Arizona republican., 1910-12-26
He Describes The Dane As Literary Muckraker
 FILLED WITH AM B IT|ON
The Explorer Goes Over Alleged Hearsay State ment of His Two Eskimo Companions in Search for North Pole

New York, Dec. 2j.-By implication, accusing Knud Rasmussen, the Dan- ish explorer, of "Stooping to the depths of the literary muckraker to get public attention" Dr. Cook, of | Brooklyn, gave a reply tonight to Rasmussens recent attack on Cook which was published November 9 last. ' Incidentally in defense of his own says. by Rasmussen's method of in vestigation Peary could with equal ease, be discredited, but he declares that he will take Peary's word, or 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 at Copen- hagen and by her made public. It contained what purported to be state ments by Cooks two Eskimo com t-sanions in the north polar quest, ItukusUk and ..piIak. Rasmussen said that he did not personally talk with the Eskimos but that their state ments were taken by two mission aries who were working in the coun- try from which Cook says he started to the pole.
 Their stories are in brief: The Eskimos left Annatok with Cook and eight sledges in February. slept once on the ice on the way to Ellsmere land and took four days to cross that land. Eighteen days out, all but the two Eskimo boys left. The nineteenth day they changed their course west ward. Later ApiIak came upon Cook drawing a map and asked him whose route he was drawing
 My own." said the explorer. but that statement makes the boy say. that he drew the map long way out at sea where he had never been.
 The Eskimo's statement continued: the party eventually reached Cape Seddon. and wintered there Cook spent most of his time writing At the first sight of the sun they started home; that the explorer promised good reward, but We no get the guns he promised us. He gave us only knife. some matches and a useless boat
 Commenting on the report Ras- mussen said: 'I regard the report as absolutely authentic"
 In the statement given out tonight. Cook answers categorically the statements reputed to have been made by the Eskimo boys. denying each in turn and giving reasons why false; he declares that Rasmussen had reason to dislike him; he says no effort was made to get 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. He points out what he terms the we'll known tendency of all Indians to give answers which they believe will please their questioners. Cook says that Rasmussen's reputation as an Arctic sledge traveller rests upon his journey from Tassau Asak to Cape York
 This trip" he says was taken by me also occupying three and a half days and was covered by one sen tence at the ending of my narrative"
 The only rational explantion of Rasmussen's irrational course to cred it him was his ambition to get into the Iimelight, for he jumps without invitation first into the Cook band wagon. and when the music stops, he joins the rebound of the shouting press. and then out of a job he runs to the Peary band wagon; again when the music stops he joins the anti Peary knockers in the hope that the outcome will give him the publici- ty which is aimed for. But need an explorer stoop to the depths of the literary muckrake to get public at tention?'