The herald., 1896-02-15
Whether the Pole Has Yet Been
Discovered
NOT ACCORDING TO PLANS
The Explorer Intended TO Come Back
Across Greenland
Mr. Borchgrevink Has Been Sold Before and
Wants Some Salt to Season the
Dispatches

Associated Press Special Wire.
NEW YORK, Feb. 14.-One of DR.. Nam
sens most intimate friends, an associate
of his boyhood and confldant in all his
plans for polar explorations, is the ant
arctic explorer, G. E. Borchgrevink, who
is at present lecturing in this country. Mr..
Borchgrevink returned from Boston last
night and, with Lieutenant Peary, was a
guest of the members of the Brooklyn Geo
graphical society at the Hamilton club.
Talking to a reporter about the news
from DR.. Nansen, Mr.. Borchgrevink said :
II cannot believe it. No one will be
more glad if Nansen has succeeded, but
the fact that the news comes from Siberia
makes me discredit it, All this is in direct
opposition to DR.. Nansen's plans as he dis
closed them to me. His intention was, II
he reached the pole, to cross il and come
back by way of Greenland. This news in
dicates that he is returning by the same
seems preposterous. He would GO on, on
and on, and not turn back and send news
home by way of Siberia.
"While was in Australia last April on
my Antarctic exploration expedition. the
same news, practically, was spread all
over the earth, on the authority of the
Paris Figaro. l telegraphed from Australia
expense before l found out that the story
was a canard. I shall take everything
published with several grains OF salt until
Nansen himself is heard from. What he
says will believe. He is as accurate as
Stanley in combining himself to facts. His
tendency will be to leave a great many
things unsaid rather than to exaggerate."
THINKS IT POSSIBLE
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. Feb. 14.-Julius H.
Fredericks, vino was a sergeant in the
Greedy expedition that reached latitude
S3.24, 1874 miles from the pole, said today
that he thought it was within the bounds of
possibility that Nansen had reached the
north pole, but it was improbable that he
had reached it and started on the return
down the east coast of Greenland. Ser
gearlt tredericks thinks it probable that
the pole is on land.
QUITE PROBABLE
NAPERvILLE, ILL.,, Feb. 14.-Evelyn D.
Baldwin, the meteorological of the Peary
expedition of 1S93-94, was asked what he
thought of the discovery of the north pole
by Nansen.
''I think it highly probable," he said
and not unexpected. DR.. Nansen has Ger
tainly, it would appear, accomplished tina
for which he has striven for thu
past five years. The voyage of tha
Jeanette under De Long, until the crushing
of the vessel in latitude II degrees IL
minutes and longitude 155 east, indica tee
that the near approach to the north po K
was certainly to be made by q well
equipped and properly constructed vessel
from that direction-by the New Siberian
islands,"
NO DOUBT AT ALL
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. l4.-Prof. Charles
E. Hile was naturalist in the Peary relief
expedition in 1892, and said:
II have not the slightest doubt that DR.
Nansen was successful. I feel perfectly
satisfied that the report is authentic ano
that he has reached the coveted goal"
NO CONFIRMATION
LONDON, Feb. 15.-A dispatch to thu
Times from st. Petersburg says: No con
flrmation has been received of the new
that DR.. Nansen has discovered the nortt
pole and is returning to civilization. If hs
is returning. his own dispatches are likel!
to arrive before any answer ia available Il
inquiries to such wild regions, devoid a
they are of telegraph or other means o
regular communication.