Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-12-26

| left us The last companions left
LIS 30 days out. (False statement
| No. 81.
| 1.-The 10Th day we changed our
course Westward To have done 50
would have necessitated crossing the
| impossible mountain of rock and ice
of Heiberg Island. (False statement
! no ~.
| 1--WE stopped at open water near
land. If so, the returning Esquimos
would have reported it. The nearest
water to land was at the Big Leaf,
100 mills off where land was but a
/ blue haze on the horizon. tFalse
| statement No.. 81"
| All these statements, says the doe
tor would have been found false by
| putting q few questions to the elder
men of the supporting party: but it
| was not done although there were
half Il dozen men who could have
| affirmed Or denied the boys story.
| Even Mr.. Peary's statements says DR..
| Cook contradict these assertions.
The EsquimOs believe in a fiat earth,
| continues DIR. Cook, and they cannot
| understand Il map Of the md-pOlar
basin where all meritlians meet. They
are good map makers of familiar
| hunting grounds of small areas but
that is all. The statement continues:
| Now we leave the land and go
north. The last land sinks under the
horizon. The EsquimO out of sight OF
land becomes panic stricken and talks
of deserving. Fortunately nature some
times favors Arctic explorers. The ma
| tive has lost his sense of direction. on
| the polar sea there are few days in
deed when seeming land clouds, mir
ags or other signs of land do not de-
| ceive the eye, as l have explained more
fully in my magazine articles now be-
| ing published. Thus, no sooner had
we lost Heiberg Land, than signs OF
. land appeared to the west. TO me
| these were generally Elusive signs, but
| the boys were young and | encouraged
their belief in a nearness to land at all
| times to keep up their courage.
L. | know that the boys al
ways thought themselves near land. the
| long drive over the hopeless desert OF
moving ice could not be forced other
wise than by Esquimo help when l was
alone 1t is rather strange that both
| Mr.. Peary and Rasmussen should use
| this as a card against me when both
must know the necessity for encourage
| ing such belief. All of the arguments
of not being out of sight Of land are
biased on this artificial belief in near
mess to land.
| eve camped on the pack for seven
months. Seldom We're we two days on
the same ice field The Esquimo boys
l II tob IF q
during the nightless summer days y Sc
ries of questions along this line might
have given some tangible results to
either prove or disprove our story, but
no one seems to have asked the ques-
tons. No fair effort has been made to
prove my case-ony questions TO heap
dishonor upon me seem to have been
put.
| 1.-THE meanest slur which Rasmussen
throws is that of cheating the boys. They
were promised knife and gun. They
were paid before we started. therefore
Rasmussen's charge is as false as the
whole fabric of his mission weaving
but instead Of keeping to my promise L
gave them many more things and IN
structed MI Whitney to turn over all
my belongings to them when he left.
at is therefore in the power of Whit
new to say whether l cheated the Es-
ouimos or not. And if Rasmussen is
wrong on this baseless charge can he be
believed in anything else?'
| DR.. Cook, turning his attention to the
| missionaries through whom, it is alleged.
| Rasmussen secured the Esquimo boys
statement, tells how they were sent by
the people of Danmarlx in 1908 to Chris
tianize this most northern tribe. 1t was
| eventually learned, he says, that the
missionaries, who We're halfbreed Esqui-
mo Christians. were quite unable to make
themselves understood by the Esquimos
to whom they preached. And yet these
same missionaries are credited with suf-
icient intelligence to cross-eXamine the
:, Esquimo boys about something ~hich
they themselves do not understand"
: DR.. Cook says in conclusion:
'"During all of last winter Rasmus-
san travelled through Denmark on
lecture tour and in his discourse he has
, vigorously defended Peary. For years
Rasmussen has heaped all kinds OF
, ahuse on Peary. most of it not fit to
nrint. Why now, when the public is ex-
cited did Rasmussen distribute Peary
, bouo,,ets? Again. if his hypocricy is
shown here where does he few
, months late try to defame Peary
, There is something irrational about
Rss,nussen's public utterances.
st can foretell what Rasmussen now
l aims to spring on Peary. When MIR
pearv reported seeing land far on: In
the polar sea, which he called Crock
or Ia nd. he had with him Cobooyah and
[ E,eingwah-both these Esquimos re-
noate,llv told me that no such land ex-
is.ed. They probably have told The
same to Rasmussen. I have preferred
e "a believe that Mr.. Peary's eyes were
/ hatter than those of the Esquimos and
;. believe so still Among explorers
srob hratherlv dictates are important
s (Cantinucd on Page Ten