The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-10-02
POLE CAN BE REACHED
SUFFICIENT FOOD AND FAITH.
Full EN-NEcEssARY
One Of tho Chief Causes of Failure
Seems to Be Hot Temper Born Of
Hardships = Discussions Ruined
Chances of Many Expeditions-Good
Men an Absolute Necessity.


NEW YORK, Oct. I.-Dr. Freder-
lex A. Cook, Of Brooklyn, a man Of
large experience in polar exploration,
has given his views on the general
question of reaching the pole, with the
causes which he believes have so far
prevented the hardy explorers from
reaching the goal.
DR.. Cook was q member of the party
that went with Peary on one of his
earlier trips, and afterward was the
chief surgeon of the Belgic expedition,
which did such good work in the south
polar work.
1.-THE pole can be reached" said DR..
Cook, land will be reached and 1t will
not require $1,0o0,o00 to reach it If
Peary had had half dozen good men
devoted to the cause as he was, he
would have gotten to the pole and back
again in two years, without having to
wait five years before his return. Get
ting to the pole simply depends on
proper equipment and the right party
of earnest and efficient men, backed up
properly by such noble benefactors as
William Zeizler Of Brooklyn, who so
generously seconded Baldwin in his
associated with the most expensive at
tempt SO far IN behalf of this branch
of the scientific research.
"All this talk you hear periodically
about the terrible dangers, whose
gauntlet has to be run before reaching
the pole, is sheer rot A man, all
things taken into account, is just as
safe on the Arctic ice fields as he Is
in New York. There are no fewer germs
there, no contagious diseases, no MAS
matte swamps, no sewer gas, no de-
caying vegetables. Everything is on
ice. There is no danger of traversing
the ice fields, nor from the cold, which
is not so severe as the cut of the saline
blasts on the Atlantic sea coats.
"Three obstacles interpose between
the pole and its discovers.
81. The difficulty Of transporting
food enough to subsist on.
''2. The selection of too few or too
many or not the right sort of men for
the exploring party.
'3. The selection of men who go
merely for some adventurous motive
and who are utterly devoid Of any in
terest in the cause itself, thus from the
very outset rendering loyalty impossi-
BILE and putting premium on mutiny.
''The food question" continued the
doctor, sis really after all the cul de
sac that closes up the way to the Pole.
Surprising that ship can be brought
within 600 miles of the pole. From
that point the sledge begins its work.
AS for yourself, you must walk. Now
you have to walk 600 miles to reach
the pole and 600 miles back again to
IL, Ill tnl. fe, will fn
which is to be added an allowance of
at least 300 miles for detours, made
by reason of sea riffs, thus making L.
500 miles in all. And since it is impos-
sible on an average to make more than
ten miles a day it would require $50
days to cover the $500 miles. This is
a long time for food to last, when 1T
has to be transported on sledges. If
any way can be suggested whereby the
food question can be solved, the diff
Guilty of reaching the pole would be
reduced to a minimum"
''How would you know when you
had reached the North pole?"
1.-THE compass would point exactly
SOUTH" replied DR.. Cook.
Suppose the North pole reached,
what practical results follow?"
'Innumerable results" was the reply.
1--WE are living on a globe that is
with radiating relations. There is not
a single branch Of natural history that
does not derive great part of it's eX-
istence from the North pole. If we
want to know the geology Of Long ISL
and we must study 1t in it's glacial
periods from the North Pole. If we
wanted to understand magnetism we
must go back with the magnetic needle
to the north. And so with each and
every department Of scientific investi-
CATION. Even the distribution Of ami
NAL life is now being traced back to
the North Pole
"Will you express a candid opinion,
DR.. Sock, as to the cause of the failure
OF Andree, Peary and Baldwin to reach
the pole, and also your opinion as an
expert as to whether the pole can be
reached?"
"Andree undertook in hts balloon an
aerial experiment on which he risked
and lost his life. Aerial navigation
of any kind is too much in its infancy
to warrant any such experiment as is
involved In the discovery Of the pole.
The winds as you approach the pole
are exceedingly treacherous and this
shifting Is a thing aeronauts have not
sufficiently taken into account.
"Peary started out to reach the pole.
In this he has probably failed. But
Lieut.. Peary in this effort has certain
ly laid scientific inquiry under obliga-