Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-09-09
LET SKEPT|CS co
TO POLE SAYS COOK
THEY'LL FIND BRASS TUBE
UNDER FLAG HE PLANTED
THERE.
NOTHING BUT ICE AT TOP OF
EARTH-TELLS OF RE-
TURN TRIP.

|
Skagen from a correspondent who in
terviewed DR.. Cook aboard the Hans
Egede says:
CAS- boarded the steamer somebody
gave DR.. Cook a bouquet. Tears dim
med his eyes as he buried his face IN
their fragrance. 1t is years since I
have seen flowers said the explorer.
HE looked the picture of health.
Only when he smiled one noticed the
loss of two teeth A fight with bear
did that, he said, and continued, you
can tell the world I am in better con-
clifton than at any time and look for
ward with an appetite to the promised
festivities My dinners were poor
during the last few years, and | have
to make up for Is
Regarding his discovery Dr.. Cook
said:
april q, I made several observa-
tons. Great JOY came over US, we
were only sixteen miles from the de-
sired spot The last stretch was the
easiest made, although the ice was Very
broken. But I shouted like a boy
The EskimOs we're surprised at my
gaiety When I made my last obser-
walton and found l was standing on
the pole, I, too, tried to feel the SEN
sation. planted the stars and stripes
in the ice field, my heart grew warm
when | saw it wave.
How does the north pole look?'
was asked.
" Wen' said DR.. Cook, There is
nothing to see but ice. There are more
holes there than at the eighty-seventh
degree. which shows that there is
more drift here. I stopped two days
and it was not easy to say goodbye to
the spot.
Sitting at the pole 7 could not
! help smiling ut the people who would
! call the expedition q humbug. The
only thing 1 put up against this is
what the York Eskimos told Knud Ras-
mussen. Let skeptics go to the north
mole. They will find a small brass
tube which I buried under the flag.
The tube contains a short statement
about the trip. I could no. leave my
card because l did not have one.
"Perhaps I should have stayed
there longer. The esEimos were url-
easy and the dogs howlod fea"fullT
land I turned southwark. You cannot
urn anv other direction at the pole
prescribing the return Dr.. Cook
said:
cove did 20 miles a day until we
reached the eighty-seventh degree.
Then the ice moved eastward. A fog
swept around us and kept Us three
weeks. We got no further than the
eighty-fourth degree. Then we bagan
heavy walk towards Heibergsland
and another three weeks fog. When
that cleared I saw We had drifted
southwest to Ringnesland, and June
20 found the first animals on the re-
turn, bear and seal. We shot bear.
land now our goal was the whal-
ers at Lancaster Sound. We followed
the drift ice south so miles a day, but
was stopped by pack ice at Yelling
ton canal, impossible by boat or
sledge. Here was lots Of game, but
we did not dare to shoot it as we had
only IS bullets left. In Jones Sound
we found open water and met wolves,
with which some of our dogs ran
away.
Now we spent day and night in
an open boat 10 miles from shore.
This lasted two months, while storms
often ragged. At last we got ashore
again, but had no fuel and ate birds
raw. When we found fuel we had a
feast. We had many fights with
musk oxen, which attacked US. Our
best weapon was a Iasso.'"
The story quotes Dr.. Cook in con-
clusion:
Say, that day we reached our
stores at Etah was greater than April
q. I long to get back to civilization,
to press my wife to MY heart. I am
the happiest man living. Tell the
world l thank God l am back"