The Thibodaux sentinel. (Thibodaux, La.) 1905-1912, 1909-09-11
Poles DIsCOYERER COMING
To Return After Achieving
Success and Renown.
COOK HAS RECORDS OF HIS SEARCH

/ - al
Big Reception Given Explorer in
Denmark's. Capital City. New
York Plans Grafton. Pole
May Be Valuable.
Washfngto9 Official confirmation
Of Ra6erlck A. Cooks dicov,
Iery.b thes1 pole was recefRednl
fthe State Department Dr. Cooks
feat has been given its historica
place without question. His records
when presented to the inspection oil
astronomers and geographers. will
tell the story as truly as If an army
OF experts had accompanied him.
! This is the verdict of the scientists
OF Washington, both those of the
government service and those con.
nected with the National Geographic
sochety.
In addition to their declarations
that one man would find 1t impossi-
bic to deceive the world by any Sc
ries of observations prepared in ad-
vance, these experts express con-
fidence in, the integrity of DR.. Cook
and accept his declaration of sue
cess without qualification.
John R. Bradley, the financial
hacker of DR.. Frederick A. Cook,
took pains to explain that the Brook
lyn explorers success in reaching
the North Pole was not SO much the
result of chance as the opinions of
several polar experts would indi-
cate
This was no haphazard expedi-
ton" he said, mo intensified Arc
tic joyride, undertaken on nerve. We
went about our preparations for this
thing quietly and without brass
band accompaniment, but every i'm
aginable contingency had been pro-
vided for.
We studied out the mistakes and
misfortunes of other men, who had
tried for the pole, hoping to benefit
by their errors, and we rtainly
benefited by their examples.
Il am not going to tell what the
cost was. but I'll tell you this much:
One single item Of the equipment
was 5000 gallons of gasoline, and
another was two barrels of gum
drops. An Esquimaux will travel
thirty miles for gum drops. His
sweet tooth is the sweetest In the
world.
a welcome such as no other p.srson
ever received Id nCopenhagen awaited
the discoyerer on his arrival tAare
aboard the steamer Hans Egede of
the Greenland Colonial line.
The city, which has been the base
of so many polar expeditions, was
in a revel of delight that at last the
long-sought-for goal had b. en- reach
ed.
The reception planned for DIR.
Cook by far outdid the welcome ac.
corded Dr. Fridjof Nansen on his re-
turn from his arctic exploration In
1893.
The city council chartered a boat
and met the Hans Egede several
miles at sea. The members went
in state and presented an address of
welcome to the intrepid explorer.
The King evinced the greatest in
terest in the arrival of DR.. Cook, and
insisted on an audience with the ex-
plorer Immediately on his arrival.
The American flag was every
where waving, as 1t is recognized
that this is typical American
achievement.
Oyations of spectacular and inn
pressive character seldom accorded
private citizen await DR.. Cook, in
New York If the plans are carried out
as announced at the headquarters of
the Arctic Club of America.
It is intended that President Taft
shall be the first to greet the travel
er when he returns here and a great
banquet, at which as many men
whose names have been associated
with arctic exploration as can be Sc
cured, will be present is planned in
honor of the Brooklyn surgeon who
in a day has leaped to worldwide
fame.
The Explorers Club will join in
making the Cook reception nota-
ble affair.
THE campaign opened with few
scouts being sent over the American
shores to explore the way and seek
the game haunts. This mission was
only partly successful because Of the
storms. At sunrise of 1908 (Feb. 19)
the main expedition embarked on it's
voyage to the pole.
"It consisted of eleven men and
one hundred and three dogs, drawing
eleven heavily laden sledges. The
left the Greenland shore
and pushed westward over the trou-
bled ice of Smith Sound. The gloom
of the long night was relieved only
by few hours of daylight. The chill
Of the winter was felt at its worst.
AS we crossed the heights of Elles
mere Sound to the Pacific slope the
temperature sank to minus SO cent?
grade Several dogs were frozen and
the men suffered severely, but we
soon found the game trails, along
which the way was easy.
eve forced through the Nansen
Sound to Lands End. In this march