From Hero to Humbug

This is the latest in a series of posts that publish for the first time significant documents related to the Polar Controversy.

Although Rasmussen expected news by “the first post,” it was a long time in coming. In fact, it was more than a year before he revealed what Olsen had learned from Cook’s two Inuit companions. It may be significant that in the meantime, in December of 1909, the Konsistorium appointed by the University of Copenhagen to examine Cook’s evidence announced that Cook had failed to submit anything it could consider proof he had been at the North Pole in 1908. In the wake of this ruling Cook was almost universally denounced as a cheap faker. The “Copenhagen Decision” combined with Cook’s disappearance for nearly a year perhaps accounts for Rasmussen’s tardiness in making any further comment on Cook’s polar journey, because Cook would have been in no position to reply.

In October 1910, however, via a rambling interview with the New York World, Cook announced his intention to return to America. The next month, on November 8, 1910, a new statement from Rasmussen was published in the pages of the Chicago Daily News. The contrast between Rasmussen’s two statements could hardly be greater:

Already in 1909, when I was on an expedition to Greenland, there existed grave doubts as to whether Dr. Cook really had reached the pole, so I determined to find out from his two Eskimo companions. I secured their statements through the missionaries.

Etukishuk and Ahwelah

This is the story of the Eskimos as given in the despatch:
“We travelled from Annatook with eight sledges, in company with Dr. Cook, at the first sunshine (February). From there to Ellesmere we slept only once on the ice. It took four days to cross Ellesmere Land. 18 days out our companions left us. We then had gone only about 12 English miles from land.

“The ice was fine and there was no reason to stop, for anyone who wanted to go on could do so. The 19th day Dr. Cook took observations with an instrument he held in his hand, and we then changed our course westward.

“We left here a lot of food for men and dogs and one of us (Itukusuk) went ahead to examine the ice. He reported it in good shape, which it was, but Dr. Cook looked at it and said it was bad.

“On the way we stopped at open water near the land. We stopped one day and went over to Ringnas [sic] Island before the snow had melted (April). We had not had the least fog on the ice. At this time the sun was just below the horizon at night. It was the month when it does not get dark (March). Later when near Axel Heiberg Land, we passed two days in a fog.

“One day, I, Apilak, came upon Dr. Cook sitting down and drawing a map. I looked at it and asked him: ‘Whose route are you drawing?’

‘My own,’ replied Dr. Cook.

“But that was a lie, because he drew the map a long way out at sea, where we never had been.

“We continued to shoot bears on the ice till we had enough for the dogs. We do not know how many nights we slept on this part of the journey. The small rivers had only begun to break when we reached Hell’s Gate.

“Here, as Dr. Cook directed us, we left our dogs behind us, although they were fat from the meat of bears. Dr. Cook said: ‘We will reach human beings (Baffin’s Land) within two days.’

“We had slept twice when he looked ahead and said he saw a tent, but it was only a stone. We kept hunting for human beings a long time. Then we came to an island on which eider birds were nesting. We followed the land past Cape Sparbo, and when our provisions were nearly gone we returned toward Cape Sedden, where we arranged for wintering. It was yet twilight the whole night and we built a house of peat and stone, just as we do at home. We caught walrus, musk ox and bear for the winter. With the bow we killed only two hares. We had a gun to kill musk ox and bear with. To kill a musk ox with the bow is impossible. It was a fine autumn and we had good provision for the winter.

“During the dark time we were inside most of the time making clothes. Dr. Cook wrote all the time. At first sight of the sun we started home.

“We pushed the sledge ahead of us and [took] much target practice at seals until we had only four cartilages left. Not before we were near Annatook did we leave the sledge. The sun then stayed in the sky at night.

“Dr. Cook during the journey promised us a good reward, but he proved himself a liar and swindled us out of the payment. We did not get the guns he promised us. These he sold for fox skins. He gave us only a knife, some matches and a useless boat.

“This is all we, Itukusuk and Apilak, have to tell of our journey with the great Dr. Cook.”

I regard the report as absolutely authentic. According to what is known, Dr. Cook said nothing of the pole while with his two companions, and when he left them and began to tell of “finding the Pole” his new companions believed, as they could not conceive of a man prevaricating about so great a thing. The map drawn by Itukusuk is remarkably well done.