OCR Text |
Show SPRINGS SENSATIONAL STORY Friend of Explorer Cook Accuse Peary of Taking Possession of His Rival's Arctic Retreat. Copenhagen. The Poliliken pulv lishes a remarkable letter giving Drv Frederick A. Cook's version of the" tromble with Commander Peary over1 supplies. The letter was written by Dr. Norman Hansen, a prominent Danish physician, who several times visited Greenland to study eye diseases. dis-eases. Dr. Cook told practically the same story to one of his closest American friends just a week ago, before Com' mander Pearry reappeared on the scene, but said he did not intend to make it public because it might lead to unpleasantness. Dr. Hansen was with Dr. Cook fof some time in Greenland and returned with him on the Danish steamer HanS Esrede. "Now that Dr. Cook has gone," he writes, "I am no longer under an obli gations to keep silent, and will exer cise my right to publish the story about the house in Annatook, a story which Dr. Cook himself had too much delicacy to relate to the world, I write it from memory, as Dr. Cook told it to me, and I am fully con-1 vinced that in no detail are my recollections recol-lections wrong. "Dr. Cook had built his house fof stores in Annatook, north of Btah, and it was this depot which he started to reach in February, 1909, crossing Smith sound. It was a pretty large: house, the walls being built of heavily filled provision boxes so that Dr. Cook; knew that when this important point was reacned everything was safe. He' had, before the start, given permis-' sion to a young friend named WhitH ney to use the house while hunting! musk oxen for sport in the winter of 1908-1909. "When Dr. Cook and his two Eski-' mos, exhausted and half starved, came' within a short distance of the house1 in Annatook, young Whitney came out to bid him welcome, but inside the house was a stranger, a giant New foundland boatswain, on watch. This man had been placed in Dr. Cook's house by Peary, when the latter passed Etah with his ship hound north. Peary had given the boatswain a writ- " ten order, which commenced with the following words: " 'This house belongs to Dr. Fred' erick A. Cook, but Dr. Cook is long! ago dead and there is no use to search after him. Therefore, I, Commander Robert E. Peary, install my boatswain-in boatswain-in this deserted house.' "This paper, the -boatswain, who could neither read nor write, exhibited to Dr. Cook and the latter took a copy. "This copy, however, he does not intend in-tend to publish if Peary's course does not force him to do so. Dr. Cook gave ' me a lively account of how the young millionaire Whitney during the whole winter was treated like a dog by the boatswain and how he had witnessed the sailor bartering Dr. Cook's provisions pro-visions for fox and bear skins for himself. him-self. Dr. Cook also had to put a good face on the unpleasant situation. 'He' had to heg to get into his own house'! and had to make a compromise with the boatswain. Dr. Cook made a present of the house with all its coatents to his two faithful Eskimos, with the provision that Whitney was to have the use of the house as long as his hunting trip lasted, but he was compelled to let the boatswain continue his watch. The boatswain, however, received strict orders not to exchange any more of the provisions or guns. "To Mr. Whitney Dr. Cook gave his instructions and his observations, as he thought these precious things were safer there than on. the long sledge trip in the spring, across Melville bay, but all his notebooks and soiled record books, which have been so closely written upon, he kept and carried with him. "To me, who understand only very little astronomy, the record written down so closely and in all directions were very hard to read, but what is the record to us? The two menj, Peary and Cook, there character, their conduct, that is what interests us, and every little item throwing a sidelight side-light upon their natures is valuable." |