The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-09-05
HEARTY WELCOME
 FOR EXPLORER
CONTINUED FROM PAGE D

@ and the right provisions I could never have reached the pole. I owe much to the Danish nation for my success
 telegram was read conveying the congratulations of the King of Sweden for "a brilliant deed of which the Ameri- can people may rightly be proud
 Toasts to Mrs. Cook and to the Eskimos of the party were drunk.
 Two hundred students in uniform marched in when the company returned to the grand hall and gave Dr. Cook a rousing cheer. They insisted upon 6 speech and sang songs.
 Cook Tells Story.
 Dr. Cook said:
 We carried all necessary simple in struments for astronomical observations and we were lucky to obtain observations virtually every day The positions noted must have been nearly correct. We had three chronometers, one watch, compasses and pedometers All were carefully con- trolled by each other from time to time. The watch, however got out of order.
 We had all the modern instruments which other explorers have had, includ- ing thermometers, barometers and sex tants of the latest models. It Is possible that our observations were better than those of earlier days, but l do not as- sert that I am perfectly familiar with making astronomical observations, espe- cially in the polar regions I think, how ever, that all explorers will be satisfied with my data.
 Why should sit down and invent ob- servations?" he exclaimed "I,did not do this thing for anything but sport. and because I take real interest in the problem It would not do me any good fa inv op1u xxff nesses I had were two Eskimos, certain ly, but in all polar expeditions observa- tions have been made by one man. re- gard the Eskimo as much more inteli- gent in finding positions than the white man in the Arctic. These people as a rule are not absolutely ignorant. They know that the earth is round. They have a name for the pole. which they call the big nail.' They appreciate the work of explorers when participating therein. I thing Rasmussen has obtained some in- formation regarding my expeditions from the Eskimos who have learned it from the two with me. Rasmussen was there much later and his information will be published shortly, possibly tomorrow.
 Ice Around the Pole.
 "Concerning the Ice around the pole, so far as I could see, 1t was slightly more active there than at one or two de- grees south. It drifted somewhat more to the south and east. Its general char acter is not very different from that at other places We stayed around the pole for two days, making many obser- vations. I doinot claim to have put my finger on the exact spot; do not claim to have put my foot on it, but per- sonally I think we have been at the spot When the observations have been figured out again 1t Is possible that there will be found slight error and difference, but l am certain that a gun shot fired from where we were would have passed over the pole.
 We planted the Stars and Stripes Tt what we believed to be the pole, but didn't leave the flag with a staff. h. stead, l placed a small silk flag in a cylinder with my card and the record of the journey with the date. The drift ice may carry the flag away, but to me that is matter of indifference. I. should have been very glad to have found land there.
 Prepared for Defense.
 1T am quite prepared to place my ob- servations before any geographical society in the world. think there Is no doubt about my obtaining authoritative recog- milton. I have already received tele- grams from the geographical societies of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Belgium and other countries which congratulate me. while Amundsen, Nordenskjold, Cagni and Lecointe have acknowledged my work. offer my observations to science the same as other men have done, and I accept the responsibility.
 "As to the temperature at the pole, it was minus S3. I took about 400 photo graphs, one of which shows the American flag flying. These as yet have not been developed"
 Questioned regarding his great speed, Dr. Cook said:
 ''The daily distance covered on the northward trip was slightly less than 15 miles; on the southward trip 1t was 10 miles, This is not an abnormal dis tance for Eskimos on the ice. They often travel 50 or 60 miles with dogs. One of that I did not take famine route. We had game for a long time, perhaps for 100 miles, We fed our dogs well through out the winter in Greenland and ran them 400 miles, giving them fresh meat ev- cry day Thus we brought them to the polar sea fat and we'll. We had the best men and the best dogs.
 Lived on Dried Meat.
 We lived entirely on dried meat and beef tallow, reducing the food problem to science. The last trace of animals we saw was bear track at 83 degrees. Afterwards we did not see life even in the water. except algae. The drift of the ice during the entire southern trip was slight ly south of west. We found several of