Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-26
COOK IN SECLUS|0N
Explorer Suffering From a
Nervous Breakdown.
AT HOME OF NEW YORKER
Great Change Noted Since Admiral
Chester's Charges.
ACCEPTS ADVICE OF FRIENDS
Dummy Package Used to Fool Con-
spirators; Real Data in Safe
of Ocean Liner.
ACCEPTS ADVICE OF FRIENDS

NEW YORK, November 26.-As result
Of the mental strain under which he has
labored in preparing his records for the
Danish scientists, DR.. Frederick A. Cook.
discoverer of the north pole, has suffered
nervous breakdown. He is at the home
of an intimate friend in New York city.
but his condition is so serious that his
closest personal friends are not allowed
to- see him.
Looking haggard and ten years older
than when he arrived from the arctic re-
gion in September, the explorer left his
hotel, the Gramatan Inn. in Bronxvile,
at l o'clock Wednesday afternoon for a
visit to New York. There was such a
change in his condition that he did not
return to Bronxville Wednesday night.
and yesterday Mrs. Cook joined him in
this city.
Carried Dummy Package.
Although it was announced that Wal
t. !. ;nsdale, who left yesterday on the
steamer United States of the Scandina-
WAN American line for Copenhagen. was
conveying the explorers original data and
the comprehensive analysis which he had
prepared in support of his claim of hav-
ing been the first to reach the north pole,
it was learned last night that the data
and reports were sent to Europe several
day; ago on fast steamer, and Is due
to arrive in Copenhagen several days be-
fore Mr.. Lonsdale reaches the Danish cap
itaI December Z.
DIR. Cooks records ar in the safe of
transatlantic liner now in midocean,'
said Henry w. 'Wack, the explorers cOun-
sci tonight. THE large portfolio which
Mr.. Lonsdale carried aboard the steamer
United States was only dummy to trap
the conspirators, who have resorted to
every means to gain possession of DR..
Cooks data. l am convinced that an Ell
fort will be made to rob him of the pack
ase which he has in his possession before
the United States reaches the other side.
Admiral Chester's Charges.
The great change in DR.. Cooks physi-
cal condition has been noted and COM
mented upon by his close friends for
more than a week. The charges made by
Rear Admiral Chester in a speech in
New York ten days ago disturbed the
explorer very much. He was anxious to
issue a statement in reply to Admiral
Chester and demand a public retraction,
but as he was then working day and
night in completing his report for Copen-
hagen, he accepted the advice Of friends
and decided to ignore all attacks until
after the University Of Denmark has Of
ficiaily passed upon his data.
There Ia no question in my mind,
DR.. Cook said to a friend, las to what
the decision of the Danish scientists will
be. My records, of course, are not as
complete as they would have been had
Mr.. Whitney been allowed to bring my
instruments and papers with him from
Etah but the orig inal data which l am
submitting is more than sufficient to up-
hold my claim that L reached the North
Pole April y, 1908"
Suns Shadow Controversy.
In his speech before the Aldine Club
in this city the evening of November
Is, Rear Admiral Chester in bitter at
tack on Dr. Cook, declared that the pic
ture which the explorer had exhibited
as having peen taken at the North Pole
showed a shadow indicating the suns
elevation at something like thirty de-
grees.
DIR. Cook has Enclosed with his original
data the negatives from which this pic
ture was made, and the shadow as meas
ured by experts shows a shadow giving
the suns elevation at II degrees, which,
according to leading scientists and as
tronomers, was the exact shadow which
the sun would have cast April Il, 1905,
the day on which Dr. Cook sad the pho
tograph was taken.
The newspaper pictures were retouch-
ed and enlarged said personal friend
tonight, but the original negative speaks
for itself. 1t shows a shadow of l. de-
grees, and 1t will be an easy matter for
the Danish scientists to see that this
negative has not been tempered with