The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1909-09-02
G)crnlont 06latrllmau.
THE NORTH POLE DISCOVERED

discovered the North Pole, is correct. a
long dispatch from Doctor Cook to the
New York Herald, giving details, seems tc
be authentic and messages sent to Mrs
Cook and others contain the same genera
information.
The discovery, if the reports prove to be
true, is one of the remarkable events OF the
CENTURY and eliminates from the unknown
regions of the earth the point sought with
the greatest persistency and with the
greatest outlay of lives and money OF any
during the last half century. Failure
has succeeded failure, but still the frozen
goal has been so aluring to the Imagination
Of adventurous spirits that new eXpedl-
lions has been organized as fast as others
failed and the number in recent years has
inciea sed rather than diminished.
Doctor Cook, who has won place
among the great explorers of history, Is
As years old and is native of Sullivan
county, New York
He was surgeon and ethnologist to the
first Peary expedition, in lS9l-92; COM
mander of the expedition on the Ieta,
yacht, in 1898; organizer and commander
of the expedition on the Miranda, steam
ship. in 1884, surgeon, anthropologist and
photographer of the Belgian Antarctic
expedition of 1S97-99, and surgeon to the
Peary auxiliary expedition on the Erik, a
steamship, in 1901 On these expeditions
he made a full study of ice and ice condi-
ions, and his present day theory would
seem to be a natural deduction. He found
the ice frmer in the winter, and learned
that comparatively smooth surfaces were
presented for sedgc parties, making
progress easy for mile after mile. lie
reckoned that winter dash would not be
baked so frequently by the open lanes
and that the advance would be regular.
This theory seems to have been the correct
one.
Two years ago last spring DR.. Cook
started on hunting expedition with
John r. Bradley, wealthy New Yorker
who had hunted game in all corners OF the
world except the Polar regions. Mr.. Brad
ley bought a ll0-ton Gloucester fishing
schooner with an auxiliary gasolene engine,
renamed her the John r. Bradley, and in
this vessel went North, DR.. Cook being in
command. The hunting trip ended the
latter part of August 1907, and on the
9th the schooner started from Annatok,
on the northwest coast of Greenland.
back for New York Almost up to the
last it was expected DR.. Cook would return
with the party, but he decided to remain
AMI make a one-man try for the Pole
On March 3, 1908, he left Annatok, and
with eight Eskimo companions, four,
sledges, twelve teams of dogs, and album
dant supplies disappeared in a north
westerly direction over Ellesmereland into
the little-known regions toward the Arctic
Ocean.
Drawing intense cold tha+ sometimes
reached SO degrees below zero, he pushed
onward, discovering new land, 10000
square mil 5 in extent, on March 30.
There was no me for the exploration of
the unknown coast. In describing the
region beyond, the explorer says:
"Iere were seen the last signs of solid
earth; beyond there was nothing stable
to be seen.
Owe advanced steadily over the monot-
ony of moving sea ice and now found our
selves beyond the range of all life
neither footprints of bears nor the blow
holes of seals were detected. Even the
mcros ;opic creatures of the deep were no
longer under us
Finally, on April 81, 1908, the long
coveted goal was reached, and the Stars
and Strips were plan ed at the North
Pole. The reports do not st ale what
S ientfc observations were taken, but
it is pre- sumed that Doctor Cook was not
very well equipped.with instruments for
this purpose.
One of the strange phases of the dis
covery is tina in this age, with our wonder
full facilities for swift communication.
almost year and n half should elapse
after this important discovery before the
news reached the outside world. The
arrival at Copenhagen of the steamer en-
which Doctor Cook is sailing will be
awaited with eageln-ss for full details Of
the trip.
Many columns have been written on the
foolishwasteo of lifeand treasure in Attempts
to discover the secrets of the frozen
North. Very convincing arguments are
made against the wisdom of such expedi-
tons, and yet, after all is said, the lure of
the undiscovered exerts powerful in
fiuence upon men in whose veins still
flows the blood of the old Morse Vikings.
The love of adventure is still powerful
passion, even in this modern era The
willingness to risk life for the chance of
winning glory is factor to be reckoned
with to-day, although knights no longer
joust in tournaments on a Field of the
Cloth of Gold, or battle with the Saracen
to recover the Holy Sepulchre. The
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