The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1909-09-18
COOK DESCRIBES
DASH TO POLE
Explorer Tells Of 460-MIls
Trip Over the Ice.
FACED STARVATION FOR DAYS


Return Trip Mas Far More Dlmeult
and Full Of Suffering Than His Up
ward oash-Hsd to Forage For Food
while Weak and Exhausted.
London. Sept lS.-Willlam T. stead.
who Is said 70 have been the only
journalist 20 whom Or. Frederick A
Cook. the American Arctic explorer.
while In Copenhagen. Denmark. gave a
detailed account OF his trip to the
North Pole. tells OF his interview DR.
Cook sailed from COPENHAGEN on the
steamer Oscar II. for New York. where
he will arrive on the 2lst inst Mr..
Stead tells Of the interview in the fol-
lowing words
After describing the fortunate com.
oination Of circumstances that brought
him TO the edge OF the Arctic circle
at a time when good dogs. plenw OF
Eskimos and lots OF food were there
Dr. Cook told me the story OF his polar
march as follows
Il started away from Aunatook.
near Etah. on Feb. ls. which was the
sunrise OF 1908. had ten Eskimos.
eleven sledges. heavily laden with sup
plies. and 1913 dogs. It was the coolest
part OF the winter. The thermometer
registered So degrees below zero as
we passed over the heights Of Ellis
mere strait
We we're bound for Lands End. 10
the west where we were to begin our
Ice Journey During the trip we struck
several fine game trails and secured
lol musk oxen. 335 hares and seven
bears We reached the end OF the
land and the beginning OF the ice on
March Is. 1905
4eo-Mlle Dash TO the Pole.
There we established a supply sta
tion. and I picked out the two best
men and twenty six OF the best dogs
for the dash across the ice. The Es-
hmos were Eutikishook and Ahwelsh
hravcst and strongest OF the tribe.
we were then at latitude S2s3 or
400 miles from the pole. We started
our advance three days later. on
March 81 During the first days we
made long marches The cold persist
ed and there were strong winds.
i lived as the Eskimos did and
managed 90 get some comfort by sleep-
ing IN snow houses which we dug out.
eating tailow and drinking tea The
sky during these DAYS was overcast
by smoky mist. SO that no observation
could be taken. but on March 81 an OBJ.
servation gave our position as latitude
sf-i1- We had covered. therefore. more
than $50 miles IN nine days.
Beyond this point we encountered
merely desert OF ice There was no
life. Tracks OF animals and blowholes
OF seals were absent Nor was there
trace Of vegetation.
April Z was worthy OF especial note.
because the sun az midnight appeared
over the edge OF the northern ice. The
next day made an observation which
placed our position ar latitude $50.
Our speed had Increased slightly. We
had trayersed more than $50 miles In
seventeen days
I'VE were then trine more than
zoo miles from the pole We were sur.
burned and frostbltten on the same
day. but the light enabled us To al
vance more easily
Beyond the seth parallel the crew
fees became fewer ana narrower and
between the S7th and Ssth parallels
was surprised 20 find indications OF
land Ice For two days We travelled
over Ice that looked like "A glacial sur
face. But there was no perceptible
elevation. and, therefore Il was impos-
sibie to tell whether We were on land
or sea.
"On April IL We reached latitude
SSH. and were within a little bit less
than 100 miles of the pole We no
longer had energy TO make any Snow
houses and slept in a silk tent which
we carried.
In the days that followed we saw
mirages. inverted mountains and queer
objects that seemed TO dance about.
The horizon itself seemed TO dance.
But ! made careful Astronomical OBJ
servations and always knew our Do
sition
on April q my observation-cor
that we had reached |
latitude So degrees. SO minutes and &c
seconds. and were therefore within a
stones throw. almost. OF the goth par
allel We advanced the Il seconds
approximately a quarter OF a mile
and there ! made the double round of |
observations which confirmed our Do !
sition
This was al boon OF April p. 1908. |
My observations showed that the lati- |
tude was precisely 80 degrees. The
temperature was 3S degrees below |
zero. The barometer stood at 29.s3l
Inches. Theirs wes,ao land in sight
nothing but a depressing waste OF Ice |
and snow. watch appeared purple in
the light
Raised Flag 70 the Breeze"
The Eskimos told me that at last
they had reached the Big Nail. and
were the FIRST OF their race ever to have
set foot there, celebrated with savage
Joy. raised the flag OF the United
States Of America TO the breeze.
Il studied the local conditions az
much as possible and took observa.
tons from varicas points within walk |