The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1911-09-26
COOK TRIES TO
RENEW THE CONTROVERSY


Cook. himself. to make the most SEN
sational charges of the entire Polar
controversy.
Declaring that he left this country
at the height OF the pro-Peary cam
paign against him, because OF nery-
ous and physical breakdown. DR.. Cook |
now comes back with startling charges |
against Peary.
DR.. Cooks brief, which is taken |
from his book. ''My Attainment Of the |
Pole" which will appear shortly. fol- |
lows:
THE weaving of the leprous blank |
ct OF infamy with which Peary and
his supporters attempted to cover me
cannot be understood unless we look
through Peary,s eyes-regard other
explorers as Peary regarded them; re-
gard the north as his ina1ienable prop |
erty as he did. and regard his infa-
nous. high-handed injustices as right.
From the earliest days, Peary's
effort to reach the Pole was under TAX
en- primarily for purposes OF personal
commercial gain. For twenty years
he has passed the hat along lines of
easy money. That hat would be pass
ing today IL the game had not been,
In the opinion of many. spoiled by my
success.
"For nearly twenty years he sought
to be promoted over the heads of
stay-at-home but Woodworking naval
officers. During all OF this time. while
on salary as a naval officer, he was
away engaged in private enterprises
from which hundreds OF thousands of
dollars went into his pockets. By
wire-pulling and lobbying he succeed
ed in having the American navy pay
a
could not afford to divide the fruits of
Polar attainment with another
I'm 1881, as the steamer Kite went
north, Peary began to evince the
brutal, selfish spirit which later was
shown to every explorer who had the
misfortune to cross his trail. hansen
had crossed .Greeland; his splendid
success was in the public eye. Peary
attempted to belittle the merited ap-
plause by saying that Nansen had
borrowed the 'Peary system But
Peary had borrowed the Nordenskiod
system. without giving any credit.
cat about the same time that Peary
took the great meteoric or Iron Stone
the natives sole source of metal for
weapons-from the Eskimos in 1897,
group Of seven or eight Eskimos
were put aboard a ship against their
museum purposes. They were locked
up in a cellar in New York, await
Ing a market place. Before the profit
time arrived. because of unhygienic
surroundings. and improper food, all
but one died. When in the grip OF
death, though, Mrs. Smith, who min
istered to their last wants. they APP
pealed with tears in their eyes for
some word from Peary. They begged
that he extend them the attention OF
visiting them before their eyes closed
to a world of misery and trouble
There came no word and no responsive
call from the man who was RESPONSE
BILE for their sufferings. OF seven Oh
eight innocent wild people, but one
child survived That one-Mene-was
later even denied a passage back te
his fathers land by Peary.
I'm 1901 the ship Erik left Peary
with a large group of native helpers
near Cape Sabihe. An epidemic
brought by the Peary ship, soon after
attacked the Eskimos. Many died;
others survived to endure a slow tor
ture. Peary had no doctor and nj
medicine.
Near the same point, a year later
Captain Otto Sverdrup wintered will
his ship. His mission was to explore
the great unknown to the west Thi
unemployed country had been unde
: Peary's eye for ten years; but instead
OF exploring it, his time was spent il
an easy and comparatively luxuriou
life about comfortable camp. Whe1
Sverdrup's men visited the Peary ship
they. were denied common brotherl.
courtesy and were refused hospitalit.
which is universally granted by al
Peary even refused TO send him, o.
his returning ship, important letter
and papers which Sverdrup desire
taken back. He also refused to alloy
Sverdrup to take native guides an
dogs-which did not belong to Peary
This same courtesy was later denie
to Captain Bernier of the Canadian eX
petition.
"Thus attempting to make pr
vate preserve Of the unclaimed nortl
he attempted to discredit and thwal
every other explorers effort. In lin
with the same policy. every membe
of every Peary expedition has bee
muzzled with a contract which pre-
vented talking or writing after tn
expeditions return-contracts whic
Peary derived the sole credit, the en
tire profit. and all of the honor of tn
results OF the men VINO VOlunleere
their services and risked their live
This same spirit was shown at tn
time when, at 81 degrees As minute
he turned Captain Bartlett back, b.
cause he (Peary) TO use his ow
words. wanted all the lonors.'
AFTER being thus engaged for year
in a propaganda of self-exploftatio
in assailing other explorers whom
regarded as rivals, in committing deco
in the north unworthy of an Amer
can and officer of the navy, Pear
knowing that I had started Po1ewar
knowing that relief must inevitably
required. appropriated by supplies. ar
absolutely prevented any effort
reach me which even the nativ
themselves might have made.
1.-The property which Peary toe
from Francke and myself. with Il
hand of buccaneer and the heart
hypocrite, was worth thirty-f1'
thousand dollars. This was done, n
to insure expedition needs. but to sa
isfy a hunger for commercial gal
and to inf1ict a cowardly. underhan
ed injury on rival All of n
caches. my camp equipment. my foe
were taken: and under his own han
writing he gave the orders which d
prived me of all relief efforts at
time when relief was of vital impor