Evening star., 1909-09-05

10 the SOutn ana east. ltS general CHAR
acter is not very different from that at
other places.
I'VE stayed around the pole for two
days making many observations. I do
not claim to have put my finger on the
exact spot; / do not claim to have put
my foot on 1t. But personally 1 think we
have been at the spot
When the observations have been fig
ured out again 1t is possible that there
will be found slight errors and differ
ences. But 1 am certain that gunshot
fired from where We were would have
passed over the pole.
I'VE planted the Stars and Stripes at
what we believed to be the pole, but did
not leave the flag with a staff. Instead
! placed a small silk flag in a cylinder
with my card and the record OF the jour
ney, with the date.
The drift ice may carry the nag away.
but to me that is a matter of indiner-
ence.
Il should have been very glad to have
found land there.
Il am quite prepared to place my OBJ
servations before any geographical So
doubt about my obtaining authoritative
recognition.
Il have already received kilograms from
the geographical societies of Sweden,
Norway. Denmark. Belgium and other
countries. which congratulate me- Amund-
sen. Nordenskjold. Cagn and Lecointe
have acknowledged my work.
Il offer my observations to science the
same as other men have done 1 accept
the responsibility.
las to the temperature at the pole. 1t
was minus 80. l took about 400 photo
graphs, one of which shows the American
flag flying. These as yet have not been
developed
Cook Explains Fast Time.
Questioned regarding his great speed
DR.. Cook said:
THE daily distance covered on the
northward trip was slightly less than fif-
teen miles; on the southwark trip it was
ten miles.
This is not abnormal distance for
Eskimos on the ice They often travel
fifty or sixty miles with dogs
"One of the greatest advantages of our
trip was that l did not take famine
route. We had game for long time,
perhaps for hundred miles.
I'VE fed our dogs well throughout the
winter in Greenland and ran them 400
miles, giving them fresh meat every day.
Thus we brought them to the polar sea
fat and well. We had the best men and
the best dogs.
I'VE liv.u entirely on dried meat ano
beef tallow. reducing the food problem
to a science
The last trace of animals we saw was
a beaK track at So degrees. Afterward
we did not even see life in the water ex-
cept algae.
"The drift of the Ice during the entire
southern trip was slightly south OF east.
The direction of the wind was generally
south of west
1--WE found several Of Sverdrup's old
camps
''The reason we utilized silk tents on
some occasions was that we were SO ex-
hausted that we hadn't strength to build
a snow shed.
I'VE had carefully figured and planned
everything, SO there was no surplus
weight to carry. We did not run short
except when we went aStray.
During the expedition we ate all kinds
of meat. 1 like musk OK best. but we
would eat bear or fox If the other was
not obtainable. Everything tastes good
when one is starving.
I'VE brought ten dogs back with u.s.
the others having been eaten by their
companions.
I'VE used the lasso. traps and bows and
arrows to catch game. 1t took two
months to learn how to trap a moose.
..one of the men shot an elder duck
with arrows
Dr. Cook concluded his observations
with a reference to the kind way he had
been treated by the king. who was
greatly interested in his adventures.
He stated that he Is going to New
York as soon as possible. He will remain
here for few days and then will pro-
coed to Brussels where he Is a member
of the Polar Club.
He assured his hearers that he did not
want to go to the pole again. either
north or south.
Trip Discussed at Luncheon.
At Minister Esap's lunch Or. Cook dis
cussed his trip readily and answered all
the questions put to him.
Among his interrogators were the Rus
sian minister. who was an eager seeker
for information, and the representative
OF the Associated Press.
DR.. Cook is particularly desirous that
the public refrain from accepting all
alleged interviews by the various news
paper correspondents here as authentic
and while it would not be fair to him to
attempt to quote the recollections of his
conversation as a verbatim interview, he
has no objection to a recital Of some Of
the main points he mentioned.
DIR. Cook is Of the opinion that the
United States may claim. for whatever
IL may be worth. Jurisdiction by right of
discovery over the farthest north region
of the world. He said he regretted to
hear that some newspapers had incor-
rectly reported him as claiming to have
discovered 10000 square miles of new
land
What he had done was to settle the
nature of a region Of about that extent
He was only able to see for an average
of about fifteen miles on each side of
his route.
The most northerly land he saw was
between eighty-four and eighty-six de-
grees. There were two bodies Of land at
this point east of his route. One was
about 1000 feet high.
He could not say whether they were
islands or not He was not equipped
to make detour to explore them.
Only Way to Win.
DR.. Cook said he was strongly Of the
opinion that no white man could reach
the pole unless he was able to wear the
same clothes. eat the same food and
live in all ways just as do the Eski-
mos. He said he owed his success largely
10 choice of route where game was
more plentiful than on the routes former
1y attempted. and to the fact that he
travelled in winter.
The lowest temperature experienced
was eighty-three degrees below zero,
Fahrenheit. The explorer said he did
not feel the cold nearly SO much then as
in higher temperatures when the wind
was blowing.
For long time the explorer lived on
musk oxen: he wore the fur Of these
animals, ate their meat. and used their
fat to burn in lamps.
Cook Answers Skeptics;
Explains Moot Questions
Special Dispatch to The star.
COpEyNrI AcEN coDtonhor r.