The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-07-12
ANTARCTIC DISCOVERIES.
NEWS OF THE ICY ISLANDS OF
THE SOUTH POLE.
Dr. Frederick Cook, Naturalist of the
Belgica Expedition Tells of Two
Years Work Among the Frozen Floes.

NEW YORK, June 23.-Dr Frederick
A. Cook of Brooklyn, who was one N
party of scientists in the Belgica ex
petition to the Anthracite ocean, was
among the passengers arriving i'm this
city today. DR.. Cook when seen at
quarantine, was questioned tonight as
to the partys work The Belgica eX-
petition, he said, was organized in
part by the Belgian Government and by
private subscription. l accompanied the
expedition as surgeon and anthropol-
gist. our itinerary was briefly as fol-
lows:
Leaving Staten land of the southern
seas, on January l. 1898, we proceeded
directly for Cape Horn, taking sound
ings directly south from this point to the
south Shetland Islands, and passing
through this group to Palmer land We
entered Palmer land through Hughes
gulf which we found was not a gulf,
but a strait as long as Magellan and
somewhat wider. We spent about two
weeks surveying Hughes gulf, and fin
ally emerged into the Pacific, and pro-
Ceeded along the west border or coast
of Grahams land until we entered the
main body of pack ice west of AleXan-
der.
I'VE passed through the pack ice
about ninety miles south until we We're
frozen in. The vessel, thus frozen in
the pack ice remained fast for thirteen
months, during which we drifted 2000
miles to and fro, and finally emerged
into clear water at 1OS degrees west
longitude. We then returned directly to
Punta Arenas"
DR. Cook was surgeon in chief of the
Belgica expedition, which numbered
twenty persons in all. Among these
were a geologist a lieutenant of artil-
lery, who had charge of meteorological
| nhGnrNratinnG nX
DR.. Cook was the party's expert in an
thropology as well as it's physician.
The Belgicas expedition was a sue
cess" continued DR.. Cook II will not
attempt now to sum up what ii added
to science. The object of the eXpedi-
ton was to make magnetic, geological,
meteorological and general oceanograp-
hiC observations. The farthest south We
went was latitude II 36 and we were in
longitude 80. We crossed Palmer land,
going for many miles over that country,
which has been touched but never pene-
trated before. We made a map of our
travels on this island. and the bird and
animal life we saw there was most In
teresting.
Palmer land was. of course, com
pletely ice covered. / have brought back
with me many interesting curios, such
as skins, stones and sledges. We start
ed on our trip from Ushala, in the
southern part or llerra del FueSo, on
New Years day, 1898. After we We're at
south AleXander's land, the most south
erly island we visited, we We're impris-
oned in the ice for more than twelve
months. We came beck to Punta Ar
enas as soon as we were released, and
there | left the Belgica. She is now on
her way to Buenos Ayres and Rio de
Janeiro. After leaving Rio she will re-
turn to Antwerp. l shall make no report
of observations 2nN society I'm
addition to what have already been
sent by cable. Captain de Gerlache will
make report to the Belgian Geograph-
ical Society. The ocean current which
! the Belgica encountered. drifted us al
ways in a westerly direction"