Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-03

Appealing to the American public to do
justice to Dr. Frederick A. Cook as tho
real discoverer of the north pole. Capt
Evelyn Briggs Baldwin, arctic explorer
OF twenty years experience and leader OF
the Baldwin-Ziegler expedition in 1902.
who is In Warrington to lay the facts in
his possession before the congressional
committee X it desires them. today
made a statement to a reporter for The
Star uphOding Dr. Cook.
Il can prove the truth of DR.. Cooks
statements in regard to his discovery OF
the north pole from Peary's own official
record of his last dash to the northward.a
Capt. Baldwin declared.
so far as can learn" continued Dr..
Baldwin ''Dr. Cook has never made q
confession In regard to his trip to the
pole in the sense that he denied his first
statements. He has merely said that. In
view Of the great difficulty in determining
the exact location of the pole, he may not
have been exactly upon the northernmost
point Of the world.
For 800 years there has been a rivalry
among civilized men first to reach the
north pole. l believe that the honor
of having succeeded in the attempt
should go-not to Peary-but to the man
who reached the pole eleven months be-
fore Peary claims to have been there.
Believes Cook Reached the Pole.
DR. Cook is now in New York city
and have talked with him several times
recently. With the information that I
myself have gathered, ! believe that he
really did reach the pole, or came so
close to that point that he may be said
to have discovered the pole
Capt. Baldwin was a member of the
Peary north Greenland expedition OF
1884. He was a volunteer tn 20 with
Andree In his balloon from Spitzbergen,
and. had he not arrived too late, would
have gone on that fatal trip He was
second in command of the Wellman ex-
pedition to Franz Josef Land in 1syS-39
and was the organizer and leader Of the
Baldwin-Ziegler expedition.
Continuing his defense of DR. Cook,
Capt. Baldwin said:
Bradley Land is located between lati-
tude 81 and 20 1t was discovered by
Cook in his pOleward march. The land
ice, or glacial ice, which Cook also dis
covered is located between latitude 50
and latitude IS. Cooks line of march
east Of Bradley Land and then upon the
glacial ice. The proximity to the new
land gave Cook favorable surface upon
which to travel, and also afforded him
protection from gales and from the con-
seQuent movements of the pack ice west
ward of the new lands. Cook Travelled
in the lee of the groups Of islands and
over ice foes more stationary than the
ice farther to the east. over which Peary
travelled.
Evidence of His Travels.
.'Of first Importance in proving tie ex-
istence of new lands discovered by Cook
he
ence OF animal life. since arctic game
clings close To the shore line in its
search for food. Birds must find their
nesting places on lands. Foxes live ulon
birds and the refuse left in the trails OF
polar bears and seals. Seals feed upon
shrimps and find the chief source OF food
in waters close to the land Polar bears
in turn feed upon seals, and necessarily
are found more numerously about lands
or islands.
For this reason we will examine
Peary's official narrative of his journey
north for evidence Of DIR. Cooks discov-
cry of land to within two degrees OF the
north pole. Having noted DIR. COOK
statement relative to the blow hole of a
seal near Bradley Island, we will follow
in Peary's trail for corroboration OF
Cooks journey eleven months previous.
and a comparatively short distance west
ward Of Peary's line of march. Referring
to Peary's THE North Pole," on page
o49. while in latitude 81 degrees AZ min
utes, he records:
"It is worthy of note that Peary does
not state Just how far from the glacial or
land ice upon the submerged island upon
which Cook travelled the fox tracks were.
But il is evident that the foxes were less
than two sleeps from land, since Peary
states that .Marvin's observation placed
them in about latitude S6 degrees 3S min.
utes the very latitude in which Cook
upon the stationary land ice.
Still again, page 30I, while on his re.
turn march and near the SSth parallel
Peary observes: Here we noticed some
fox tracks that had just been made. mo
animal was probably disturbed by our
approach. These are the most northeriy
animal tracks ever seen.
'.'While we were engaged in this bus5s
ness we saw a seal disporting himself n
the open water of the lead
Still farther along, when in LATITUDE
80 degrees and 13 minutes. Peary stsfe4t
on page 252: Along the course Of onA
Of those leads we saw the frosh traok1
Of a polar bear going west.
Peary's Record Not Clear.
Arctic travellers viii well apprseiass
the force of this statement relative -
polar bears, who. scenting the hand . SeW
miles to the westward. was In search e
,eais. The freshness Of the bears traclea
= nroof that. II had not drifted on OomA
ce noe from remote parts Of the asct1e
,asin.
Again. rafegr3na - -pGe 81 -~eAAl