The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-09-09
POLAR DIsCOvERER RETURNED.


DR.. Frederick A. Cook, of Brook
lyn, the discoverer of the North
Pole, returned from his Arctic jour
ney last Saturday, landing at CO.
penhagen, where he was royalty
received. When his vessel was
sighted, craft of all kinds went out
to meet him. The Crown Prince
of Denmark escorted him ashore
and took him to the hotel i'll which
he is the guest of the government.
Royalty has covered him with
many honors. The king sent for
him almost Immediately after he
landed, and received him in an old
suit of clothes borrowed from sea-
man, and later in the day the Kings
tailor provided the explorer with
evening clothes in which to attend
banquet given in his honor.
Scores of scientists have called
upon him to offer congratulations,
and thousands of people have rush
ed to get passing glimpse of him.
On Sunday DR.. Cook dined with
the King and the royal family at
the palace, and entertained them
with his accounts of the Polar re-
gions.
He expects to visit Brussels, lee
ture in Paris, and possibly in other
cities, after which he will return to
Copenhagen, and theuce to New
York.
DR.. Cook, in an interview with
group of reporters at his hotel, told
many interesting facts.
"This time we had started out TO
reach the Pole, and everything else
was of secondary consideration. 1t
was not possible to carry certain
apparatus, and it was impossible
also to study the deep sea or take
soundings.
1--WE carried all necessary simple
instruments for astronomical obser-
vations and we were very 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 controlled by each
other from time to time. The
watch, however, got out of order.
1--WE had all the modern instru-
ments which other explorers have
had, including thermometers, bar
ometers and sextants of the latest
models. 1t is possible that our OBJ
servations were better than those of
earlier days, but I do not assert
that l am perfectly familiar with
making astronomical observations,
especially in the polar regians.
think that all explorers will be sat
isfed with my data.
1.-The daily distance covered on
he northward trip was slightly less
than fifteen miles; on the south
ward trip it was ten miles. This is
not an abnormal distance for Eski-
mos on the ice. They often travel
fifty or sixty miles with dogs. One
If the greatest advantages of oul
rip was that did not take fam
ne route. We had game for long
lime, perhaps for a hundred miles
We fed our dogs we'll throughout
he winter III Greenland and rar
hem 400 miles, giving them fresf
meat every day. Thus we brough
hem to the Polar Sea fat and well
We had the best men and the bes
logs.
"We lived entirely on dried mea
md beef tallow, reducing the fooc
problem to a science. The las
race of animals we saw was bea
rack at 50 degrees. Afterward
We did not even see life in the wa
er except Algae.
"The drift of the ice during the
.ntire southern trip was slightly
,outh of east; the direction of th
Wind was generally south of west
We found several of Sverdrup's olC
amps. The reason we utilized sill
tents on some occasions was that w
we're so exhausted that we hadn'
.trength to build snow shed. W.
lad carefully figured and planned
.verything, so that there was n
urplus weight to carry. We di,