THE ARCTIC SECRET

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 625, 30 September 1909, Page 7

THE ARCTIC SECRET

COOK'S RECORDS. HAS DUPLICATES TO PROVE HIS CASE', HIS STOEY IN DETAIL. (By. Telegraph-Press Associatlon-OopyrlghU' New York, September 28. Dr ' P.: A; Cook, tho Polar explorer, declares that the non-arrival from North Greenland of ""'■ his records—which Peary refused to admit on his ship-is immaterial. Ho has duplicates to ' establish his.claim that ho reached Uo North'" Polo. , MORE ABOUT COOK'S BOXES, ' (Reo. September 30, 0.5 a.m.) ' ! . "'.London, September 29. Mr. Caspar Whitney,' the American hunter to whom Dr. Cook entrusted some property, 'U l U y ™ tetri l* r ' at St. John's, Newfoundland,' stated that Cook left him no records nor did Cook tell him thnt ho (Cook) was entrusting '.•■. him with any rpcorde, If there wore any, fc T/ ff ss b ! ht ?. ° f thoir being in tho boxes of Cooks belongings, which ho left in ; ship them ' aTy hftTing declincd to ' ',' PEARY'S CRITICISMS, ' \ j. EXCESSIVE SPEED,,. POOR EQUIPMENT. ' ' ESKIMOS' DBNIAL. ■ ■ 'i'"-. (Rec. September 29, 0.50. p.m.)'• ~' „ ' ■'.'■ ' New York, September 29. : yoMmonder Peary raises numerous technical points m controvertlug Dr. Cook's claim that • he reached tho North Polo on April 21, 1908. . loary declares that Cook violated custom in ■■ not bringing back records found, in cairns.. . He further contends (hat it is ■impossible that , ! Cook travelled 25J degrees in one sledging season, tho, best previous record being 11 degrees, and Peary's own 190 D record M,degrees. ""' '.'■'■ .Commander Peary .'concludes by adversely ontielsing Cook's equiphioJit. He declares that, v ho (Peary) and his.negro follower Henson'talked with.'every member of the Smith Sound tribe of Eskimos, and obtained testimony cor. roborating the.statement'of the two Eskimo! ', who accompanied Cook—that tho latter did noi go out of sight, of land. . ". . , -~

T-SEQUEL TO AN ARCTIC CRUISE. \ '/' : ' THE LONELY WHITE POLE. '.' v■■■ • ■ -,' - ■ '-; .'.-Perth, September' 29. 'V.' English files rocoivcd by tho mail contain ■ Dr, Cook's account of his dash to the. North. ; Polo. -Ho says!—-."-;:. "-.,..'.. "; .>; : / The expedition Was tho ouicomo of a snmmcr cruise in the Arctic Seas in.the yacht, Bradley. We arrived at tho limits of navigation in Smith's Sound Into in August, 1907. The' : conditions wore found favourable for a.venturo '- to tho. Pole, and Mri J. It.: Bradley (Cook's ;>.' financial .supporter) liberally, supplied provi--•'■'• sions and equipment. ,--■;. '.■:,„... At sunrise in Fobruary, 1908, the main expodi-' tion embarked for tho Polo, It consisted ,of i'; oleven men and 103 dogs, drawing eleven heav- ;:'■ ily-laden sledges. The gloom'of tho long night ■■; Was relieved only by a few hours of sunshine! i ! As we crossed the heights'of Ellesmere Sound 89 degrees ,below zero was registered for;sev..' . oral days. The frozen Men.suffered severely, but soon found gamo' trails,; nlong Which on easy way was forced through Nauscn Round to' Land's End, In -March wo-,secured 101, musk ' oxen, 7 bears, and 353 hares. - ■; • ;,.' We pushed out into the; Polar Sea from' the southern point of Hoiborg Island on March 18. Six Eskimos rctnrned from hole. ; With four (men' and fortyrsix dogs moving : supplies ';, for eighty days,-Crossing tho circuuipelor. p&ek ; . began. Throe, days'later other Eskimos;\ forming.the-lost'isnpporting'porty,: returned.,, Polo 460jtyiiles Away—Last Land Seen. ';['.■ Euskishook and 1 Welsh, two .of the bost.Es. .: kimos, and twenty-seven dogs,.were picked.:' for tho.final 4GO miles to tho goat. On March 30 the horizon partly cleared,, and over the western mist wo discovered now.land, Observations gave,the position latitudo 84.degrees 47 minutes, .-longitude.-. 86 : degrees '36 mill. ; (lie's. VTho urgent' peed of a rapid advance' ■ did not.permit us,to,detour ami oxploro the ■■ land seciii . Herb Were seen the last, signs-'of i solid earth.-:':. ■!.. ",-'. '''.'■•-.-..■',.''.'.■.-''■ / ' ..' ; Wa advanced ■: steadily i over' a \ monotonous moving sen of icb.-.- We found ourselves beyond . tho range of all life; and tlio'maddenltig.in- ■'~ fluonco of, tho shifting desert of frost became almost unendurable. In thodaily routine tho surface of tho pack offered less and less trouble. ' Tho wcathor improved, but there.still remained a life-sapping wind which drove; despair; to its lowest, recess.'' '<. '.-•! .',.-'.; ■: ',' The night of April 7 was' mado notable by the rising of tho sun at.midnight over .the northorn.icelands.:. In ..spite' of what 6Cemed a •',, long march,'We had advanced little over one hundred: miles in nine days, we wore still equal to about. fifteen miles daily by oxtended marches and long hours. -Tho travelling with which fortune had favoured us earlier was no longer possible." • ',' '.-••'. !,'" Wo wore,now about two hundred miles from tho Pole. Tho slodgo loads.were reduced., Ono dog after another had to.'go into the stomachs of tho. surviving ch'ampionsV until tho teams wore considerably reduced.' The icefields bo- ..".-. came moro extensive,, and tho heavier cro» . vasscs'fowor and less.troublesome. From tho 87th to the 88th parallel, lunch.to ■'• our surprise, there was an indication of land ice. For two days wo/travcllcd Over ice which resembled a glacial surface, though there wow no positivo signs of land or sea. Tho .temperaturo remained below 40 degrees, ; ccmcnting to- '•' t'ether quickly newcrevaSsos.:Youi>g ice spread, : : over tho open water so rapidly -that, little do- v. lay, was caused' in crossing- from one field: to,- '■'. another',. '■', - , .'■'.' .- :\ .'■ ■'.■'■:. \...' -, .». .. .' . .Trie Final Dash"."A Show Monfttony. ' The time-' had arrived to muster our cneiy',' •■ gies for tho lost efforts. • Signs of land.were still seen every'day,, but they woro deceptive .'■, illusions.' '■■': ■ ■'] '.''..:..■ -. . ■•.•.'■" On April 21 the first corrected latitudo by tho sun gave, 89 degrees 59 minutes 4(i seconds. The •. Polo was therefore in sight. Wo,advanced to .', 14 seconds, mado; Bupplomontary observations, , and prepared to stop long enough, to permit of a double round of observations. , ■.■■.,. ~;.' At last we had pierced, the boreal mystery,., and tho American, flag was raised amid> the coveted breezes of tho : Pole; The day waa April-21, 1908. .Tho sun! indicated local noon,' but'the time,was ncgativo; . , - ; ' Tho problem'of north, cast, west .had ■■ van. \ ishedj it was south in direction, but the : compass, which was: pointing ;(o the magnctia' . pole, was useful as ever. .'■■-.-.'.. "■/,-'. : Though overjoyed: at tho'success of our quests '.;>' a sense of intense loneliness came with further scrutiny of tho horizon—endless fields of nur., pie snow,.'no-life,, no'-:land,"no spot to relievo, the monotony of frost. We wcro the only pul- , sating.breathers.in.a dead world df.ice. ..Wo'.turned.our.-backs.to tho Pole on April 23.. -ThA return journey was'mado raoro .wcs-,';.. teriy. : With fair weather. and good ice,'the long distance was at first quickly covered.. Later tho weather becamo bail,'and food was . very scarce.. . ';-■ ;• ■ , : .. . Wo suffered." severe privations until wo reached open water at Crown Princo Gustav' Sea, whero wo obtained; boar meat.' • Thence we mode our way to Cope Spnrto, where wo . managed to live oh-game till sunrise of 1909. Wo reached the shores of Greenland'oh'April ' is, 1909. ~: :■;-,.:'. ', Details of tho Struggle Back. (Uec. September.29,'.s p.m.); '.:', : Dr. Coek, in describing the return journey,' 6ayS: Some violent gales were experienced, but, ;■ with starvation as tho only alternative, wo could not wait for better weather. Our desperate efforts prossod lifo to tho vergo of exlino- ' tion. On May 24 wo got an Observation showing that wo had reached tho 84th; parallel, ,uear the 97th meridian,■■'.-'■"■ ~ . , ■' • . Scarcely enough food remained to cn'ablo us . to reach tho caches at Nansen Island,'unlesswe made 15 miles daily; nnil, with our reduced utrongth, -woWere hardly equal to 10. Tho food'of man and, dog was reduced to three, quarters rations. At the- end' of a'. struggls lasting 20 days wo struck open.water at Crown Prince Gustav Sea,-'and-obtained.a.'supply oj boar meat- \. From therowe sought to follow tho • ice movement south to Lancaster Sound. Early in July our southward ■ progress was blo'ckecf. Then, crossing Firth Devon, nnd using tho folding boot an J sledge, wo attempted to reach Baffin Bay, with but an occasional bird to eat.. Now Hunting Weapons.—Hlbernallnn till 1909. A long-lino of misfortunes pushed us cast- - ward, until.-frost, early in Soptomber,'.' 190& stopped our progress. Being -without food, fuel, or ammunition, wo. wore forced to wrcstlo for. our winter supplies in what seemed to bo a lifoless desort.. Pressed by hunger, wo shaped now hunting implements, and at Capo Sparto gume was located, By using bows and arrows, and a lance with,a lino attached, a.supply ot meat and skins was obtainod from tho mask, ax, tho bear, and the wolf. •,'■"'. An underground den was proparod, when we romninedtiu tho 6nn roso again in 190<v On February IE wo started for Annatork i.