From Hero to Humbug

After a walrus hunt to provide the Inuit with meat lost by his taking some of the best hunters north with him, Peary prepared to sail. He put the Bos’n, John Murphy in charge of Cook’s box house at Annoatok, to live there and guard the supplies Cook had brought against pilfering by the [...]

As usual, Dr. Goodsell’s copious diary recorded the latest news on August 14, 1908:
“Rudolph Franke will return on the Erik. Franke is practically disabled. He slipped and injured his left leg some two or three months ago. His disability prevented him from properly caring for himself. He was unable to obtain [...]

This following letter was addressed to Peary by Rudolph Franke. Franke later said that he wrote the letter under duress, that Peary made it the condition of his return that he turn over to him all of Dr. Cook’s stores at Annoatok, as well as the blue fox furs and narwhal horns he and [...]

On August 10, Dr. Goodsell wrote in his diary:
“The Captain, McMillen, Borup and boat crew have returned from Littleton Island. They secured four Walrus and nearly one hundred birds. The Captain reported from the summit of the island the pack ice to the northward was nearly continuous. He started out again to [...]

Once Dr. Cook’s March 17 letter was retrieved from Annoatok, apparently, as Peary’s secretary, Marvin was asked to make a copy.  He couldn’t help himself from telling his friend what he learned of Cook’s movements.  A copy of Cook’s letter, with a number of transcription errors, is among Peary’s papers at NARA II.

8 – 7 [...]

At Etah, Peary retrieved a letter sent north via a native by Rudolph Franke, who had been the cook on Bradley’s yacht, and whom Cook had paid to overwinter with him in a house he had built from packing crates at Annoatok. Franke had received a letter from Dr. Cook in May via [...]

The Roosevelt was delayed at North Star Bay while waiting for the ice to loosen in Melville Bay before heading farther north. Melville Bay was notorious for hazardous ice jams, but beyond was generally clear in August. While he waited, Marvin added a few details about the expedition’s outfit. The “Huskies” referred to [...]

8 – 3 1908
North Star Bay.1
Dear Mr Bement:-
It has been longer than I ex-
pected since I wrote last but you know how
busy we are among the settlements here. We are
all going walrus hunting early tomorrow
morning. It is now midnight and I ought to
be in bed but I wont get another chance to
write soon [...]

Ross Marvin

7 – 30 1908
at sea off the Greenland Coast
bound for Cape York, N. Greenland
Dear Mr. Bement: -
Well here we are in the land
of the midnight sun once more and everything
is going lovely. We have had fog and rain
most of the time and a good deal rougher
voyage than last time, but the Roosevelt
seems able [...]

on board the Roosevelt,
off Turnavik, Labrador
July 23rd, 08.
Dear Mr Bement: -
Just a few lines
we we <sic> will land for a few minutes
at the fishing station of Captain
Bob’s father at Turnavik. He has
200 pair of skin boots here & so
we came up after them.
This note ought
to reach you at the same time
yesterdays letter did.*
I [...]