114 



As Bradley has since stated, they wished to keep it out of the 

 newspapers, and also to prevent Peary getting wind of it, hasten- 

 ing to Etah and buying up all the dogs. Bradley wished to do some 

 hunting on the way up and did not care to be hurried. 



The equipment necessary to carry out Dr. Cook's plans was 

 added to that already on the vessel, everything being made as light 

 and compact as possible so as to reduce weight. Thus the fifteen- 

 pound stoves used by Greely in his trip north were replaced by three- 

 pound aluminum stoves, and everything else was cut down to the 

 lowest limit of weight. Yet nothing which Dr. Cook's experience 

 told him would be necessary in such a trip was omitted, camp equip- 

 ments, tools, provisions, sled material, etc. It was decided between 

 them that if they found the Eskimos in poor health, the dogs scarce, 

 or other conditions unfavorable at Etah, they would give up tha 

 polar project, call it a hunting trip, and come quietly home again 

 after their summer's sport. But if conditions should prove favorable 

 the dash for the Pole would be made. 



It must not, however, be taken from the above that the whole 

 expense of this expedition fell upon Mr. Bradley. Dr. Cook has, 

 stated since his return that its total cost was about $50,000, of which 

 he contributed $20,000, Mr. Bradley supplying the remainder. Mr. 

 Bradley has told the story of the trip with such brisk conciseness 

 that we shall now let him speak for himself. He says in continua- 

 tion of his account of the expedition : 



"I engaged as captain Captain Bartlett's nephew, Moses Bart- 

 lett, who had been first officer on the "Roosevelt." The mate was 

 Mike Wise, and we had a first-class sailor in a young Irish boy 

 named Kirby as tough as nails was he. 



"We left Gloucester, made a good trip without hurrying too 

 much, and got into Melville Bay. It took us seven days to cross 

 Melville Bay, which is one hundred and seventy miles wide. We 

 got into the ice three times, nearly lost the ship, but finally got out 

 safe. We did not take Captain Bartlett into our confidence in 



