Los Angeles herald., 1910-12-26
RASMUSSEN IS A
MUCKRAKER-COOK
Brooklyn Explorer Comes Out
with Brand New Statement
Attacking Dane
FALSE STATEMENTS ANSWER
Arctic Traveller Says Same Kind
of Investigation Would Prove
Peary'S Claim False
FALSE STATEMENTS ANSWER
Associated Press)

NEW YORK. Dec. 25.--By implica-
ton accusing Knud Rasmussen, the
| Danish explorer, OF "stooping to the
depths of Il literary muCkraker to get
public attention. Dr. Cook, the Brook
lyn explorer, gave out reply tonight
to RaSmusSen'S recent attack on Cook
which was published last November 9.
Incidentally to the defense of his own
narrative of Arctic exploration DR..
Cook says that by Rasmussens meth
DDS of investigation Robert f. Pcary
could with equal ease be disCredited,
but declares that he will take MIR
Pearys word in preference to either
that of Rasmussen or the Eskimos in
the matter of his own accomplish
ments"
Rasmussen's attack on Cook was
| sent by him to his wife in Copenhagen
and by her made public. 1t contained
what purported to be statements from
Cooks two Eskimo companions in his
north polar quest, ItuHusuk and Apt-
lax. Rasmussen said he did not per-
sonally talk with the Eskimos, but
| their statements were taken by two
missionaries who We're working in the
| country from which Dr. Cook says he
! started for the pole
! These stories were in brief: The Es-
kimos left AnnatO< with Cook with
eight sledges in February, slept once
on the ice on the way to Ellsmereland
and took four days to cross that land
Eighteen days out all but the two Es-
llimo boys left. The nineteenth day
they changed their course westward.
! Later Apilak came upon Cook drawing
a map. He asked him whose route he
was drawing.
BOY SAID MAP WAS FALSE
MY own" said the explorer
But that" the statement makes the
| boy say, was lie, because he drew
the map a long way out at sea, where
he had never been"
The Eskimo's statement continued
that the party eventually reached Cape
Seddon and wintered there, that Cook
spent most of the time writing and at
| first sight of the sun they started
home; that the explorer promised them
a good reward, but 1--WE did not get the
guns he promised us He gave us only
a knife, some matches and a useless
I boat"
Commenting on this report, Rasmus-
sen said: II regard the report as abso-
! lutely authentic"
In his statement given out tonight,
| Cook answers CategoriCally the state
ments imputed to the Eskimo boys, de-
nying each in turn, and giving reasons
| why he thinks they should be consid-
cred false; declares that Rasmussen
/ has reason % dislike him; says no eff
fort was made to get at the truth in
the alleged examination of the two
boys, but that on the contrary, they
were piled with leading questions de-
signed to evolve the answers desired,
and points out what he terms the well
| known tendency of all Indians to give
answers which they believe will
/ please their questOners. Cook says
| Rasmussen's reputation as an Arctic
sedge traveller rests upon a journey
from Tassu1sak to Cape York.
DIsCREDITs ENENIY'S TRIP
This trip he says, "was but a step
in my relation, occupying only three
and q half days, and it is covered by
one sentence ending my narrative"
. Rasmussen's reason to be hostile to
him. Cook finds in a snub which he was
. compelled to administer to the Dane in
1897 when the yacht Bradley arrived
in North Star bay. Rasmussen came
. aboard, ne says, dressed in old greasy
furs and eXuded strong stencil of
oil. He an1 the Dane became 'chummy'
at once and he said to Mr.. Bradley:
I'VE must invite Rasmussen to dinner"
/ Bradley. ne says, replied: mo, for
Gods sake, o; l VIII set seasick from
that odor''
The result was, Cook says. that he
asked the captain to take the Dane to
/ his mess and Ra smussen has good rea-
son to take this treatment as a snub.
I'm 1903" says the statement, "Ras-
1 mussen saw relatives and friends of the
Eskimo boys who had been with me,
and from them gathered information
which convinced him that I had been
to the pole. He has no other informa-
tion now, but for reasons best known
to himself, he comes to an opposite
| opinion.
Nov let us examine Rasmussen's
latest charges. He starts out by say
ing: Already in 1909 there existed
grave doubts as to whether DR.. Cook
really had reached the pole If this
is a true statement, then Rasmussen
conyicts himself of Il false opinion at
the very start. For without word
of instruction, lie came out in vigorous
and VOluminouS reports in my defense.
Why did he jump into the Cook band
wagon and shout if he had doubts?
ATTACKS RASMUSSEN
In the story which it is alleged came
through two missionaries, Rasmussen
puts the following phrases into the
mouths of my Eskimo boys:
we Travelled from Annatok with
eight sledges in company with DR..
Cook
"Thcrc were eleven sledges in the
outfit. (False statement No. H.
" From there to Elsmcre land We
slept only once
I'VE slept several nights before we
reached Flagler bay. (False statement
No. %
Eighteen days out our companions
left us. The last companions left us
thirty-tWo days out. (17alse statement
No. 49, The nineteenth day we
changed our west course Westward
Go have done so would have neces-
STATED crossing the impossible noun
tains Of ice and rock and ice of IIiber-
gisland (False statement No. A.
We stopped at open water near
land If so the returning Eskimos
would have reported it. The nearest
water to the land was at the big lead
100 miles off where the land was but
a blue haze on the horizon. (False
statement No. s."
All these "false statements says the
doctor, would have been found false
by putting n few questions to the older
men Of the supporting party, but il
was not done, although there were half
q dozen men who could have affirmed
or denied the boys story. Even Peary's
statement. says Cook contradicted
/ these assertions
THE IIskimOs believe in n flat EARTH"
says Cook, land they cannot under
stand q map Of the mid Polar basin,
where all meridians meet. They are
| good map makers of familiar hunting
grounds of small areas, but that is all"
| He continues
J THE moancst slur which Rasmus