THE NORTH POLE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2600, 7 September 1909, Page 5

THE NORTH POLE.

DR. COOK AT COPENHAGEN.

RECORDS PLACED AT THE POLE

United I'nr.Nß Association—-Copyright COPENHAGEN, Sept. 5. Dr. Cook it ad a tremendous ret'option at Copenhagen. In reply to critks, he declared that he . had deposited records of the journey in a sealed tube on the place where the Pole was located, namely ice, which was drifting eastward.

LONDON, Sept. 5. The manager of Luna Park, a Coney Island resort, cabled to Dr Cook an offer of £50,000 sterling for a series of 250 lectures.

Dr 'Cook adheres to all his rti foments, notably that of the temperature being 117 deg. below zero Fahrenheit.

Commander Peary recorded 65deg. and Lieut. Shackleton 55deg. Admiral Nares points out many reasons for scepticism. He blames Dr Cook for taking Commander Peary’s Eskimos, whom Peary had kept alive and trained for years. They were taken apparently without consulting Peary or attempting to see Peary on his return.

CONGRATULATIONS FROM PRESIDENT TAFT.

NEW YORK, Sept. S. President Taft cabled 1 to Dr Cook: 1 “Your report that you reached the Pole calls for my heartiest congratulations. It stirs the pride'of all Americans that a feat which has so long baffled the world has been accomplished by the intelligence, energy, and wonderful endurance of our fellowcountryman.” Mr Bradley (who bore a large part of the expense of the expedition) states that Dr Cook had a valuable sextant in aluminium, several compasses, an artificial horizon barometer, some thermometer chaTts, 5000 gallons of gasoline coal (sufficient for three years), hickory-built sledges, 100 gallons of, alcohol, and '25 guns which had been given him as presents. He also had biscuits, axes, tobacco, and other .things, , dear to the Eskimos’ heart. He had 10,000 boxes of matches, for there is scarcely, anything the Eskimo appreciate® so highly- Details of the equipment were kept a secret'in order to forestall Commander Peary. He adds: “Cook’s collapsible canvas boat enabled him to cross lanes of water obstructing the course. The dog sledges usually could easily cover 60 miles a day over reasonably, good ice.” , SYDNEY, Sept. 6. .

Professor David and other experts declare that the temperature recorded by Dr Cook, though improbable, is not impossible. A suitably-provided man could endure it without much difficulty .

THE “TIMES” ACCEPTS DR COOK’S STATEMENTS.

(Received September 6, 10.50 j>.m.) LONDON, Sept. 6.

' The “Times” special correspondent and Mr. W. T. Stead searchingly crossexamined Dr. Cook in the presence of 60 journalists. The “Times” correspondent and Mr. Stead were entirely satisfied 1 that Dr. Cook is an upright and honest man. The “Daily Chronicle's” correspondent is sceptical. The “Daily Mail” states that the majority of the correspondents came away with a full belief in Dr. Cook s narrative. , THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE —A CORRECTION. Dr. Cook stated that the lowest temperature was 83 degrees Fahrenheit below zero, not 83 degrees centigrade. The latter statement was due;'to a telegraphic error. He took. 100 photographs, which are still undeveloped. His sextant and practically all his instruments records were left at Etah for direct shipment to America.

DR. COOK ENTERTAINED BY THE KING OF DENMARK.

Dr. Cook afterwards dined with the King of Denmark and the Royal family. - (Received September 6, 11.15 p.m.) Herr Knud Raasmussen, the Danish Polar explorer, interviewed at Cape York the Eskimos who accompanied Dr. Cook. They corroborate some of* Dr. Cook’s statements.'

THE SEARCH FOR THE NORTH POLE.

The close of the War with France m 1815 was followed by a renewal of tne attempt to find a North-West passage. In 1819 the Dorothea and Trent, under Franklin and Buchan in an . attempt to find a passage from Spitzbergen to tne Pot, rLchel lat. 80<%. 87nun great perils, and. were forced to returnon account of injuries they recei from the ice; while the Isabella amcl Alexander, under Eese and J 3 ™ penetrated up the Baffin Soa to tbe entrance of Smith Sound, and made many important discoveries. In 1° „ 33, Captain. Parry , and Lieutenant James Ross, commissioned by the Acimiralty to attempt a. passage., to the Pole, sailed in' the .Heda, on March 25, anchored the ship in Heola Oove, Spitzbergen, June 20, and two next day to push boldly north, in . specially constructed boat-sledges, the fntemrise and Endeavor, faiese vehicles when used a® sledges were dragged by the men. -The labor of traversing alternately fields of rough ice and dangerous* pools, ice hummocks, and - S snow-slush, in thick fog or heavy ■ S was terribly exhausting. Finding that they drifted southwards as rapidly as they wreTe. advancing,. Parry began the return journey July 2J, anda-each-ed the Hecla without mishap Augpst 21, He had got as far as 82deg. iffy)- \ 1 ■> * r * *"ib

' CABLE NEWS.

''v'.' r '’ 'V' ’ ’ ifV ■■ 45min., the highest latitude reached till 1875.

SIR JOHN FRANKLIN.

We must here at least refer to the fatal expedition of Sir John Franklin on account of its great influence on Polar ..research. From 1848 to 1875 xnore than forty “Franklin expeditions” went; forth from England and America,,, the? last being that of Captain Allan Young, in the Pandora in 1875. The? first purely scientific expedition from America was that of tho -Advance under Dr. Kane, which left New York - May 30, 1853, entered Smith Sound, and. was abandoned after passing two winters in Rensslaer Bay. Kane saw . from a height of 480 feet at Cape Contsitution what he wrongly supposed to bo an “open Polar sea.” Dr. Hayes, who had accompanied Dr. Kane, again set out in 1860, made his winter harbour near Cape Alexander, and after .forty-six days of dog-sledg-ing, reached lat. 81 degrees 35 minutes, where his progress was stopped “by rotten ice and cracks.” Ho claimed to liave demonstrated the existence of an. open sea and the feasibility of' exploring :*the entire region. On July 3, 1871, Captain C. F. Hall started in the Polaris, and, after a singularly,, prosperous voyage, entered Kane’s “open sea,” and attained lat. 82 degrees 16 inmutes without “obstacle of any kind.” The vessel wintered in the high lat. of 81 degrees 38 minutes. • Captain Hall died on. November ,8 from the effects of imprudent exposure. In June, 1872, the vessel drifted with the pack ice into Baffin Bay, where suddenly she tore away' before the wind, leaving nineteen castaways on the floe. Happily both parties were rescued from their perilous position by whalers. GERMAN EXPEDITIONS.

In' 1868 . Captain Koldeway, in the Germania, a small vessel fitted out by Dr. Petermajm, pushed north along the east coast of Greenland, was stopped by pack ice, and later reached ’the high latitude of 81 degrees 5 minutes to the north of Spitzbergen. He then sailed down Hinlopen. Strait, and finally reached Bergen safely in September, 1868. The “Second German Expedition,” as the. voyage of the Germania and Hansa is called, took place in 1869-70. The Hansa was wrecked on the ice, and its crew made a marvellous escape. They drifted south ori the “icereraft” or floe to lat. 61 degrees 4 minutes in 200 days, and eventually reached Friedrichsthal, a Moravian colony on the west coast of Greenland, in two boats. During the spring journey the party reached tlieir furthest point, 77 degrees 1 minutes, on April 15 The Germania returned to Europe safely in September, 1870. The Austrian Expedition of 1872-74, under Weyprfecht and Payer, was one of the most important of all time. Grasped in the ice in lat. 76 degrees 32 minutes, the Tegetthoff drifted slowly north from Novaia Zemlia, and (August 30, 1873) sighted land in 79 degrees 43 minutes. The winter of 1873-74 was devoted to the exploration of the new' country, which was named Franz Joseph Land. In May, 1874, the crew abandoned the Tegethoff, and dragged the boats across the ice to Barentz Island, then along the coast of Novaia Zemlia/ and were rescued in an exhausted'state bv the Russian steamer Nikolai.

CAPTAIN NARES. Amongst the greater expeditions was that of the Alert and Discovery, under Captain George S.. Nares, which left Portsmouth May 29, 1875. Advancing up* Smith Sound, the Discovery was left in Lady Franklin Sound, while the Alert 'was only closed in (September 16, 1875) after attaining lat. 82 degrees 27 minutes on the shores'of the Polar Sea, a point far north of that gained by any ship before. In the spring various sledge parties carried on the work of exploration, the chief on© being that under Markham and Parr, which advanced to the high' latitude of 83 degrees 27 minutes 36 seconds, or to within 40 miles of the Pole. In 1878 the Dutch and the Americans sent expeditions northwards, and, in 1882-84 Greely headed another onej and establish a station on Grinnell Land in lat. N. 81 degrees 44 minutes. Only seven of his party were rescued. Lockwood reached lat. N .83 degrees 24 minutes in N. Greenland. Since then, Peary, Jackson, ‘Wellman, Bjorling. and Kollstenius, Nansen, and Abruzzi have commanded Polar exgeditions. ' » Nansen’s Farthest North gave place to that of Cagni, who led one of the parties with the Duke of Abruzzi’s expedition, getting within 236 miles of the Pole. In 1906 Peary established a new record, being distant from the Pole little more than 200? miles. Now, it seems, Dr. Cook has carried : the United States flag to the desired goal.