with
the whistle, pipcd him up the ladder,
and at the gangway l met him myself.
He was taken below, and eX-
planned who we were, and went back
to the bridge. for the channel is
tricky. and you can't stay still
minute. 1t appears that the governor
wanted our passports from COpen-
hagen. We told him we We're merely
on hunting trips from the United
States, blu the was from Missouri. He
declined to have anything to do with
AmercanS--for which he can't be
Yer yharshly blamed When he was
leaving the steamer Mr.. Whitney
came on the bridge and told me they
didn't get up much enthusiasm about
having us around. 1t made me rather
W df III anu EhNt VI w " tIIloN viz
wheel to starboard and twist her
around. We headed out the channel
again, and made htem row three miles
to take off the pilot. We never let
go our anchors. ThcyN apologZed,
They said they We're very CORY, but
seeing tina TIVE hadn't passports from
Copenhagen they didn't know how
they could do differently A few days
later the Hans Egede' sailed from
Copenhagen, taking what they sup
posed to be fhe facts of the incident,
and when Mr.. Whitney and l came
back We got numerically roasted for
palming ourselves off on the Green
landers as DR.. Cook and Mr.. Bradley
as If these were pSeudonuymS to
tempt us If this new story hadn't
come by the same route as the last
one there might be more reason to
think knud Rasmussen had really said
what is reported. But there is anoth-
er flaw in it that wouldn't be detected
by anyone who hadn't known the Es-
kimos. Rasmussen is said to have
cross examined Ahwelah and Itaukis-
huh the two Eskimos on whose testi-
mony DIR. Cook relied. The Eskimo's
idea of the Pole is pretty hazy. All
they know is that they are going in