THE NORTH POLE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2599, 6 September 1909, Page 5

THE NORTH POLE.

DR. COOK’S ACHIEVEMENT. DIVERSITY OF OPINION. United Pukss Association—Copyright. LONDON, September 3. M. Levasseur, a member of the Academy of Science, and an eminent .geographical authority, expressed astonishment at some of Dr Coot’s statements, such as the enormous distance travelled over the ice, and the temperature recorded, 83 blow zero centigrade being the lowest ever recorded. Members of the British Association at Winnipeg generally accept the bona hdes of Dr Cook’s narrative. They agree that the only evidence Dr Cook can have will be his astronomical notes, and with these his good faith cannot reasonably be challenged. Dr Hugh Robert Mill, director of the British Rainfall- Association, commenting on Dr Cook’s statement as to a temperature of 83 degrees below -zero centigrade, states that this is lower by 20 degrees Fahrenheit than anything experienced on the earth’s surface before. The “Telegraph” deprecates any hasty condemnation of Dr Cook’s' nar- ■ * rative. The “Jewish World” states that Dr Cook is a member of a well-known Jew- ■ ish family at Frankfort, his real name being “Koch.” Mr Bradley, who bore a _ large portion of the expense of Dr Cook’s expedition, estimates it at 90,000 dollars (£lB,000). AMERICAN^”ENTHUSIASM. NEW YORK, Sept. 3. The enthusiasm respecting Dr Cook’s success runs high in America. Mr Wickersham, Attorney-General for the United States, declares that the constitution will follow the flag. [This utterance presumably means that the United States are prepared to “annex” the North Pole.] t COPENHAGEN, Sept. 3. Great preparations are being made to welcome Dr Cook at Copenhagen. He will be given a reception by the King, and there will be banquets bv the Minister of Commerce and Town Council. . . • AUSTRALIAN SCIENTISTS FAVORABLE TO DR. COOK. SYDNEY, Sept. 4. Professor David accepts Dr Cook’s discovery of the North Pole. He says: “Apart from Dr Cook’s general reputation '.which in itself should be a sufficient guarantee, I should say the internal evidence of his diary should show the world the accuracy of his statements. MELBOURNE, Sept. 4. The Government astronomer can see no reason to refuse to give credence to Dr Cook’s exploit. “Some of his observations,” he states, “certainly are at variance with those of other expeditions, but it would not be fair to refuse to believe them. We have believed all the rest. The most unconvincing thing is the vast amount of shooting reported. I cannot see how. three men carried so much ammunition, besides food. Perhaps, however, they had a very small store of food, and made the ammunition act as their food.” DR. COOK INTERVIEWED AT COPENHAGEN. (Received September 5, 5.5 p.m.) COPENHAGEN, Sept. 5. Dr. Cook, in an interview in Denmark, stated that he struck out west from Greenland, then northward, and in returning from the Pole, took a more westerly route. During the last fortnight before reaching the Pole he took daily observations, and also during the first ten days when coming homewards, but he took no measurements of the depth of the sea, having no instruments for the purpose. Hs ascribed his success to using the old means, namely, Eskimos and dogs, and living the same as the Eskimos. CANADIAN DOMINION ASTRONOMER’S OPINION. OTTAWA, Sept. 5. Dr. W. F. King, Canadian Dominion Astronomer at Ottawa, thinks that if Dr. Cook encountered smooth ice it is quite possible that he reached the North Pole. EARLY EXPEDITIONS. ' ROMANTIC STORY 01' DARING NAVIGATORS. The early Arctic expeditions (first 1603) of Stephen Bennet were mainly for the purpose of moose-hunting. Bnt in 1607 Henry Hudson was sent forth by the Muscovy Company to find hiß •day, if possible, across the Pole. He got as far as latitude 81deg. 30rriin to the east of Spitzbergen, when he was stopped by the ice, and put .back to Novaia Zemlia. The three voyages of Jonas Poole (1610-12) added little to existing knowledge,* but about the same time Thomas Marmaduke penetrated north of Spitzbergen. to lat. 82deg. In 1614, Baffin, passing up Davis Strait, discovered the extension •of that' channel, to which he gave the name of Smith Sound. Next year Lothereby corrected some of Hudson’s obserrations, v f itn the single and abortive exception of Captain Wood- in 167 6, the English made no effort to reach the North Pole for more than a century and a- half. In the reign of 'George 111. the Admiralty fitted out two vessels for purely scientific dis•covery, and under Captain John Phipps (1773) they coasted Spitzbergen to Cloven Cliff, then for about a month traced the . edge of the field of ice, eventually found an opening which _ allowed them to reach la b. 80deg 48mm. , . but were frozen inland only extricated, -aftc* the severest privations. This ’failure, and the still greater one of Captain Cook in his- attempt to advance

CABLE NEWS.

north through Behring Strait (1779) had the effect of so discouraging explorers, that the offer by Parliament of £SOOO to the crew which should penetrate to within Ideg. of ’ the Pole met with no response. In 1806 Scoresby advanced to lab. Sldcg. 30min. due north of Spitzbergen, and in later voyages explored great paxh of Jan Mayen’s Land the east coast of Greenland.,