Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-12-23
RECENT HERO is BRANDED
AN IMpOSTOR AND FRAUD
His Friend Rasmussen Says Papers Sent to Uni
versity "Are Most Impudent' and "a Most
Childish Attempt at Cheating denmark
Chagrined at Being Laughing Stock.

Copenhagen. Dec. 2l.--The report oil
the special committee of scientists
which the University of Copenhagen
appointed TO scrutinize DR.. FREDERICK
A. Cocks claims that lie had dtscov-
cred the North Pole was submitted to
the consistory Of the. university this
morning, endorsed by that body ana
given 10 the public.
The report skaters completely. all
most contcrnptuously. the American
explorers title to such discovery. ana
MI. the officials and people OF Den
mark with chasrln NJ the figure
Denmark Ia made to assume In ire
eyes Of the scientific world. The pub
lie was prepared for Jcrh'c. OF not
proven" but did not expect it's recent
hero to he branded az an mpostor
Many stu cling to the belief that
Cook acted in good faith, but harbor-
ed a delusicn.
EXPLORER. ard scientists, almost
unanimously, have lost faith in Cook $
honesty while one of his warrcst
supporters. Knud Rasmussen, helped
to frame the report The evening pa
pers attack Cook and severely re
proach him for hiding. which thev re
gard as sign OF a guilty conscience.
The rector Of the university. Dr.
Solomonsen. when questioned az to
the possibility Of the university can
ceiling the degree which it onfcrred
on Or. Cook. said that no decision had
been reached. but he thought that the
degree could be withdrawn in the
same way as government could de
/ ~
under false pret+nses.
PROVED A BAD OBSERVER.
Commodore Gustav Holm. the Arc
| tic explorer and a member of the com
mittee. said Cooks claim that he
made the observation 50 degrees. %
minutes, 46 second near tho Pole
proved Immediately that he was .
bad observer but nothing indicated
that he vas a swindler. Now his pa
pers convict him OF being swindler
We examined Cooks observations first
and agreed unanimously that they
were worthless. Losses observations
were not used in the papers Cook sub
mitted to the university"
Professor Olurson. secretary OF TIE
Danish Geographical society, said;
"It is tho saddest event in my life
As an explorer there seems to be nc
doubt that Cook /, absolutely unreli-
able"
The National Tidende. while de-
plorin- that tho university CONFERRED
the e~cr.. In moment OF onthusl'
a.m. nna. consolation in the fact tina
others honored Cook when he return
cd 70 civilization.
9TH. President Of his own country
and it's envoy a. Copenhagen.' saws
the paper were the guarantors i"1
him. Denmark did not blunder alone
Our country must now leave this sa'
affair to America and Cook,
REALIZED 1T \ SCANDAL.
In an Interview tonight, Knud Ras
mussen said:
The university would not call me
nr.t because I was one OF DR.. Cook
strongest supporters. Later. however
was invited to the Investigation and whe
cav the observations | realized 1t wa
n scandal.
INV confidence in Cook had been base
on personal impressions. on reports ina
I had received and also on the testlmon
of the Eskiraaux. when they AL SAID ina
he had made the trip from Cape Sparb
to Etah. and such a trip during the Oar
of winter would suffice to make ma
famous. But the papers which COOK sen
to Copenhagen University are mos
impudsnt. No school boy could make sue
calculations II is a most childish at
tempt at cheating Cook has Killed nm
SELF by his own foolish acts
Commodore Hovgaard, the explorer
said: Although it has not been prove
that Cook did not reach the Pole ca
only regard Cook now ms an impostor'
PAPERS WITHOUT VALUE
The report Of the committee, OF whic
Professor Stromsren was chairman
presented to the consistory, states tina
Cooks papers are without any value INA
his report to the university Is pract'a'l
the Same as that published In the Ne'
York Herald upon his return from NJ
Arctic expedition. The copies OF his hott
books admitted. SAYS the committee con
tain no original calculations OF oDserV'
tions but only results thereof. Accordlnsl
the committee concludes that he afford
no proof Of having reached the Pole
The committee chosen to represent IN
University OF Copenhagen in the examine
ton OF Or. Cooks claim was compose
as follows: Professor Ellis stronger
director Of the astronomical Observatory
DR.. c. r, Pechule, astronomer attache
to the observatory; Gustav Holm e'
plorer: Prof A. r. Yensen. president
. the school OF navigation: DR.. Royde
director OF the meteorological Office, an
, Dr. F. A. Ensstrom. director Of the Lur
|, observatory,
DOCUMENTS PRESENTED.
The documents handed the commlssio
Of the University OF Copenhagen for g,
animation are:
First. a typewriter report prepare
It by Cooks secretary, Walter Lonsdal
J. and covering O. pages OF foolscap.
o Second. typewriter copy made I
Il Lonsdale from Cooks note books. TIL
occupies ia pages Of foolscap and 1,
Il cludes description OF the expedite
9, during the period from Marcn ls, 1905,
u June IL, 1904. during which according
the statement, Cook journeyed fro
Il Svartevog to the North Pole and r
NJ turned to n point on the polar ice n
At specifically indicated but west of II
l. Axclheiherg land.
The papers were not accompanied by